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Robert Fionda of ArtSpeak's Interview with Jeanne Burris Johnson
Robert Fionda of ArtSpeak's Interview with Jeanne Burris Johnson
Robert Fionda of ArtSpeak's Interview with Jeanne Burris Johnson
ArtSpeak took the opportunity to interview Jeanne Burris-Johnson, an artist who owns New Century Art Gallery; an online and brick & mortar enterprise. Given her experience, we wanted Johnson’s observations on issues about how to set the pricing of artwork.
Burris-Johnson offered these insights. “The one question I can count on being asked
ArtSpeak took the opportunity to interview Jeanne Burris-Johnson, an artist who owns New Century Art Gallery; an online and brick & mortar enterprise. Given her experience, we wanted Johnson’s observations on issues about how to set the pricing of artwork.
Burris-Johnson offered these insights. “The one question I can count on being asked, by emerging OR established artists, is how to price artwork. To be honest, it was one of my first questions when I started out trying to
sell art. The answer I got was, “walk around the art gallery, find work that is similar to your art and price like that”. She added, “I always hated that answer because, what if the artist I was using as a pricing example didn’t know what they were doing either? As expected, that turned out often to be true.”
In the Studio with Shawn Smith
Robert Fionda of ArtSpeak's Interview with Jeanne Burris Johnson
Robert Fionda of ArtSpeak's Interview with Jeanne Burris Johnson
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Shawn Smith, “What influence does modern culture have on your work?”.
"I’d like to think that modern culture has a direct influence on my art. However, I think it’s more nuanced. I tend to create art as a way to escape the comings and goings of everyday life. Until just recently, I’ve come to the r
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Shawn Smith, “What influence does modern culture have on your work?”.
"I’d like to think that modern culture has a direct influence on my art. However, I think it’s more nuanced. I tend to create art as a way to escape the comings and goings of everyday life. Until just recently, I’ve come to the realization that my abstract pieces are really landscapes in disguise. A longing to be somewhere else entirely.
With that said… Modern culture, by way of Music, Cinema, Art, and Photography, has always triggered an artistic response within me. Usually pulling up an idea like an ancient file cabinet full of dusty old feelings and memories. The fun part is converting that idea into something physical and real."-Shawn Smith
In the Studio with Patricia Bober
Robert Fionda of ArtSpeak's Interview with Jeanne Burris Johnson
In the Studio with Patricia Bober
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Patricia Bober, “Do materials and methods dictate your ideas or vice versa?”
"I have many wonderful pieces of authentic paper ephemera that are just crying to be used! In my studio, I am surrounded by containers of WIP ( works in progress ) - favorite colors, images, book pages, etc. It's like being
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Patricia Bober, “Do materials and methods dictate your ideas or vice versa?”
"I have many wonderful pieces of authentic paper ephemera that are just crying to be used! In my studio, I am surrounded by containers of WIP ( works in progress ) - favorite colors, images, book pages, etc. It's like being with old friends. And, I have a good stash of art supplies, always ready to go.
When I need a new project, I just go through the WIP containers and choose one. Then when I go through the papers and images in that particular container, 'something' always leads me to an idea. Then I begin creating.
My materials and supplies always speak to me first!"
In the Studio with Tara Hutton
In the Studio with Tara Hutton
In the Studio with Patricia Bober
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Tara Hutton, “Who is one artist, living or dead, that you feel a connection with?"
The artist I feel the greatest connection to is the late great Tamara de Lempicka, (1898-1980). Miss de Lempicka was a Polish born painter most active in the 1920s and 1930s.
Tamara and her husband Tadeuz were of noble b
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Tara Hutton, “Who is one artist, living or dead, that you feel a connection with?"
The artist I feel the greatest connection to is the late great Tamara de Lempicka, (1898-1980). Miss de Lempicka was a Polish born painter most active in the 1920s and 1930s.
Tamara and her husband Tadeuz were of noble birth and life became unsafe for them as they were living in St. Petersburg at the time of the Russian Revolution, and the de Lempicka’s fled to Paris.
