: spring - Viewing Profile

I just got back from Houston after installing my piece for the 2013 National Student Juried Exhibition at The Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Art Houston. This is my first national exhibition and not only am I super excited but also honored to be in this show. I hope that those of you going to NCECA this year are able to check out the show and I welcome any feed back you may have. I'm really proud of this piece and I hope it nocks your socks off. Hope to see you there!

Thanks,
Spring

I'm very excited to be part of this show and included with some really amazing artists.

Hope you get a chance to check it out.

Clay in The Bay
The de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Ca.
January 18 - March 17, 2013

The use of clay as a fine art medium has deep roots in Northern California. Once considered a form of craft, it took the ingenuity, creativity, and vision of artists like Robert Arneson and Peter Voulkos to look beyond the medium's utilitarian properties to its expressive qualities. In the decades following, their successors—artists such as Stephen DeStaebler, David Gilhooly, Ron Nagle, and Richard Shaw—continued to stretch the creative boundaries of clay sculpture. Today, the use of the medium as a respected art form continues to thrive.
Clay in the Bay speaks to this important legacy and to the vitality of the medium in the Bay Area. The exhibition brings together artists from around the region who are consistently utilizing clay as a form of self-expression. For some, it is the sole medium in which they work; for others the ceramic elements are part of a larger whole. Through the diverse practice and varied technique of these artists, clay is transformed into organic shape, architectural design, and narrative form. The works included in the show speak to the incredible versatility of the medium as it is molded, shaped, and otherwise manipulated.
Artists in this exhibition include Bean Finneran, Don Fritz, Francisco "Pancho" Jiménez, Robert Kvenild, David Linger, Spring Montes, Matthew Scheatzle, Nancy Selvin, Ehren Tool, Monica Van den Dool, Jenni Ward, and Stan Welsh.


My link

Hi,

I realize that I'm proposing two different topics in one post. (Hope this is Ok). I just figured it might be easier that way, or maybe I was just lazy. Anyways, these are my questions:

1. Do you have experience shipping a pallet of art work half way across the country? Can you recommend anyone? Should I consider a specialized art shipping company? Do I insure as art, sculpture, home goods? (I heard that many shippers will often not give you the insurance value since it's your stuff.)

I got in the NCECA student show and I'm super excited to be part of this. The problem, I submitted a small and large piece,they choose the big one. It's 10 ft long divided in six equal sections. Each panel (30"x20"x9") needs to be created individually and everything would be loaded and shipped on a pallet. Besides being large it is painfully delicate. We are talking 6000 paper thin porcelain pieces that can all move. Now, I have devised a way to keep each panel from moving in the box but all those little pieces move around freely and can't touch any of the walls. I spoke with a shipping company that said it could cost $300 to $400 one way depending on the insurance value. But, if I need it there by a certain day, which I do, it would cost $4,100. The guy told me that the difference in price relates to a faster delivery and fewer unloads and reloads. I'm shipping from California to Houston and back. I was thinking of driving but I think that would also cost a small fortune and take more time.

2. Has anyone ever done a kickstarter? What kind of gifts would you like to get? (I can throw, handbuild, sculpt, screen print, draw, paint, sew, paper crafts, and create silver jewelry.)

I'm seriously considering putting one together to help me fund the costs of shipping, the flight, and conference fees. If you have experience or know others who have been successful, I would love to hear any advice you could offer. I figure I would have to get it up ASAP, to ensure enough time to raise the money.

Thanks,
Spring

For anyone in Northern Cali, I hope you can make it. This is my first time exhibiting not with my school. So excited:) Here's some info:



The Third Annual Ceramics of America 2012: Exhibition and Art Fair at Fort Mason, Festival Hall San Francisco, California

Exhibition Dates: September 14-16 2012

Friday: 10am-8pm

Saturday: 10am-8pm

Sunday: 10am-6pm

Opening Reception and Preview Party : September 13, 2012, 5:30 – 9 pm

Contact: Nancy Reseller

Telephone: 1.877.459.9CAA

Email: ceramicsannual@gmail.com

Site: http://ceramicsannual.org/

Witness A Unique Experience: Ceramic Sculpture from Around the World

The Ceramics Annual of America (CAA) is an ambitious exhibition and art fair spotlighting the quality and diversity of contemporary ceramics from around the world including works from China, Korea, Mexico, Australia and Italy. It is the only event of its kind in the United States and the goal is to encourage the education and enrichment of the public, cultivate a fertile art market, and foster dialog between collectors and makers of ceramic sculpture.

