What is Art?

Having thought about this over the years, I am going with this definition for the time being --

Art is a commentary. It is a comment on something. That comment may speak to someone else -- and that is the connection whether it is joy, insight, mystery, enlightenment, delight, sorrow and so on. It can be executed with any method. We don't always understand the comment. Sometimes, we do not value the comment.

I am less sure on the "skill" side of art. Here is my shot at it --
Skill, craftsman-ship, elements of drawing, handling of materials- all of these are the tools of the artist just as hammers and saws are tools for the carpenter. The better-skilled artist may be able to execute the art/comment to a higher degree of quality/clarity/intent.

That's my very short, 2 cents.

How this fits into art fairs is my current ideological struggle. Art fairs are all about money which is good because we need money to survive. When does art become "product" and no longer art? I don't know. I do find this troubling. When I am overwhelmed by the question, I look to my personal models who do create art and do very well at it. I achieve some clarity from that reflection.

That's my other 2 cents.

Art Fairs -- St. Joe, MI and Geneva, IL

There are two Art Fairs coming up in July 2009 that I will be a part of --

KRASL Art Fair on the Bluff in St. Joseph, Michigan, July 11 and 12. This art fair is produced by the KRASL Art Center and is in the top 100 art fairs rated by Sunshine Artist magazine. I have never been to St. Joe but have heard wonderful things about it. The art fair is along the lake front so that should be beautiful. And there is great shopping in the quaint downtown. I am looking forward to it.

Geneva Arts Fair in Geneva, IL, July 25-26. The Geneva Chamber of Commerce sponsors this art fair. Geneva is a popular destination. Victorian homes-turned-businesses in the downtown historic district serve as a picturesque backdrop for shopping at the fine arts show. Voted “Best Craft or Art Show” in 2008 by West Suburban Living magazine, this is the 7th year for this art fair.

Cupcake Field II

Cupcake Field II, 9"x12", $300

Maybe you've heard -- cupcakes are all the rage. This all started when a mosaic artist created a portrait of Barrack Obama and Abraham Lincoln with cupcakes. Now, nearly everywhere you look, you see cupcakes evoking President Obama by some means. And, it was reported in all the major news outlets that Michelle actually served cupcakes (made with honey, not sugar, I understand) along side her veggies.

Call me obtuse or just very busy but this whole cupcake frenzy passed me by -- until I got to the art fairs. People come into my booth and insist on seeing the cupcake paintings. "Excuse me?," I'd respond. It took me a while to catch on.

Now, the fact of the matter is, I have several cupcake paintings. But I painted them (or at least started them) last fall as a step in my progression through my painting series --- way before the cupcake-mania hit. And frankly, I didn't always show them, not having room for every painting. Well, I guess that will change now. Shown here is one my cupcake paintings (I have more online). It is called Cupcake Field II. There is a II in the name because, in fact, I have created more than one. The reason is that I like the process I used and wanted to experience it again (I often do that) -- not because of the popularity of cupcakes.

I was attracted to this scene because of the rhythm, repetition and endlessness of the cupcakes. It is actually the cupcake tops that are featured as they swirl through the scene with no end in sight. The tops are the most interesting part. I used heavy impasto paint. The thickener I used is slightly granular, reminding me of the icing I created as a child, mistakenly using regular sugar instead of the powdered variety.

Art-Throb™--Art Buying Boot Camp

Hello Everyone--
In a previous post, I promised to forward information on the Art Buying Boot Camp held this weekend at the 57th Street Art Fair in Chicago. Here is some info:

Art Buying Boot Camp is a guided tour lead by local artists and art experts. Open to the public on Saturday and Sunday June 6 & 7, at 11:30 a.m. and at noon, Boot Camp participants will meet at the information booth at 56th and Kimbark Avenue. WGN has some a small video on it as well.

I hope you can visit the 57th Street Art Fair this weekend in Chicago’s historic Hyde Park neighborhood. Yes, I will be there in booth 318, near 56th Street. Stop by.
Art-Throb is a trademark of Barbara Baur Art, a business representing Barbara Sistak Baur.

New Web Site!

www.sistakbaur.com

Better organized, a cleaner look and a more pleasant experience visiting it -- these are the reasons I created my new website. (Yes, I do all the work myself so be kind.) I have been online with my blog for a long time but that always presented organizational and presentation challenges.

Here is what you can find at the website. All art is posted to together in neat and tidy galleries. Images enlarge for better viewing. The pages are easy to navigate. Schedules and news are easy to find. There is a newsletter sign-up (if you have friends that like art, be sure to direct them to my new site). Also I have introduced new "mini" paintings. The smallest of which is 3"x4". Have a look-see. They cute.

I will continue my blog but will use it more for ramblings and musings than art presentation, which is better on the web site. One nice thing about websites and the internet in general, is that you can add items and change things endlessly. So my website will be such a place. For now, it is just getting started and it will grow and grow.

57th Street Art Fair

Here is a video about the 57th Street Art Fair, June 6 & 7, in Hyde Park, Chicago. Look for me in booth 813 if you go!

The 57th Street Art Fair takes place on 57th Street in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood, six miles south of the Chicago Loop off Lake Shore Drive. The Art Fair is FREE and open to the public. In addition to over 250 artist booths, visitors will find a family friendly and alcohol free environment. There are hands on activities and playgrounds for the kids along with food to please everyone’s palate available for purchase at multiple venues.

