Battling Post-Show Blues!

by Angela Bandurka

There is something that happens to me every time I attend one of my show's receptions that I've come to expect and am trying to work though.

In the interest of finding others who might feel this way and will just feel better knowing that they're not alone, I am putting it all out there. 

The months leading up to a show, I work hard at creating a new body of work, something that I feel good about putting out there, that is cohesive, and that makes me feel something (whether it's nostalgia, calmness or self-satisfaction). This is always fun, exciting and envigorating.

To prep for a show's reception, I create advertising - print media (which can be expensive to produce), facebook events and posts (free!), and email newsletters.

The day of the event is usually full of errands: getting wine and snacks (when necessary, and it usually is), making sure I have a stock of business cards and any bonus items ready (for this recent show I made calendars of my work to give to anyone who bought a piece).

Prepping myself for a reception is another thing that takes way longer than it used to. Most of the time is spent trying to figure out what to wear that fits in with the "brand" of who I want to be as an artist, and then because I have taken so long to do this, I am running behind, feeling less than attractive as I run out the door with the wrong shoes, no deoderant or some other fashion faux-pas.

Last night, as we were running out the door, my 8-year-old (whose Dad was meeting us at the gallery to get him) came up to me with a guilty expression, saying "Mama, I'm sorry but something may have happened to your umbrellas." He and a friend were using them as swords and ruined them both. "No time, kid! Get in the stinking car and while I appreciate you coming clean, we'll talk about this later."

At the reception, I hang around awkwardly, not sure where to stand or what to do with my hands as I smile at everyone and say hi. Hoping upon hope that I don't look too desperate or awkward. When I see a friend I run over to them gratefully, happy to have a moment where I don't look so painfully insecure.

By the end of the night, my feet are killing me because I put on heels (see "wrong shoes" above) and I'm hobbling to the car as fast as I can without toppling over. I get home and decompress by turning on TV and trying not to self-hate too much (OMG I can't believe I said that to so-and-so, and I should have talked to that one person more and People were just being nice about my art because I was standing right there and I am sad that so-and-so didn't come...). That monkey brain is the enemy!

Knowing that this happens every time, I try to remind myself that: A lot of my friends DID come, and that the reception was well-attended, and the gallery owner was so nice to me and was very complimentary! I also remind myself that I'm lucky to be a part of a gallery at all and that I'm fortunate to be able to create my art and do what I love. It also helps to know that the next day I'll feel much better and that this is just a result, most likely, of all the build up of prepping for the night.

Maybe next time I won't be as depressed afterwards. If it does, I'll have my cry, go to bed, wake up and start prepping for the next one :)

Golden Mediums are the bomb, baby!

by Angela Bandurka

Barbara De Pirro (http://www.depirro.com) came in to give a presentation about the amazing Golden acrylic products last weekend and we were packed to the rafters with an engaged audience! Barbara's presentation was so informative, creative, and generous that we felt that we needed to share some of it with all of you.

We hope to bring her back again soon for another presentation - even if you don't paint with acrylic paints, you might find some of these products come in handy for your woodworking, textile design, graphic arts and a plethora of other applications.

Some of the products that were most intriguing are:

GAC Specialty Polymers ("Golden Artist Colors", or "GACK!")

• GAC 100: This seals your surface, so if you like to paint on wood and want to retain the look of the wood in your piece, paint this clear polymer first and let it dry. Then you're ready to go and you won't have to worry about the sap or oils from the wood interfering with your painting! This product is also good for painting on other surfaces that need to be sealed - fabrics that you stretch on canvas, for example. Dries stiff and clear.
• GAC 200: Great to add to your paint for outdoor murals or to prime hard surfaces like glass and metals!
• GAC 400: Will dramatically stiffen fabrics for cool sculptural effects! 
• GAC 700: Great for glazing
• GAC 800: Perfect for imitating encaustic techniques, you can pour thick applications of this one without worrying about it forming valleys and cracks (those annoyances are called "crazing") - can be tinted with yellow for a beeswax look. Air bubbles? Just spritz a little rubbing alcohol on it to get rid of 'em!
• GAC 900: This is fantastic for painting on fabric while keeping the fabric's softness and flexibility! Heat set it in the dryer when you're done and you're "golden"! (sorry, couldn't resist)

"Nectary" by Barbara De Pirro,  (detail), 2011, crocheted fiber, encapsulated and painted using acrylic

Golden Gels: you can apply up to 50% gel to paint and still retain your colour! That's due to the high pigment load in Golden paints - you couldn't do that with student grade paints.

• Soft Gel is great for collage glue. Feels soft and buttery.
• Regular Gel is the same viscosity as Heavy Body paints - like toothpaste.
• Heavy Gel and Extra Heavy Gels are stiffer than regular gel and are great for creating thick, sculptural effects.
• Clear Tar Gel: Great for marbelling effects and dripping lines on your project. Be sure to apply in thin layers to avoid "crazing" (see GAC 800 description for definition :)
• Self-Leveling Clear Gel: levels flat when poured, also must be applied in thin layers!

Golden Pastes: These are opaque (covers what is under them), and you can mix in some paint but you'll get a tint of the colour since the pastes have a white opaqueness to them.

• Molding Paste: dries smooth, good for imprinting on!
• Light Molding Paste: dries with a slight tooth, flexible and highly absorbent.
• Hard Molding Paste: dries smooth and hard - great for sanding and carving
• Coarse Molding Paste: bright white and toothy
• Fiber Paste: When dry, looks like handmade paper (toothy)!
• Crackle Paste: Do not rush its dry time, or it won't crack :)

"Glow" by Angela Bandurka, 2013, Golden acrylics painted on canvas prepped with a layer of light molding paste first, then gesso tinted with napthol red light.

Golden Grounds:

• Absorbent Ground: great for watercolor techniques with watercolor or acrylic washes. Also slightly toothy and porous.
• Acrylic Ground for Pastels: awesome tooth, great for drawing wit all media including pastel and pencils. Translucent!! So it can be applied in thin layers over other drawings/washes :) Be sure to spray each layer with a blast of varnish before painting on another layer of ground!

There was so much more information than this in the presentation that I couldn't possibly put it all up for you - but please refer to Golden's website for more details about their products at www.goldenpaints.com, including a great newsletter and detailed descriptions of how to achieve certain effects! They are also one of the few companies that have excellent customer service and welcome calls to their technical support line: 1-800-959-6543.

And you're always welcome to call ARTspot to ask any of our knowledgable staff what medium/gel/paste might work best for your project! If we don't know, we'll find out!