Make Art, Sell Art, Buy Art

November 29, 2010

By Janet Dodrill

Oak Leaves, Oil on Canvas, by Janet Dodrill

This fall I am trying something new and participating in holiday art sales. As an artist, I have always wanted to do this, and I am testing the waters to see what of my work sells, and what doesn’t. One of my items for purchase is note cards, of all different subject matter which are images created from my color paintings (oils, acrylic and watercolor) and black and white prints (linocuts and lithographs). I have been keeping an inventory sheet for the past couple of art sales, and have concluded that everybody likes something different! Some of the most purchased themes include imagery of the Cleveland skyline, stylized oak leaves, garden flowers, and cats. This imagery is ‘safe’. But the purchases have been wide spread. The more personal and artistic artwork has not been as popular. In these hard economic times, shoppers are in to ‘feel good’ purchases, and are very particular in their spending, which can be a challenge for once thriving artists who do this for a living. However, it is important for artists to keep making art and keep putting it out there. When a shopper ‘connects’ with an art piece, it can be a positive emotional experience for both the artist and buyer, which can create a sense of happiness and well-being, which should always be looked at as an important need for all.


Upcoming Art Shows

October 27, 2010

By Janet Dodrill

Original B&W linocut prints by Janet Dodrill.

19th People’s Art Show

19th People's Art Show (Photo source: CSU Art Gallery)

The 19th People’s Art Show includes nearly 500 works of art by almost 300 area artists.

Opening reception – Friday, October 29, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm
October 29 to December 9, 2010

Please note that the gallery will be closed from 11/25 – 11/28 for Thanksgiving.

Cleveland State University
Art Building
2307 Chester Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115-2214
(216) 687-2103
http://www.csuohio.edu/artgallery/2010-2011/19PeopleArtShow/

Free admission

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Original B&W linocut print by Janet Dodrill.

Valley Art Center’s 39th Annual Juried Art Exhibit

Valley Art Center 39th Juried Art Exhibit

Opening Reception: November 5th, 6pm – 8pm
November 6th – December 1st

Valley Art Center
155 Bell Street
Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022
(440) 247-7507
http://www.valleyartcenter.org/gallery.htm

Free admission

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Original B&W linocut and lithograph prints, mini oil paintings, notecards, fine art digital prints, hand-printed pillows by Janet Dodrill, Gym, Booth #10.

19th Annual Heartfelt Holiday, Juried Show

19th Heartfelt Holiday at Brecksville Center for the Arts (Photo source: BCA)

Sat., Nov. 6, 10am-5pm
Sun., Nov. 7, 11am-4pm

Brecksville Center for the Arts
Community Center
8997 Highland Drive
Brecksville, OH 44141
(440) 526-6232
http://www.brecksvillearts.org/heartfeltholiday.html

$5 Admission

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Original B&W linocut and lithograph prints, mini oil paintings, notecards, fine art digital prints, hand-printed pillows by Janet Dodrill.

Art on Cadwell in Cleveland Heights

Art on Cadwell in Cleveland Heights

Art on Cadwell in Cleveland Heights

1819 Cadwell Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Sat., Nov. 20, 1pm-8pm
Sun., Nov. 21, 12pm-4pm

Nine artists display and sell their work.

Free admission

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Original B&W linocut and lithograph prints, mini oil paintings, notecards, fine art digital prints, hand-printed pillows by Janet Dodrill.

Laurel School’s 6th Annual Artisan Bazaar, Juried Show

Laurel School 6th Annual Artisan Bazaar

Sat. Dec. 4, 10am-5pm
Sun. Dec. 5, 11am-4pm

Laurel School
One Lyman Circle
Shaker Heights, OH 44122
216-464-1441, Ext. 1344
www.laurelschool.org/arts/artisanbazaar.cfm

$3 Admission


Three Sisters Sanctuary

September 19, 2010

By Janet Dodrill

Good Time Stove Company

Good Time Stove Company

Unrevealed from the roadside and from the front of the Good Time Stove Company in Goshen, MA, lies a treasure — a healing garden, built by stove store and property owner Richard Richards to honor his three daughters (Tina Marie [late], Sara Wenona, Megan Elizabeth), called Three Sisters Sanctuary.

Three Sisters Sanctuary

Three Sisters Sanctuary

The unique backyard grounds includes fire pits and stages, ponds and fountains, sculptures and mosaics, and is open to the public to walk through, ponder, take time, and enjoy this artistic and spiritual dream land. Additionally, events can be scheduled on the premises such as weddings, plays, parties and music concerts. There is beauty, fun, surprise, and thought provoking creative visual work and landscaping throughout the garden. Giant boulders including quartz lined-up to create energy fields are carefully arranged, and all excavated from the property.

An old friend took me there and Richard was there talking to people as they visited this special place. The stoves are a treat to see too.


Monumental Experience

July 25, 2010

By Janet Dodrill

Ernest Trova, Gox No. 3, 1974. at Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, Missouri. Photo: © Janet Dodrill

When I lived and studied at college in St. Louis, I experienced a wonderful estate with a large variety of outdoor sculptures called Laumeier Sculpture Park. One of my favorite sculptures there is Alexander Liberman’s, The Way, 1972-80. If you are ever in St. Louis, pay it a visit and walk the property for a profound experience, of seeing both temporary and permanent sculptures, some of huge scale. You will walk through woods and over hilltops on walking trails to discover all the pieces. When I was last there, I saw many bluebirds in the wooded areas. There is also an indoor gallery.

In an upcoming trip to upstate New York, I am looking forward to visiting the Storm King Art Center, which, similarly, is a rolling landscape of large outdoor sculptures against the Hudson Valley highlands skyline. Their web site describes it as “a museum that celebrates the relationship between sculpture and nature” and “the exhibition space is defined by sky and land.” I am looking forward to also appreciating this creative wonder.