Now a refugee Tamara studied art and began her painting career. Her portraits were painted in a new and unique hardline style, using bright colors and strong geometric shapes which today is known as Art Deco. She became a well-known portrait and figurative painter with a distinctive style and was now a key player in the exotic, sexy, and glamorous Paris art scene.
At the threat of a second World War, she left Paris for America. She remarried and bought a home in Beverly Hills and moved yet again to New York City in 1943. When the war was over, she reopened her Paris studio. In 1962, after the death of her second husband she moved to Houston to be near her daughter Kizette.
During this time she began painting with a palette knife, much in vogue at the time, but the critics were indifferent and Tamara drifted into obscurity.
In 1966, the Musee des Arts Decoratifs mounted a commemorative exhibition in Paris. Its success created the first serious interest in Art Deco. This inspired a young art dealer to mount a major retrospective of Tamara’s paintings Galerie du Luxembourg in Paris. It was a revelation in the art world, Tamara de Lempicka had been rediscovered.
Tamara lived her later years at home she bought in Cuernavaca, Mexico where she died in her sleep on March 18, 1980.
I consider Tamara de Lempicka to be my muse and I have often used her artwork to inspire my own. Sadly, most of her best paintings are in private collections. I have only seen one in person at an Art Deco exhibition in San Francisco, in 2003, but it just happened to be my favorite: Jeune Fille aux Gants (Young Lady with Gloves), oil on plywood, 1930. I was so moved to see this painting that upon seeing it, I cried.
In the Studio with John Barker
In the Studio with Tara Hutton
In the Studio with John Barker
New Century Art Gallery asked artist John Barker, “When do you make your best work?”
"Let's pose your question based on a current image that I have attached as an example.
This was a photograph I took one dreary Tuesday evening from my chase boat of a sailing regatta off the seawall of Grosse Pointe Park in 2019.
Back home in my office du
New Century Art Gallery asked artist John Barker, “When do you make your best work?”
"Let's pose your question based on a current image that I have attached as an example.
This was a photograph I took one dreary Tuesday evening from my chase boat of a sailing regatta off the seawall of Grosse Pointe Park in 2019.
Back home in my office during a review of the evenings images, I saw something in the photo that looked to have potential, but it was too depressing. It was a gray, damp, light air, unexciting race, but the composition for something more bugged me.
Anyway, I have been working on and off with this image, coming back to it day or night, because I knew there was something there.
I will admit to losing sleep just thinking about how my next approach will be the last and yet there would still be others.
5:30 am I'm up again working till maybe 2:30-3 in the afternoon. No breakfast or lunch. Just coffee or a Gatorade. After 3 pm I'm out of gas and call it quits. I don't do this everyday, only when the image begins to haunt me back to work on it.
So, I would admit that there is no special time to do my best work. I will say though, that I don't work well while being pressed by time constraints. I need feel that I am in control of the image being constructed. I need to walk away and come back no matter what time or day it is.
The image you see is finally born. It' done. The baby has been delivered and I can get some sleep."
In the Studio with John Steffy
In the Studio with Tara Hutton
In the Studio with John Barker
New Century Art Gallery asked artist John Steffy, “When do you make your best work?”
"I produce new work every other day when I work out. As I ride my spin bike, when endorphins are flowing. I enjoy adding layers, highlights and accents. To works in progress."
In the Studio with Julianne Ankley
In the Studio with Julianne Ankley
In the Studio with Julianne Ankley
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Julianne Ankley, “What influence does Michigan have on your practice?”
“Living in Michigan has had a strong influence on my landscape artwork ideas as each season brings with it a new palette of colors. Cool winter grays and blues can bring out the more subtle peaceful moods of my work, while vivid gree
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Julianne Ankley, “What influence does Michigan have on your practice?”
“Living in Michigan has had a strong influence on my landscape artwork ideas as each season brings with it a new palette of colors. Cool winter grays and blues can bring out the more subtle peaceful moods of my work, while vivid greens and other colors of summer can help me create something quite lively. The amber tones of fall can take on a life of their own as well. Because our seasons are so diverse here, you can literally capture four different paintings of the same subject, and each would have an entirely different energy or feel. Often times I will take lots of photos during the summer and fall months and catch up on painting the subjects during the winter.”
