CALL to ARTISTS: Mail Art Exchange

Is your New Year's Resolution to create more art? Here is the perfect opportunity to make art, AND have your work on display in a gallery for the public during an artwalk. Heather Green Studios and The Collective Gallery @ The Artery present "To Phoenix with Love/To Bisbee with Love," a Mail Art Exchange show.

Mail Art (aka Postal Art or Correspondence Art) is simply small-scale artwork that is sent through the US Postal Service. The postmark completes the artwork! Mail art can be as simple as a postcard, or can be something more complex that folds out and incorporates the envelope or outer packaging as art in some way.

HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?

Simply create a work of art that can fit into the mail slot at the Artery or a standard post office box in Bisbee (info below). The theme for the show is open-ended, meaning that the content of your work can be anything. Stamp your art and send it through the US Postal Service to the respective gallery by the postmark date. Include your name, a price (if for sale, include a 10% commission), and contact information. All unsold work from each show will be boxed and shipped to the other gallery for artist pick-up once the show concludes. You can send as many pieces as you like.

WHAT ARE THE GALLERY DETAILS?

"To Phoenix with Love" will be on display at The Collective Gallery @ The Artery for the February 7th First Friday Artwalk. Artwork must fold down to fit through the mail slot, which measures 8" across, and 1 1/2" high. Postmark deadline is February 2, 2015. Send Mail Art to:

The Collective Gallery @ The Artery
623 E. Indian School Rd.
Phoenix AZ 85012


"To Bisbee with Love" will be on display at Heather Green Studios for the February 14th Bisbee After 5 Artwalk. Artwork must fit into an extra small post office box (3" x 5 1/2" x 14 3/4"). Postmark deadline is February 9, 2015. Send Mail Art to:

Heather Green Studios
c/o Sean Flynn
PO Box 1475
Bisbee, AZ 85603

POSTMARK DEADLINE is February 9, 2015.

I'm excited to collaborate with The Collective Gallery and exchange work between Phoenix & Bisbee artists. If you live in Tucson, Flagstaff, out of state, etc., feel free to participate and send work to either location, or BOTH if you choose! Just be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope (big enough for your art with enough postage) to return your art in the mail. 

CALL TO ARTISTS: Leather Anniversary

I'm proud to announce my THIRD ANNUAL Juried Exhibition to commemorate the 3rd Anniversary of Heather Green Studios! I officially opened to the public at 27 Subway St. in Old Bisbee on November 13, 2010, and have been having a blast ever since. And, I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to invite other artists to submit their work for an eclectic, one-of-a-kind show.

The show is titled Leather Anniversary, and is my way of thanking my husband for all of his love and support. (Leather is the traditional gift to give couples who are celebrating their third year of marriage. Naming anniversary show titles after wedding gifts has become a fun tradition.) In a way, the title is a gift to him. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have rented the studio or submitted paperwork for a business license if the Hubster hadn't moved the process along. 

Prospectus and Entry Forms available HERE.

REQUIREMENTS:

Although the title might suggest otherwise, artists are NOT required to incorporate leather in the artwork. Bonus points, though, for artists who do! It really is a treat to see witty use of leather imagery, or interesting ways of integrating the material into the piece. Here are a couple of pieces from last year's Cotton Anniversary show that used cotton:

SEE? He stuffed him with cotton!

"Warm & Fuzzy Inside" by Alan Potter

"Cotton Gin" by Kristofer Newton
Clever pun!

"The Virgin de Guadalupe in the Cotton Field" by Art Smith
(I LOVE the use of mixed media -- and how the cotton
is in the IMAGERY . . . nice play on hard & soft.)

"Cotton Field" by Kaia Thomas
This artist actually went on a quest to find cotton fields,
and painted them in oils beautifully.
Here is more info on her process, including a video! 

For this show, SIZE is key . . . I am working within a grid, and having consistency with size is how I am able to curate a cohesive exhibition out of seemingly disparate pieces. 

from the "Paper Anniversary" exhibit by
Sharon Lee

Artists may submit up to 3 pieces with outer dimensions measuring 12" x 12" (including the frame, if have one) OR 

1 piece that measures 36" x 36" . . . Do you see why? Artists would be submitting 3 feet of artwork in honor of 3 years in business! As part of the stipulations, work will be priced by size (the general public does not always understand why some pieces might be more or less than others, especially with such a wide variety of media, subject matter, and styles). 

All 12" x 12" pieces will be priced at $125, including my 20% commission. 

The 36" x 36" works will be priced at $375, also including a 20% commission.

Artwork does NOT have to be an exact square either! Alan Potter has been fulfilling size requirements with ceramic raku sculptures (as you can see above) without submitting a cube. A couple of artists have used found wood and metal that has irregular edges that might be slightly askew, but "fits" the specified 12" x 12" parameters. In 2011, Sharon Lee submitted a circular piece!

