Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Take Note(s)


_MG_8944-Edit
Originally uploaded by
Toni Wallachy
We all have a note book of sorts where we keep our idea's and thoughts. So why not have a note book for all your visual idea's?? Da Vinci did, so it must have some value - no?

He drew his visions of the aeroplane, the helicopter, the parachute, the submarine and the car. It was more than 300 years before many of his ideas were improved upon. The notebooks are where Leonardo recorded his own ideas as well as existing designs and philosophies for reference. They were never intended for publication.

My visual notes are not much different. Recording textures, feel and intent to lack of to catpture a mood or state of mind and idea's. Image notes don't need to be perfect, as long as they capture the key messages at the time of. A final
version can always be redone / re-shoot after all the tweaking is done.

Here we have two different images, taken from the same shoot. Originally thinking I wanted to portray a more 70's retro, but elegant look. I may turn out a few more "working artist proofs" before I land on a final piece.

What do your notes say?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Building Storeys — The Canada Linseed Oil Mills Buildings


_MG_3566-Edit
Originally uploaded by Toni Wallachy

A big thank you to Spacing Toronto for the article on our Building Storeys Show.

Spacing Toronto is pleased to partner with Heritage Toronto on our ongoing Building Storeys exhibit. This month's article features the Canada Linseed Oil Mills building that has been standing on Wabash Avenue for nearly one hundred years.

My Image, "Happy Days, Once again" is featured.

To read the full article [
click here ]

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Market Value - Testing the Limits

I get asked the question all the time .. "How much should I price my work for?". I really don't think there is a hard science to it, so many factors need to be considered.

Input factors to consider:
• Years in the art business
• Reputation
• Quality of work
• Previous history of sales

If the answers to the above reflect someone who has history and a reputation, then I would take cost times 3 for a base retail price. The Base retail then can be tailored to reflect the venue that the piece is being represented. I.e a piece selling in a gallery would go for more money than say an outdoor art show or private web site sale.

If the answers reflect someone who is new to the scene, as I once was, then take cost times 2 for a base retail price. The Base retail then can be tailored to reflect the venue that the piece is being represented.

Another way to gauge is to donate images for Charity auctions and see how many pesos' they fetch. Case in question: the attached image, print only fetched a hefty $450 at a recent silent auction benefiting AIDS. If purchased directly through myself, it could have gone as high as $290 depending on quality of paper.

This tells me two things:

• The image is of high quality and people would be please to hang on their walls;
• and that they are willing to part with their pesos to have such adornments in their homes

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

To Be or Not To Be - E-commerce


floral-4-2
Originally uploaded by Toni Wallachy
A good friend of mine keeps on me about the pearls and benefits of mass market distribution. I've always been a little stand-offish about this idea, as I'm of the frame of mind that it may somehow cheapen the branding of my art. So is there any truth to this? I'm not sure really. There are pro's and con's to everything in this world, and appealing to a broader mass market not to be excluded.

The strategic approach would of course need to be tailored to make the attraction more desirable. a lesser price point perhaps, a lesser quality mass produced print even. Distribution channels too would change - gone are the boutique galleries, hello to the Ecommerce, consumer market furnishing outlets and fine art catalogues. All of which have a valuable place in the retail market, but the question is do they have a place with my idea of where my art fits in? Don't know.

But I will keep an open mind. Consider that times are a changing. So I'll tread tepidly with a small ecommerce site. Viewed by many, but limited to only to limited editions, on museum quality papers. If I get any nibbles, then maybe I might expand my thinking and approach.

http://www.artisticallyconnected.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=104

Hearn - The Old And The Beautiful


Hearn - Untitled #1
Originally uploaded by Toni Wallachy
Big Thank You to Ryan - Road to Stardom for the Building Stories Article. Show closes April 25 - Gladstone Hotel.

http://roadtostarrdom.com/2010/04/04/the-old-and-the-beautiful/