In the Studio with William Badgley
In the Studio with Julianne Ankley
In the Studio with Julianne Ankley
New Century Art Gallery asked artist William Badgley, “Which work has taken you the longest to complete?”
"The USS Argus, This model was fully planked and had more deck furniture."
In the Studio with Penelope Peck
In the Studio with Julianne Ankley
In the Studio with Penelope Peck
New Century Art Gallery asked mixed media artist Penelope Peck, “How would you describe your creative process?”
“I was asked to describe my creative process, and initially went into a mental meltdown; but after several hours of false starts, here is what I have.
My creative process boils down to two basic components: my beliefs about life;
New Century Art Gallery asked mixed media artist Penelope Peck, “How would you describe your creative process?”
“I was asked to describe my creative process, and initially went into a mental meltdown; but after several hours of false starts, here is what I have.
My creative process boils down to two basic components: my beliefs about life; my observations of life.
I view life as a tapestry woven from colorful threads of flora and fauna. The tapestry needs the interactions of each insect, plant, bird, fish, and animal to be complete. My work is inspired by daily observations of the way light and shadow sculpt the threads in the tapestry.
So, whether my work incorporates woven beads or wire, tiny paintings, gemstones, or embossed metal, every piece I create captures a moment−−an individual glimpse−−of my response to my observations of life.”
In the Studio with Jim Donnellon
In the Studio with Jim Donnellon
In the Studio with Penelope Peck
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Jim Donnellon, “Tell us about your upbringing and education. Did you grow up around creative people?”
"Growing up I always knew I wanted to be in the sciences which eventually led to a career as an engineer at Chrysler. Engineering is the art of being creative on deadline. The path that led me to t
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Jim Donnellon, “Tell us about your upbringing and education. Did you grow up around creative people?”
"Growing up I always knew I wanted to be in the sciences which eventually led to a career as an engineer at Chrysler. Engineering is the art of being creative on deadline. The path that led me to take up glass blowing is not completely surprising however. My mother was an art teacher and constant exposure to the arts was part of my upbringing. The need to explore and create in whatever medium we choose is part of what makes us human. "
In the Studio with Jenny Walker
In the Studio with Jim Donnellon
In the Studio with Jenny Walker
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Jenny Walker, “Which work has taken you the longest to complete?”
"The Train Depot. The painting took a year to finish, I did research on it which sometimes was difficult because of the time period. I spent a lot of time on what type of trains to put in and what the people should be doing. The reason
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Jenny Walker, “Which work has taken you the longest to complete?”
"The Train Depot. The painting took a year to finish, I did research on it which sometimes was difficult because of the time period. I spent a lot of time on what type of trains to put in and what the people should be doing. The reason why I painted it was there no image honoring the train station which was an important type of travel in that time period and Port Huron seemed to have forgotten."-Jenny Walker
In the Studio with Robert Hover
In the Studio with Patricia Bober
In the Studio with Tim Shoemaker
New Century Art Gallery asked photographer Robert Hover, “Tell us about yourself and how you came to be an artist?”
"I'm a photographer and creator, I do fine art, real estate and Arial photography.
I'm 60 years old and born in Montana, lived in Florida and Michigan
I dabbled in photography when I was younger and did a little wedding phot
New Century Art Gallery asked photographer Robert Hover, “Tell us about yourself and how you came to be an artist?”
"I'm a photographer and creator, I do fine art, real estate and Arial photography.
I'm 60 years old and born in Montana, lived in Florida and Michigan
I dabbled in photography when I was younger and did a little wedding photography. Then I drove trucks for 15 years.
I was diagnosed with leukemia a few years ago and had to stop driving. After a bone marrow transplant and a long recovery, the cancer is in remission.
I had a lot of time on my hands during recovery and then even more time on my hands during the pandemic, so I took advantage of the time and really started honing my photography skills.
My favorite subject to photograph is sunrises and sunsets, no two are the same, God paints a different one every time."
In the Studio with Tim Shoemaker
In the Studio with Patricia Bober
In the Studio with Tim Shoemaker
In the Studio with artist Tim Shoemaker
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Tim Shoemaker, “What’s the first thing you do when you begin formulating an idea for a piece?”