Part of California’s continuing legacy of excellence and innovation in ceramics, the CAA is the largest exhibition and art fair that is entirely focused on ceramic art in America and is modeled after the Ceramic Biennials held in Europe, Korea, Japan and China. It provides a venue for the top regional and international artists from working in the clay medium to show their work to a broader audience of collectors.

The CAA is organized by the California Ceramics Cooperative, a group of invested regional ceramic artists, and will feature panel discussions, lectures, tours as well as daily interactive art demonstrations from 4-5 that will provide a greater understanding of the artistic process for students and educators alike. Schools located in the Bay Area will have free admission all day Friday and should contact the Ceramics Annual for Reservations. Featured artist and instructor Kevin Nierman, author of “The Kids ‘N’ Clay Ceramics Book,” will provide “Artistic childcare” on Saturday and Sunday from 11-3.

The exhibition will be held in the 50,000 square ft. Festival Hall at Ft. Mason, capable of accommodating as many as 10,000 people. A popular attraction for countless national and international visitors to the city, Ft. Mason still resonates with the presence of the California Funk movement of the sixties and seventies that inspired ceramic greats living in San Francisco today. Its close proximity to nature, unique architecture and nostalgic atmosphere contribute a breathtaking backdrop for an impressive array of Ceramic Sculptures.

It has been a dream of mine for the last 20 years to be in Ceramics Monthly and it's finally coming true. I'm going to be featured in the September issue, Undergraduate Showcase article. I'm super excited and it coincides with a ceramic sculpture show (Ceramics Annual of America) that I am participating in, in San Francisco in mid-September.
I'm expecting some increased traffic to my sights and want to be ready to capitalize on thess oppurtunities. Since my name is unique and I have everything, ie- blog, etsy shop, twitter, flickr, pintrest linked to my first and last name they are easy to find if googled.

My concerns are:

1. In the CM article and sculpture show, I will show my sculptural work which is very different and much, more expensive than my thrown work. Should I try to sell both. They are so different and I have been hesitant to try and sell the thrown work activly online for frear that it will decrease the percieved value of my sculptural work. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

2. People always ask me if I have a website, I don't. I have a blog that kinda sucks and isn't very personalized or well branded. I don't talk about my work or process, just artsy stuff that I experience or inspires. It's kinda like the life of a noob. So should I start a seperate website that is dedicated just to my work, that doesn't have any distracting ramblings? Or just refine what I already have. Here's a link- springmontes.blogspot.com

3. The show is expensive and I'm not really expecting to sell. I'm looking at it as more of a "get my name out there" kinda thing. I expect a sizable turnout and the most important thing for me is for people to experience my work in person. Due to the nature of my work being kinetic and producing sound, it's hard for people to really appreciate it without seeing it in person. (I'm trying to get a nice video done but I'm broke:(

So, HOW THE HELL DO I PRICE THIS STUFF?

The largest piece I have is 10 feet long, has over 6000 pieces and took over 800 hrs. I know I will never get what I put in but I also have smaller pieces that have taken not nearly as long. I'm new, I get that, so I can't ask much but I have been poor a long time and wouldn't mind being poor longer. Since my work is construsted to be temporary, I take the large pieces apart and add new colors to make new pieces so I don't mind holding on to the big ones since they are such a large time investment and it would take forever to replace them. I'm also trying to build up an inventory of about 20,000 pieces for new work for my portfolio for grad school.

I know this may seem a little premature, to worry about this stuff so soon. But, I started working in clay 22 years ago, and have avoided any kind of marketing, sales, or promotion until I thought I was ready. Now I think I'm ready and I don't want to mess it up.