Sunday, August 27, 2017

"Hawthorne Bridge", 16x20", $450+s/h

"Hawthorne Bridge", 16x20", $450+s/h

They don't make art supplies like they used to. 

I finally figured out that Arches paper can go bad! The first time I started a composition and the paper behaved like mulch, I thought I was going crazy or had stretched it incorrectly or something. I started this 16x20 composition (based on an earlier, on-sight sketch posted here), and got the pencil composition to where I was really happy with it. My heart sank with the first watercolor washes. The color stains and mottles. There's no real ability to lift or scrub. If you do the latter it pills immediately. I decided I didn't want to either abandon the piece or start over, but to just do the best I could with it.

Apparently the problem with decreased quality has been going on for awhile, as evinced by this 2009 blog post. Their papers are supposed to be archival and were considered top of the line when I was in art school, during the latter half of the 80s. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Declining quality in everything is a hallmark of this era. Craftsmanship really isn't an integral part of the digital age of global corporate monopolies and shadowy oligarchies, is it? I'd been using paper purchased about 20 years prior - having been away from fine art during a long run of my NYC life - but it should've lasted.

Come to find out, Arches newer products are also subpar

I'd ordered a new, larger hotpress watercolor block before finding out of the flaws in the older, single, large sheets I'd brought with me to Portland from the east coast. I got it at the end of last March, but didn't unwrap it until today. (I was hesitant to work later again.) The bound sheets fell off the supportive backing immediately, when I removed the outer plastic!

This block cost $48. That is a LOT of money for someone in my position, so I've already emailed customer service.

I won't be buying any more Arches! I've got some paper to use up but when I purchase new I'll be checking out other brands for sure.

Wordpress > Blogger & the Etsy store idea

I'm also moving my art blog back to Wordpress. Blogger is just passè, as are blogs themselves for the most part, but the people who read are all over there. I'd been thinking about going back to an "all in one" and has made a few art posts in my latest, mostly exercise blog over there, but now I've decided it's better to keep the art all in one place. I just have to set aside the time to start a new one & export all the posts over from here.

I also haven't gotten around to setting up any Etsy store. The thing is, it'd be extremely difficult for me to sell originals at anything approaching a fair price without representation. Putting out the possibility to the universe is in the preliminary stages. I've been checking out the store of one of my favorite tarot authors. She sells prints. From the looks of it, they're sort of upscale, computer prints. I need to find out how I can do that. I could offer cheap prints and hang onto the originals until / unless the right buyers find me.