“It seems like it should be a simple thing to do... but for me "formulating an idea" doesn't really seem to happen. Honestly. I believe that formulating ideas is more of
In the Studio with artist Tim Shoemaker
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Tim Shoemaker, “What’s the first thing you do when you begin formulating an idea for a piece?”
“It seems like it should be a simple thing to do... but for me "formulating an idea" doesn't really seem to happen. Honestly. I believe that formulating ideas is more of a constant thing for me and doesn't have an on/off switch. If I do have a project that requires more planning, I just procrastinate until I'm backed into a corner… then I have to come up with something. LOL!”-Tim Shoemaker
In the Studio with Patricia Bober
In the Studio with Patricia Bober
In the Studio with Patricia Bober
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Patricia Bober, “What do you listen to when creating?”
I listen/watch old movies. There is little or no violence, blood or gore, and I already know the endings! I don’t have to watch because I’ve seen the movies over and over. There’s often great singing and dancing. Old movies put me in a good mood w
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Patricia Bober, “What do you listen to when creating?”
I listen/watch old movies. There is little or no violence, blood or gore, and I already know the endings! I don’t have to watch because I’ve seen the movies over and over. There’s often great singing and dancing. Old movies put me in a good mood with a positive attitude to make art. But when I need music, it’s Bruce Springsteen all the way.-Patricia Bober
In the Studio with Kate Ford
Inside the Studio with Robert Fionda
In the Studio with Patricia Bober
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Kate Ford “Which work has taken you the longest to complete?”
"That's easy, my Celtic cross. Getting all the color gradations correct with dyes was a challenge, and so was getting all the Celtic knots correct. A true labor of love, it took me about 30 hours over several weeks to complete."-Kate Ford
Inside the Studio with Virginia Bur
Inside the Studio with Robert Fionda
Inside the Studio with Robert Fionda
Inside the Studio with Virginia Bur
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Virginia Bur "What influence does modern culture have on your work?"
“Most people in modern cultures seem to move too fast, consuming cheaply made products, moving from one fad to the next. When I make my pottery I think about quality, functionality, and what kind of
Inside the Studio with Virginia Bur
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Virginia Bur "What influence does modern culture have on your work?"
“Most people in modern cultures seem to move too fast, consuming cheaply made products, moving from one fad to the next. When I make my pottery I think about quality, functionality, and what kind of thoughts could be provoked when viewing my art. I want to inspire people to slow down, get outside and think a little. To disappear into the wilderness and become interested in a new skill like fly fishing or identifying species of wild plants. I think that modern life has become to detached from real life for people don't know how to truly live.” -Virginia Bur
Inside the Studio with Robert Fionda
Inside the Studio with Robert Fionda
Inside the Studio with Robert Fionda
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Robert Fionda, Where do you obtain inspiration?
"Inspiration comes from having a full artistic well. Our five senses, the environment, past experiences and emotions are critical to filling this well. It is our source for ideas. Inspiration is the mental trigger for solving artistic problems or starting the creative process."- Robert Fionda
Inside the Studio with Sharon Taylor
Inside the Studio with Linda Drinkhorn
Inside the Studio with Linda Drinkhorn
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Sharon Taylor, “Who is one artist, living or dead, that you feel a connection with?
“The artist that I feel connected with is Mary Cassatt. An American born artist, she studied for years in Paris and eventually returned to America in her later years. Influenced by impressionist painters, especially D
New Century Art Gallery asked artist Sharon Taylor, “Who is one artist, living or dead, that you feel a connection with?
“The artist that I feel connected with is Mary Cassatt. An American born artist, she studied for years in Paris and eventually returned to America in her later years. Influenced by impressionist painters, especially Degas she had many highs and lows. Making only enough money to pay for art supplies and even quit painting for periods of time. I so admire her painting style of unique composition, strong and emotional figures, lovely light effects, and the later influence of Japanese art. Without sentimentalizing her subjects, she created art that I enjoy and find so inspiring.”-Sharon Taylor
Inside the Studio with Linda Drinkhorn
Inside the Studio with Linda Drinkhorn
Inside the Studio with Linda Drinkhorn
New Century Art Gallery asked Mixed Media Mosaic artist Linda Drinkhorn, do materials and methods dictate your ideas, or vice versa?