Members’ Stories on Fire by ‘Ignite’ Presentations

June 4, 2010

By Janet Dodrill

Presenting in the Ignite-style

Presenting in the Ignite-style

During our last meeting of Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group (CDPUG), we held our 6th annual CDPUG May Show, where members display their professional work. The group, a non-profit organization dedicated to education and professional development for digital publishers (including graphic designers, web designers, photographers, and writers) in its 23rd year, has a dedicated volunteer staff and board.

This year member presentations left behind tables of printed brochures and portfolios, and laptops running slide shows to a trendy and popular Ignite format (www.igniteshow.com). The website explains the structure of stand-up presentations on a big screen of 20 slides per person with 15 seconds of talking time per slide, for a total of 5 minutes time. Recommended application formats were PowerPoint, Keynote, or Acrobat PDF (for which I created mine using Adobe Bridge, exporting to PDF). There are many interesting videos on the website to view and enjoy, and they were a big help in preparing.

I participated, and rather than giving a standard portfolio show, I presented ‘a year in my life’ which included my basic education and passions, challenges and obstacles overcome with the poor economy, benefits of networking and newly acquired clients for my sole proprietorship freelance graphic and web design business, recent interests and achievements including creating fine art works and displaying and selling it, and current projects I am working on. The time went quickly.

Each individual had an interesting spin to their show, and though the Ignite format was strict, it allowed each member to be creative and tell a story which was entertaining and enlightening. It was a success and I hope we continue to use Ignite in the future.

(Photo by Henry Lee)


Cleveland Print by Artist Janet Dodrill in Pop Shop’s Gallery’s ‘The Black and White Affair’ Art Exhibit

February 6, 2010

By Janet Dodrill

The Pop Shop Gallery

The Pop Shop Gallery & Studio, 17020 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio 44107, (216) 227-8440

Februray 6, 2010, The Pop Shop Gallery & Studio will hold a reception from 6-9pm for its art show The Black and White Affair, featuring the black and white work of 20 Cleveland artists including contemporary paintings, photography, drawings, and prints.

As a participating artist in the event, there you will find my original linocut print titled “Cleveland”. Additionally, notecards of the Cleveland print on wooden easels are also available.

The exhibit runs February 6 through March 6, 2010, and the gallery, studio, and frame shop is located at 17020 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio 44107, (216) 227-8440.

The New Era is another exhibit opening that will run concurrently, featuring pop art on vinyl records, canvas, and found objects, in Pop Shop’s (art)ificial Gallery.

Visit the gallery and see work of up and coming and established artists, and support this establishment in Cleveland’s west side arts community.

The Black and White Affair at The Pop Shop Gallery

The Black and White Affair at The Pop Shop Gallery Art Exhibit Reception Announcement

(Images source: The Pop Shop Gallery & Studio)

The Pop Shop Gallery’s web site

The Pop Shop Gallery on Facebook (see the event listing and photos)

The Pop Shop Gallery’s Blog

The Pop Shop Gallery on MySpace


Have you shopped on Etsy.com?

December 28, 2009

By Janet Dodrill

A web site design client of mine who is a glass artist told me about Etsy.com about a year ago and asked me if I thought it was a viable place to sell handmade art pieces online. I checked it out and said why reinvent the wheel when Etsy seemed an advanced professional site with all the ecommerce amenities that an artist could want, made easy through PayPal integration. The Etsy and PayPal fees are minimal so there is little risk in getting started selling.

Since then, I have observed the site becoming more popular, and at a recent holiday art sale, I noticed that a large percentage of artists had their Etsy web address on their business cards and that some of them are using it for their sole web presence.

In addition to a vast variety of handmade artist items on Etsy, one can also buy or sell vintage items, and supplies for arts and crafts. This may be an ideal place for me to sell some of the items I have previously tried to sell on Craigslist, however would require shipping, whereas on Craigslist I could sell local only and arrange pick-up.

I recently created an Etsy store and posted some of my artwork at janetdodrill.etsy.com, and sold an item in my first week. I hope to add to and enhance my store and turn it into a source of extra income and self promotion.

Another of my web site clients sells unique healthy dog biscuits, and I noticed there is a large variety of gourmet dog biscuits and handmade treats on Etsy, and I have encouraged them to create a store there.

I enjoy browsing through Etsy and seeing the tasteful art goods for sale, and still have many sections to discover and explore. It is a great way to purchase a one-of-a-kind item, or to begin to sell in your own customizable online store, without the big investment in a custom ecommerce site of your own.


Press Release

November 24, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Janet Dodrill – Paintings and Prints, Art Exhibit and Reception, December 2009

Cleveland, Ohio – November 24, 2009 – Artist Janet Dodrill will display paintings and prints at the Cuyahoga County Public Library, South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch, December 1rst – 30th during library hours.

A reception is scheduled for December 5th, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. where you will have the opportunity to meet graphic artist Janet Dodrill and view the exhibit, while enjoying holiday music by a jazz duo. Her style and subject matter varies, but she especially enjoys using animals and nature as subjects.

Dodrill received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking from Washington University in St. Louis, and studied studio art and writing in Lacoste, France. She works as a print and web designer and has designed sites for The Cleveland Institute of Art and several local artists, and has exhibited work at Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls.

The Cuyahoga County Public Library, South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch is located at 4645 Mayfield Road, South Euclid, Ohio 44121.

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Contact: Janet Dodrill

General Contact: Cuyahoga County Public Library, South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch
Phone: (216) 382-4880
Web: www.cuyahogalibrary.org


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