Hyde Park is home to the University of Chicago as well as many unique independent bookshops, cafes and a plethora of other cultural events, activities and venues. Hyde Park is a lovely neighborhood setting for the Midwest’s oldest art fair!

Gem of a Painting

A Slice, 9"x12", acrylic on board, framed, $300 © B Sistak Baur

You could say this new work is a "gem." Not because it is so wonderful (it is but that's not the reason), but because the berries are created from a medium that has actual ground garnet in it. This not only gives it a great berry texture but it also contributes to the berry color. The crust is created with a modeling paste to provide the heft it needs for the berries. The chocolate layer on the bottom is a "poured" syrupy mixture that I create myself. I was inspired to do this painting because it has a pop-culture look and recalls some of the famous pop-culture artists of the 50's and 60s. I combined that look with my textural techniques. You can see a larger image of this painting at my new website.

Death by Chocolate

Death by Chocolate, 11"x14", acrylic, framed, $400 © B. Sistak Baur

Here is chocolate on top of chocolate. When I saw this in the bakery, I knew I had to paint it (and I almost ate it, but didn't!) First, the cheesecake is rendered with textured paint. On top of that are rich brownies created with impasto acrylic paint. Finally, chocolate-colored syrup-y paint is poured over the top. A little over the top with chocolate, I'd say!

Art-Throb™--Juried Art Fairs

How Artists Get into Art Fairs
Art festivals are a summertime ritual in the Midwest and a great way to spend a day. You enjoy the fresh air, great art and you may come home with a treasure. Very relaxing. But for artists, it is anything but. In fact, for artists, the season starts the previous fall when a grueling series of competitions begins – these competitions are among the artists themselves to see who will be awarded booth space at the best art fairs in the region and, even, the nation.
(above: Barb in her Art Booth, Summer 2008)

How does this work?
Art festival promoters/organizers are right in the middle of it. They organize art festivals to attract art patrons. To attract art patrons, they need top artists. So they advertise far and wide for artists to apply to their show. And if it is a really good show, hundreds, if not thousands, of artists apply. I applied to a festival that had 125 openings but received 1200 applications.

This is good for patrons because it means that the best artists available are displaying at the festival. Patrons interested in purchasing art can be assured that a rigorous selection process has been applied. This is also good for artists because it means that serious art patrons who are interested in purchasing art are attracted to the show.

What do artists have to do be selected?
Artists apply to art shows with a large packet of materials. They submit anywhere from 3 to 5 pictures of their work (which they take themselves), an picture of their art booth, art statements and/or a resume, business information such as tax numbers, a variety of application forms and, of course, a fee for applying. Fortunately, much of this is done electronically today, making it a much smoother process that having slides made (remember them?), submitting paper forms and snail-mailing the package. But, not everyone is digital and I did a complete a number of these manual packages this year.

All of this material arrives at the art show office by a stated deadline. Then the show organizers have the job of reviewing each and every one of the applications to make the selection of artists to invite. Often, a jury of 3 or 4 respected art experts is assembled for a day. Art images are projected on a large screen for all to view at once. The jury scores each presentation. At the end of the day, the highest scoring artists in selected categories are invited to the show. Those that are invited, pay the exhibition fees to be in the show. Those that are not, enter into competitions for other shows. Artists apply to several shows, knowing they will not be invited to all of them.

Not every art show is like this – but the big ones have processes like this – shows that you have heard of – the Old Town Art Fair in Chicago, for instance.

So, in June, as you stroll among the fine art booths at your favorite fair, and you talk to artists and perhaps make a purchase, know that the artist has been working to be at your fair since last fall. It is a very competitive process. The happy result is that art patrons are offered the best art available.

So far, my art fair schedule looks like this –

• April 17-19, Great Lakes Art Fair, Spring 2008, Rock Financial Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave., Novi, MI
• May 9-10, National City Art Birmingham, Shain Park, Birmingham, MI
  
• May 15-16, Riverside Art Festival, on Burlington Ave., Riverside, IL
• June 6-7, 57th Street Art Fair, Hyde Park, Chicago
• July 11-12, KRASL Art Fair on the Bluff, St. Joe, MI
• July 25-26, Geneva Art Festival, downtown Geneva, IL
• July 31-Aug 02, Gold Coast Art Festival, LaSalle Street, at the intersections of Erie, Huron, and Superior, Chicago
• Sept. 26-27, Lakeview East Art fair, north side of Chicago, near Wrigley Field, Halsted and Lincoln Park.

I am waiting to hear about several other applications. Plus, I am on the “Wait List” for other fairs—the Lakefront Festivals of the Arts in Milwaukee and Port Clinton Art Festival in Highland Park. The Wait List is like the “reserve” list. If an invited artist chooses not to participate in an event, the organizers go to their “wait list” and invite another artist to fill that spot. As an artist, that kind of puts you in a spot –should you try to the book that weekend somewhere else or should you leave it open and “hope” you get called?

Note: Art-Throb™ is the term I use to describe a great place or places to enjoy an art experience.

Cupcake Field II

Cupcake Field I, Acrylic on board, 9”x12”, $300 © B. Sistak Baur

Cupcake tops are the best part anyway so they are featured in rows and rows. Thick paint shapes the tops and granular-paint is used for the sprinkles.