“I usually have an idea of what I want to make before I start creating. I call my work mixed media mosaics (at least that is the main art form) that I love! I use old, or sometimes new China, bowls, cups, s
New Century Art Gallery asked Mixed Media Mosaic artist Linda Drinkhorn, do materials and methods dictate your ideas, or vice versa?
“I usually have an idea of what I want to make before I start creating. I call my work mixed media mosaics (at least that is the main art form) that I love! I use old, or sometimes new China, bowls, cups, saucers etc. I often add in surprise elements that are unexpected and fun, such as trinkets, stones, and jewelry. Many times I will add in stained glass and glass and ceramic tiles. Quite the conglomeration of materials but I love it! When I paint, I usually choose materials first, oils, acrylic, or fluids. I guess my painting has evolved to include mixed media as well, using hand painted, or transformed papers in the painting as collage! Or, using a whole myriad of materials for texture.” -Linda Drinkhorn
The Process of Batik
Inside the Studio with Linda Drinkhorn
It's All About the Details
By Kate Ford, New Century Art Gallery member
Batik is the ancient art of dyeing cloth using a resist. A resist is a substance which stops dyes from penetrating the fabric; it is most often melted wax.
To begin the process, melted wax is applied to the areas of a white cloth that are to remain white and then the fabric is dyed with the pal
By Kate Ford, New Century Art Gallery member
Batik is the ancient art of dyeing cloth using a resist. A resist is a substance which stops dyes from penetrating the fabric; it is most often melted wax.
To begin the process, melted wax is applied to the areas of a white cloth that are to remain white and then the fabric is dyed with the palest color that is to be used. The process is repeated, adding wax, and then dyeing in successively darker dye baths until the desired result is achieved. Anywhere from 1-20 (or more!) dye baths may be used. The hardened wax may crack leaving a way for dye to absorb into the fabric, giving it a veined look, which is indicative of batik. The wax is then removed by several methods. I use boiling in hot water.
Applying the wax takes a steady hand and the right tools. I change the makeup of my wax according to how I want my piece to look. I use a mixture of pure beeswax and paraffin wax. I change the ratios depending on how much cracking I want in the particular work.
I use different methods of dyeing my fabrics for my batiks. I use vat dyeing, low water immersion dyeing and application with brushes. Sometimes I use all three in one piece. Each of these methods has benefits. Vat dyeing enables me to achieve even, solid colors. Low water immersion lets the colors flow into each other with almost no control-it goes where it wants. Using brushes lets me get a little more in-depth. Out of all those methods, I would have to say I like low water immersion the best because of the surrender of control. It is a welcome surprise every time I use that method of dyeing.
It's All About the Details
Watercolor: Practical & Creative Choices with Robert Fionda
It's All About the Details
From the Blog, upsARTjeanius, By Jeanne Burris Johnson
Not making sure a piece of art is finished from every angle and area is a little like wearing a fancy cocktail dress with your gardening clogs.
~Jeanne-ism
I once had an artist come to the gallery on a Wednesday afternoon…In the middle of the day…During the winter months…and ask me why
From the Blog, upsARTjeanius, By Jeanne Burris Johnson
Not making sure a piece of art is finished from every angle and area is a little like wearing a fancy cocktail dress with your gardening clogs.
~Jeanne-ism
I once had an artist come to the gallery on a Wednesday afternoon…In the middle of the day…During the winter months…and ask me why we didn’t have many people at the gallery. My response was to tell him people don’t buy art like they do toilet paper. We rarely have the crowds that a drug store chain has. In fact, I would hazard a guess and say that NONE of you have ever heard the words, “I have to run out to the gallery and get some art. We are nearly out”. (If you have, contact me immediately. I know where you can get great art.) Further, if you are buying “art” at a place that also sells yoga pants, foot fungus cream, or “Jellies from Around the World” you are not actually buying art. You are buying tchotchkes. I myself own tchotchkes, so please, no haters.