Luckily, artwork does NOT have to be wired to hang, although that is helpful! Art on paper that is not framed will be attached to the wall with magnets. Work that is mounted or matted will be hung with 3M removeable poster tabs. If you are submitting sculpture, please contact me in advance ( heathergreenstudios@gmail.com or 520-678-1134 ) to discuss pedestal and base options. You may need to provide a base . . .

Panoramic view of 2012 "Cotton Anniversary" Exhibition 

Panoramic view of 2011 "Paper Anniversary" Exhibition

Please carefully look over all of the dates and nitty gritty details on the prospectus. If you have a question or concern, or need to make alternate drop off/pick-up arrangements, please contact me. This exhibition is juried to ensure quality work and to ensure a cohesive show (DESPITE the wide variety). 

Prospectus and Entry Forms available HERE.

Who will SEE this Exhibition?

The exhibit will be on view during the BEST time of year for Bisbee foot traffic. In addition to normal gallery hours (and any appointments people make), the gallery will be open for special events. The opening reception will be Friday, the day BEFORE the Bisbee After 5 Artwalk. The Artwalk occurs on the Second Saturday of each month. Thus, the exhibit will receive a lot of attention for the whole weekend. ALSO, Subway Street will be closed off for a BLOCK PARTY on Saturday put on by Hydra Clothing who will be opening a Bisbee store that day! What does that mean? Lots of foot traffic for those of us on Subway! BONUS!


Thanksgiving weekend is a HUGE weekend for tourism and for locals in Bisbee. The Women's Club will host the 31st Annual Historic Home Tour and 12th Annual Art Chair Auction, which draws a lot of people into town (and out of the house!). Also, the City of Bisbee will have a full day of events for families during the Annual Festival of Lights (ornament craft for kids, performances, food and craft vendors, and Santa!). Bisbee After 5 joins the city by sponsoring "Small Town Holiday," which includes an artwalk, a window decorating contest, raffle prizes, and horse-drawn buggy rides!

The show will close on the December Bisbee After 5, which is PRIME for holiday gift shopping. The artwalk theme is "Handcrafted Holiday." I will be inviting additional vendors to sell their wares in the gallery, such as the illustrious Madame Magpie (who sells Shiny Things), to attract additional foot traffic and attention to the show.

The show will receive a lot of press and social media attention as well. Press Releases will be sent out to local newspapers, Tucson Weekly, the Bisbee After 5 and Heather Green Studios e-newsletter lists, Facebook, Twitter, and G+ accounts, as well as flyers and postcards around town and passed out by artists. Additionally, I will ask that each participating artist send information out to their mailing lists and social media outlets. 

Past Anniversary Exhibitions

Need more inspiration? Check out some of the photos from

PAPER ANNIVERSARY CLICK HERE for images of the very first exhibition opening reception. Many of the artists posed for me next to their pieces! 

COTTON ANNIVERSARY CLICK HERE for pictures of the artwork hung in the gallery!

For updates about the show, please follow the CALL to Artists on Facebook.

8 Hours in 2 Minutes

If you missed "Wall Musings," here's an opportunity to see it! Eight hours compressed into two minutes for your viewing pleasure:

This is a time lapse video of the "Wall Musings" event at Heather Green Studios in Bisbee, Arizona on Saturday, March 10, 2012. Six artists were given carte blanche to do whatever they wished to the walls within an eight-hour time frame. The public was invited to watch, and some even became part of the resulting artwork! Participating artists: Jan Searle, Ed Rosko, Sharon Lee, Katy Hooper, Jeff Henley, and Joseph Klinger. Click for more information about this event.

How to Print a Linoleum Block

The other day, I invited people into the studio to view a printmaking demonstration on my small proof press. I was printing a linoleum block that I had carved for the cover of my brother's wedding invitations. Here is the quick "how to" video recorded that day on my phone (all in one "take").




I printed 80 images that day, and am happy with the results. The words were printed with a copy machine, then the paper cut to size. Here is what they look like up close:

Stay tuned for other "how to" videos, and maybe some printing classes too!

The Great Title Search

After many discussions, suggestions, and research, I now have a list of title choices for my new series of blogposts in which I design a room, starting with a piece of my art. Others are encouraged to share how they have styled their rooms and show off how my art "lives" in their homes and offices as well.

Please help me choose a Title by taking this uber-short survey (one one question!). You can click on this Blog's title, or click on the link below. Thank you in advance for your time and help!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LNBJXPQ

Paper Quilts

I just sold the only paper quilt that I had, which I LOVE... So, I made some more! They are from collagraphs (texture prints), which were made from different kinds of tape--you know, masking, scotch, strapping, etc.Here they are: