Join the Cleveland Sketchcrawl this Saturday, 5 April from 10 am to noon.  Meet at the Arcade (it runs between Superior Ave. and Euclid Ave., about a block or so east of Public Square) at 10 a.m with sketchpad and pen.

 You can catch up on previous crawls at the Cleveland Sketchcrawl blog here.  And at Karen Sandstrom’s blog here.

 One of Karen’s sketches from February at the Cleveland Public Library.

I had the good fortune of doing a studio visit to RED DOT Project artist member, Mona Kolesar.  Mona works in the back of a garage on her abstract wall pieces.  There are skylights that flood the space and a great view of her backyard.  She works with natural materials, such as granite, slate, marble, and stone to create her artwork.   Her work is inspired by natural themes and gives a sense of permanence to our fast changing world.

Mona works largely on commission, working hand in hand with the contractor, architect, and owners to create a piece best suited for the environment.  Just as importantly is the planning the proper supports for these pieces that are heavy due to their materials and lighting to properly illuminate the work.

Some additional images of Mona’s work.

Fracture, 23″ x 68″ x 4″

Nocturnal Sine, 40″ x 72″ x 6″

One of the ongoing issues for artists is pricing their work.  In a pithy post titled “Wandering Prices” posted in “The Painter’s Keys” Robert Genn gets it right.  Artists are best served when they take control of the prices of their work and keep the final retail price consistent, and also recognize the context in which their work is exhibited.  Exposure beware!  As Genn says …”Whether your work is in the National Gallery or in Heidi Fleiss’s House of Ill Repute, your prices to the general public need to be the same. This means that only you control the final price. The percentage that various venues take is negotiated from your standard pricing. If you don’t take control no one else will, and some brigands will run over you. Wandering prices are most unfair to your collectors and spoil the steady upward progression an artist can enjoy during a lifetime of creativity.  Keep reading here…. http://clicks.robertgenn.com/wandering-prices.php 

A toast to everyone who is Irish or Irish for today.

Jay Patel  :: Enchanted Forest  ::  photography, various sizes

Ann Caywood Brown  ::  On the Way to Mom’s House  ::  pastel, 26″ x 36″

Jeanne Regan  ::  sleepwalk  :: print, 14″ x 15″

The Artist Deduction Bill would allow artists to take a fair-market value deduction for works given to and retained by nonprofit institutions.  Current tax laws only allow artist to deduct only their “basis” value—essentially the cost of materials such as paint and canvas. 

 You can go to the Advocate for the Arts website to fill out the form  that will send letters to your Senate and House Representatives.

There are a lot of reasons to artists choose to donate to art auctions, but current tax laws do not support the value of the artwork that is being donated.  (Thanks Bill for the link.)

Brian Benchek is a self taught glass artist that makes incredible chandeliers, wall sculpture, and glass objects.  But, working on commission, with a specific client for a specific place, is one of things he loves about making art.  Click on the image below to catch the video, shown on HGTV, of the installation that he completed for Willoughby homeowners, Melissa and Tom Loiczly.

 Learn more about Brian’s art and how to commission a piece for your space at RED DOT Project.

Glidden House is a beautiful boutique hotel tucked into University Circle.  Their location and size make them unique, but really what sets them apart is their art collection.  Glidden House has made a committment to buying Cleveland regional artists.  RED DOT Project is working with them as they slowly work on renovations and improvements to provide the regional artwork that helps set a tone and gives the space the look and feel that is uniquely Cleveland.

They have recently worked on the Palette Lounge.  The space is intimate and comfortable.  New work by RED DOT Project artists, Ruth Bercaw, Lee Heinen, William Peck, Damon Reaves, and Brock Winans fill the immediate area.

Damon Reaves  ::  Recent Shadows

Check out their Palette Lounge after work, they have signature cocktails, an incredible wine list, and tapas by Sergios.  AND great art by regional artists. 

Things I learned today (here):

Leap days, technically known as intercalary days, are calendar corrections. Despite what you have been taught, there are not 365 days in a year. There are precisely 365.2425 days, which means we gain a day every four years. An exception: Century years cannot be leap years unless they are evenly divisible by 400.

In 45 B.C., Emperor Julius Caesar added a Leap Day occurring every four years to the calendar he created. Until then, calendars were a mess.

Leap Night, 6 to 11 p.m. today. A winter fun extravaganza including a winter forest with bonfires, ice-skating rink, snowboard ramp and rail-jam competition, outdoor video-game competition, snowsuit fashion show and food and drink vendors. In a vacant lot at 1100 Old River Road in the Flats, between Main Avenue and Front Street, Cleveland. Sponsored by Pop-Up City.

Seth Chwast  ::  Fantasy Tree Frogs Yellow

RED DOT Project artist, Seth Chwast, was diagnosed with autism as a very young child, and lived for years in a world of roller coasters, haunted houses, and classical music.  A dramatic change came in 2003, when at age 20 he took an oil painting class at the Cleveland Museum of Art.  Seth, who rarely speaks, began describing his world in paint.

Seth has a created beautiful pieces of art that are direct and honest.  He has an amazing story that has been featured on the Today Show in 2007 and 2008.  For more information about Seth and to purchase his artwork, visit www.reddotproject.org

A New York Times article this month covers the use jpeg images to sell artwork.  The article quotes:

Lisa Schiff, a New York art consultant, agreed, saying that “99 percent” of her sales now involve a JPEG at one stage or another. “It’s changed the way we all do business,” she said. “People have begun using JPEG as a verb: JPEG me this work.”

RED DOT Project has a digital database of our artist members’s works that allows for the transmission of digital presentations, short listing of artwork, and streamlined process for art procurement.

 While I recognize that a jpeg is not the real thing, it certainly helps to start the conversation and determine direction for artwork purchases.

James Massena March  ::  City Windows

COSE Arts Network is hosting a half day event, tomorrow, Wednesday, February 20 at Trinity Commons.  Ali Pretty is the keynote speaker with breakout sessions on a variety of arts business topics.  Click here for more information and registration.

From Kinetika’s Tiger and the Emperor