When people decide they want to buy art, it’s an investment. Whether the investment is about spending money on an item that will hang over their credenza for the next 50 years or a belief that the piece will appreciate overtime, the buyer is making a serious investment that is meant for the long term. So, before you bring your work into a gallery, art fair, or display on Etsy, ask yourself this: Does it look complete, professional, and well executed? Buyers are very skilled at finding reasons to not buy your work. Parting with hard earned money is not easy for anyone, serious art collector or not. Why give them a reason to say no to your artwork because your coffee mug does not sit flat on a table, the frame you put your painting in is falling apart, or the tiles in your mosaic are falling out? If you want to attract serious collectors, make sure that your art is finished in every way. Your reputation and ability to get repeat buyers depends on this.
Original post written 4/1/19
Wearing Your Art on Your Sleeve
Watercolor: Practical & Creative Choices with Robert Fionda
Watercolor: Practical & Creative Choices with Robert Fionda
by Jeanne Burris Johnson
Showing your work in only one place is kind of like getting a new tattoo on your right butt cheek. The amount of people who will see your cool new tat is extremely limited. If you put a tattoo on your arm, the number of people who see it greatly increases.
~Jeanne-ism
Finding success in selling art, getting commiss
by Jeanne Burris Johnson
Showing your work in only one place is kind of like getting a new tattoo on your right butt cheek. The amount of people who will see your cool new tat is extremely limited. If you put a tattoo on your arm, the number of people who see it greatly increases.
~Jeanne-ism
Finding success in selling art, getting commissions, or becoming familiar to potential customers as an artist greatly depends on people seeing your art and knowing where to buy it. In days past, the only way an artist could become successful was to be picked up by a gallery or a benefactor. Galleries worked as middlemen between the artist and the collector. Gallerists would learn what collectors wanted in art and find artists that fit that mold. Collectors in turn would frequent said gallery and get first pick of the new work. A benefactor was someone who took a gamble on an artist and supported them so they could create important art. Often, the benefactor wanted first dibs on any art newly created. It was the cycle of “art life” that ensured mutual success for the rarified few. Everything depended on luck, who you knew, and making art that was popular in the area you lived and worked. In both cases, artists often had to make artistic choices based on what would sell rather than what they were inclined to create.
The world was very small at that time, but with the advent of computers and the internet that is no longer true. Because we are better connected through technology, you have the potential of being discovered and supported by millions of people all over the world everyday through a private website, media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram, or online art collective. When you join a gallery, whether it’s a Non-Profit or Private Gallery, you become exposed to all the people who follow them online as well as those who visit the physical space. A single gallery can have thousands of people come in every year to see art. In our case, approximately 4,500 people visit our website, Facebook page, and Instagram every month. That is exposure that connects many of our artists to new followers or collectors. When you join additional galleries, art fairs, and get word of mouth, the number of people who see or hear of your work becomes unimaginable.
In today’s world you don’t need a Peggy Guggenhiem to act as a benefactor, a Lee Krazner to promote you or an Alexander lolas to discover you. All you need is you.
Watercolor: Practical & Creative Choices with Robert Fionda
Watercolor: Practical & Creative Choices with Robert Fionda
Watercolor: Practical & Creative Choices with Robert Fionda
In conjunction with The Starkweather Arts Center and local WBRW television, I was asked to do a video presentation on watercolors based on their artistic series, “Under the Brush”. How could a retired art educator/artist not say “yes”. The difficulty lay in determining what to do.
I settled on discussing the longevity, characteristics, a
In conjunction with The Starkweather Arts Center and local WBRW television, I was asked to do a video presentation on watercolors based on their artistic series, “Under the Brush”. How could a retired art educator/artist not say “yes”. The difficulty lay in determining what to do.
I settled on discussing the longevity, characteristics, and versatility of the medium. While stressing that watercolor has a personality all its own; which can be exciting and frustrating at the same time.
“Watercolor: Practical & Creative Choices” is dedicated to exploring these topics, doing some demonstrations, and adding informal advice about supplies, the application of watercolor and most important, how an artist thinks and solves watercolor problems as they paint. The artistic choices we make in materials and at the beginning, middle and end of the process of painting definitely affects the final outcome. Hopefully, the program offers you some basic and intermediate insights into this wonderful and challenging water-media.