Victoria Ryan

My husband Bruce and I had a great time at the Sausalito Art Festival.   I had worked very hard in the weeks and months prior preparing for this final event of the summer season and my planning and execution paid off.   The Sausalito Art Festival is like no other, at least in my rather limited experience with the higher end art fairs in the western region.  In the years preceding the “great recession” painters and artists from other media would enjoy brisk sales and additions to their collector base from visitors who come to this event from all over the world to purchase art.   The economy has certainly put its stamp on the volume, but the throngs of enthusiastic patrons who appreciate and support the arts are still showing up in Sausalito over Labor Day Weekend.

Where else can you spend a day or weekend seeing the works of about 300 juried artists and dance to English Beat on one day and Jefferson Starship on another while drinking a margarita!   This event is truly a blast and for all the hard work, we artists manage to have an immensely good time as well.  The festival organizers brought in a huge crowd each day and for that I am thankful.

I am grateful to my new and established collectors who purchased from me this year and who commissioned paintings….I’ll be kept busy for months to come.    As one visitor put it,  in this economy,  many  with discretionary income would rather invest in individual artists rather than purchasing from large chain operations, thereby contributing to the health and sustenance of  the arts as a whole.   I highly condone that!

Here’s me at the Preview Party.   I’m showing off my new JayneMax handbag – a gift from  Designer Jayne Dearborn.   Check out her beautiful line at:

http://www.designsbyjayne.com/

Sausalito Preview Party

  It’s Sausalito Art Festival time!   Labor Day Weekend, September  5, 6 and 7   marks my favorite show of the year, and my 10th straight year participating in the #1 art festival in the country.  This year will be the first year I will be debuting a series of oil paintings in addition to my pastels.   Check the “Oils” category on the right side tab bar for a sampling of what I will be showing.  Additionally, I’ve been adding new pastels frequently so be sure to check the Pastels category as well!   For the past two years I’ve been fortunate enough to serve on the 2-D jury and this year there should be some great work by new artists  and of course excellent art from artists who have been exhibiting at Sausalito consistently over time.   I’ve been working hard doing extensive preparations for this show so I hope to see you all there…its a wonderfully fun event!

For more information visit www.sausalitoartfestival.org

Artists are always evolving and hopefully their work evolves as well.   Its interesting to reflect back on previous work and what was the impetus that inspired it and moved it forward.   When I look back on this past year (I tend to think in terms of years ending at Labor Day….something to do with the school schedule….)  I was clearly in an introspective time.   My landscape paintings were more intimate and focal, the color was rich yet not as saturated.   I am proud of the work I did but am ready to move on again, or should I say back a few yards to more vast views of the landscape.   Travelling in the Pacific Northwest this summer I was inspired again by our beautiful northern vistas, hills and valleys, our vineyards and farmlands, and the rich color palette that our eyes are lavished with.   I’ll be continuing with pastels and also with oils.   I’m ready for summer to simmer so to speak and to roam the valleys for places to paint.   August has already been fruitful so  check back.

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I’ve been busy preparing for one of the big events of summer, The Bellevue Art Museum Arts Fair which will be held July 24, 25 and 26 at Bellevue Square in Bellevue Washington. The fair juries in some of the best fine art and contemporary crafts seen in the Western Region. I always end up going home with a new piece of art from  the fair. Its one of our favorite shows to do even if the hours are long!

“Sunlit Bungalow” 12.5×7″  is one of the smaller pastels I will be premiering at the Bellevue fair. I hope to see my Pacific Northwest friends and collectors at the show!

 Its been an exciting month.    Open Studios was successful thanks to my loyal repeat and new collectors here in Humboldt County.    I spent the next few weeks working on commissions while attending my daughter’s softball Tournament of Champions in the evenings.   They won!   Now its on to All Stars for the summer.    I guess I know what we’ll be doing.

I also have been completing new pastels including the piece above which is from the Winter Wildflower series.   That subtle winter light drew me in once more….this painting had to be done but now I’m drawn to the light of early summer that is just now peeking out on the North Coast of California.  

I also was forced to update my whole computer system which is still a work in progress insofar as transferring files and data over to my new system goes.   I’m determined to figure this all out as much as I can on my own.   Even my pragmatism has a right brain slant so my technological skills are no different.   I will say though, that this new IMAC system is pretty much how I expected computers to work 12 years ago….but they didn’t.   At least this system has prompts!  

Lastly, Bruce and I had a wonderful weekend in the Bay Area that included completing an installation for new collectors S & D.   Thank you so much for acquiring 10 original pastels for your beautiful home!   I think we were all delirious by the time we left (it was after all over 100 degrees that day) but the entire collection is looking incredible!

I’ll post more new images soon!

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Its Open Studios Time.   This coming weekend, June 6 and 7 from 11am to 5pm at my studio.  

2286 Ralphs Ct., Eureka, CA.  This is an annual event held in Humboldt County and was started many years ago by a few of our esteemed local artists.   It has now turned into a big event from Garberville all the way to Trinidad and beyond.    Come by my studio to see new pastels and oils and to take advantage of special offerings from the studio wall!   See you here!

There are artists in my extended community who truly blow me away with their energy, intelligence and abilities.   I am constantly amazed at the level of commitment and tenacity, not to mention the level of artistry I am presented with by my peers and by artists who come to me for coaching and career consultations.  I am also in awe of how legions of artists have learned to take their careers into their own hands by utilizing websites and blog formats.    My blog is still in its infancy and I’ve yet to find the right formula to share information for artists while showcasing work for my collectors.   I do LOVE the fact that this little blog has so much potential…..we’ll see where it goes.   I am working on it.

Today I was happily surprised to be  given an award for my blog by an artist/blogger/colleague/friend  Casey Klahn.   Casey is a pastel  artist and super blogger from Washington State.   His exquisitely minimal pastels remind me of why I chose to work with this medium in college.   I was influenced by an exhibition of George Segal drawings and sculpture at CSU Long Beach.   Segal produced a series of simplified figures in bold pastel colors.   Casey’s work has a similar immediacy.  He has a kinship with Wolf Kahn but I always think of those George Segal drawings…..Thank you Casey!   You have inspired me to blog and blog some more.

 The Noblesse Oblige Award is given for the following accomplishments:

1.The blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances of different cultures and beliefs.
2. The blog inspires, strives to encourage and offer solutions.
3. There is a clear purpose at the blog and it is one that fosters a better understanding of social science, politics, economics, the arts, culture, science or belief.
4. The blog is refreshing and creative.
5. The bloggers promotes friendship and positive thinking.

The rules are as follows:

1. Create a post with a mention and a link to the blogger who presented the award to you.
2. Display the award conditions.
3. Write a short post about what your blog has thus far achieved.
4. The blogger must present the award to blogs in concurrence with the award conditions.
5. The blogger can display the award at any location on their blog.

In kind, I am presenting this award to  intuitive artist, mandala maker and blogger extraordinaire  Sue O’Kieffe.

I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF YOU IN LOS ALTOS THIS WEEKEND, MAY 16-17 FROM 10-5, BOOTH 301

LINCOLN PARK, FOOTHILL EXPRESSWAY, LOS ALTOS, CA.   THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY COLLECTORS AND FRIENDS!

Art Fair Season is upon me and My Mac is crashing.   Something about an unresolved kernel panic.   I am not good at this……But I’m excited about going to Los Altos next weekend and setting up to show my new pastels to a town that holds many collectors of my work.   For the past 10 years I’ve been attending this and other shows in the West, this year I’ll be at only a handful of select venues but Los Altos is always near and dear to me.   My supportive collector base has made me an invited artist year after year and put me in the #1 space of the show, right smack next to the entrance and for that I am humbly grateful.   Hopefully my computer will hold out this week – I’ll have to have a technological epiphany or read the manual and neither scenario is going to come naturally.

 Friday  5pm my favorite time of the week!   After working hard from Monday through Friday, including getting up every day at 6:30 am, making my daughter’s lunch and driving her to school for zero period at 7:25 a.m. and days filled with Wii yoga, treadmills, painting, emailing, networking, tweeting, facebooking, consulting, coaching, painting some more, ordering supplies, making dinner, talking to my sister on the phone (a rare treat),  grocery shopping with teenagers, watching softball games in the cold at 9:00 at night,  switching mediums mid-week from pastel to oil, ordering up a ton of supplies from Utrecht, coming up with creative dinners every night for the family, chaffeuring my daughter (who has quite a life), watching my daughter receive a certificate from the Bd. of Supervisors for committee work on Youth Relay for Life,  meeting clients, blogging, spoiling my labrador who thinks she’s a person,  monitoring every cough for the swine flu,  and checking in on American Idol to see what Adam Lambert is going to do next I  look forward to the break the break that is the weekend.        I finished this painting this week.   Another water piece but a departure somewhat.   I got lost in all of that activity in the movement of the water and how the light danced across the surface.   As they  say on American Idol “I had fun with it.”  I’m going to go enjoy my weekend now.   Starting with a little quality time with the husband.   I hope you all have a great weekend as well!

In addition to being a full time artist, wife and mom and other self induced labels,  I also have been a marketing coach to artists for years.   Locally I am a consultant to the Humboldt Del Norte Small Business Development Center. Its a great little gig…I get to meet with artists at various stages of their careers and help them launch further.     Its interesting because I’ve found that it has as much to do with coaching as consulting.   Artists sometimes need to know they are as ready and worthy as they think they are.   Sometimes they need guidance and a little remedial training before putting out a full scale effort.     Whatever the case may be I truly love watching these artists succeed.    In addition to the marketing advice I am their hand holder, mother, guide, cheerleader.   I am truly inspired by these artists and their willingness to try at all cost to make their livelihoods creating art and for the most part I’ve been duly impressed by their work.

When I was just getting out of college in 1982 my expectations were low but I put my work in juried shows and had some beginners luck in establishing myself in the corporate collector market.  I parlayed that into further gallery exposure combined with teaching for a while.   In the late 1990’s the internet opened everything up and access to information was like a gift from the universe.   No more going to the museum bookstore to purchase the latest book on art marketing.   I was in heaven and completely overhauled my business plan.    I was about as happy as a parent maintaining a career could be until this bloodbath of a recession blew across the planet.  Though it has been rumbling for a while I’d say that for most it hit hard this past fall.   I’ve ridden through a few recessions in the past without incident but I dare say this could be different.   I have no illusions and neither should anyone else.   This is serious.  I’m still in the holding my breath phase as it hasn’t had a deleterious affect as of yet but I wonder about the upcoming months and even years.

  On the flip side its also a very good time to produce your best work in the studio, network, reassess, and revisit your business plan.    Social networking has produced a brave new world for artists to source out new audiences and perhaps new venues for exhibition and representation.   Take advantage of Facebook, Linkedin and even Twitter (which I am slow to learn.)    Or start a blog.   I admit, I’ve a little lax on developing my own but hey, I’m wearing many hats these days and didn’t feel the need until, well, last fall.   But I am the eternal optimist and I continue to plug along and encourage others to do the same.   Collectors still want their art and when all this messiness is sorted out we artists will still be here, producing away.   Ultimately its not about marketing at all but rather the creative impulse, the urge to forge ideas and visual delights.  I’m hanging in there and encourage everyone else to do the same.