Here is an article in the Cary News from Cary, NC about Paula's solo show "Meditations".

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   A unique art show called "Meditations" opens Frideay, June 27, at Jordan Hall Arts Center in Cary. The show features the artfiul mosaics of Durham artist Paula MacLeod.
   On display are images exploring themes of meditation from the personal to the universal created with stained glass, hand made glass, fused glass, gold, silver and copper glass and oil paint.
   "Mosaics are an art form with limitless potential," said MacLeod. "My own attraction to mosaics comes from a desire to move beyond pencil, paper, and paint and to create 'living' art. The unique qualities of mosaic materials (Glass, tile, mirror, marble, found objects) allow me the opportunity to create pieces that move and change with light and dimension."
   "Medittions" runs from Jume 27 through July 31 at Jordan Hall Arts Center, 908 N Harrison Ave. 460-4069.

 

This is an article written by Paula that appeared in the Spring 2008, Volume 9, Number 2 issue of "Groutline"; a newsletter published and distributed by The Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA). I have scanned the article so that everyone can see the layout of the article.



 

Donating
Artwork
By Paula MacLeod

Because you are an artist, your friends will eventually ask you to donate a piece for their charity auction. Soon after that, you will get requests from people and organizations you didn’t know of before. How do you manage all of the requests? And how do you make your donation work for you as well as support the organization? Here are some pros and cons to consider.

 

First, the benefits of donating are numerous:

1.  Tax write off. Currently, you can write off only the cost of your materials, but more beneficial legislation is in the works. The Artist Deduction Bill would give art donors the ability to write off the fair-market value of the work donated. Tithe work is auctioned, you should get a letter or email stating how much the piece sold for. File the letter in a folder for income tax purposes. If the bill passes, you will need some way of supporting your “fair-market value,” such as your inventory or gallery records.

2.  Commissions. Some groups will offer the artist the option of donating the entire auction bid or taking a commission on the winning bid.

3.  Free ticket. Most organizations will offer you a ticket to the event. If you are able to attend, it is a good idea; you may meet prospective clients!

4.  Increased exposure. Be sure to provide business cards and/or your resume when you deliver your donation. This is especially important as it may be the only way potential clients can contact you. Each item you donate should be listed in a program that includes your name.

5.  Live auctions. Auctions will often include a live pitch in addition to silent bidding. Generally, artists whose work is selected for the live auction will get more publicity than those in the silent auction. If they allow you to talk to the audience about your work before the bidding, even better!

You spend a great deal of money and time on your work, and you don’t want to get into the habit of giving it away. Some things to keep in mind.

1.  Be selective. It is easy to overdo it. Limit your participation to three or four well-selected groups that are meaningful to you. You can always supplement your donation by volunteering for fundraisers or other activities.

2.  Avoid creating large, expensive subject-specific pieces for an auction. Some auctions are themed (for example, the Chicago cows), but most aren’t. Weigh your dedication to the group against your investment of time and money when it comes to your donation. 3. Consider donating older work versus new pieces.

4.  Establish a minimum reserve price to start the bidding. Keep in mind that people who come to auctions are looking for deals. That’s okay, but you want to make sure your work is respected and appreciated and not undervalued.

5.  Know the organization’s policy on unsold work. If your item does not sell, you should be notified. If you don’t pick it up, the organization will most likely keep it and possibly offer it at the following auction.

6.  Donate locally. Unless you have a chance to donate to a high-profile national organization, do not pay to ship your work.

 Paula MacLeod is a mosaic artist in Durham, North Carolina. Herfavorite charities to support include local arts organizations, especially those that work with youth and animal welfare groups. www.pauIamacIeodmosaics.com

The Mosaic Husband

The workshop was a great success. We had 9 people sign up to make some great art for the IAR fundraiser. It seemed like everyone had a great time and was proud of their projects. Here are a few pics to highlight the event. Many thanks to Katheryn DeMarco and Emily Weinstein to help make this a great event. Also many thanks to DurhamTechnical Community College for handling the registration.











I'll list the dates of the fundraiser auction on the events page soon, so please come back and check for that!!

Rodney - The Mosaic Husband

Paula has been expanding the Meditation Series in preparation for her solo show in June. She is adding Lotus Blossoms to the series. The lotus blossom has a long history of meditative symbolism. The Tibetan Buddhist practice uses the chant "Om Mani Padme Hung" which means "God is the jewel at the center of the lotus". The pod in the center of the lotus can be planted to grow another lotus plant therefore the lotus is always able to blossom again. The lotus also has been used by many recovery programs because this beautiful flower arises from the muck and mire to show it's true elegance which gives hope to those struggling with the muck and mire of their own addictions.

We will follow the development of the first lotus piece in this series to see the lotus blossom from the disarray of many pieces into a whole cohesive beautiful piece which represents the healing effects of meditation.

The Mosaic Husband

Folks,

Here is an article that I ran across today from Alyson Stanfield of ArtBizCoach.com called "Forgive Yourself". This came at an great time for us. Last weekend was the Durham Art Walk and of course there were so many things we did wrong or could have done beteer or just plain forgot to do. It was nice to see that one is able to and SHOULD forgive oneself.

Here is the article:

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Forgive Yourself

Each week in this space I give you an action that I hope will help boost your art career. I don’t expect you to do everything. Certain art marketing actions won’t be right for you. Or perhaps they’re just introduced at an inopportune time. I’m here to give you ideas. Your job is to collect the ideas, wade through them, and figure out what is best for you at that moment in time.

I’m quite serious about this. You can’t possibly do it all. Forgive yourself.

Forgive yourself

--For not doing what other artists are doing
--For not having a blog
--For not updating your Web site
--For not following up with someone
--For not meeting your deadline
--For not being able to be in two places at once
--For sleeping late
--For not posting on your blog more often
--For being envious of another artist’s success
--For saying the wrong thing at the wrong time
--For getting your mailing out late

Forgiving yourself doesn’t mean that you are no longer responsible for these tasks. It just means that you move on to an action that is more productive than feeling bad about something that occurred in the past. Forgiving yourself allows you to get over the fact that you missed out on an opportunity because you didn’t write the deadline on the calendar. You shake off the disappointment and recommit to reviewing your calendar each day.

Most of the time, we’re hardest on ourselves. Of course you want to honor your obligations, but if others can forgive you, certainly you should forgive yourself.
 

Know This . . . Forgiving yourself allows you to move on. Think About This . . . What do you need to forgive yourself for? Do This . . . Forgive yourself. Has anything happened recently that you’ve beaten yourself up over? Isn’t it time to forgive yourself? And while you’re at it, forgive others. I show you how I do this and give you more resources on the Art Biz Blog. http://www.artbizblog.com

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Copyright 2008 Alyson B. Stanfield. Alyson takes the mystery out of marketing your art and making more money as an artist. Visit http://www.ArtBizCoach.com to get articles just like this one delivered to your inbox.


The Mosaic Husband

I just wanted to post a quick thanks to all of you who came out to support Paula in her first Open Studio. We had a great time and hope you did as well. We look forward to seeing you at Art Walk and the other events coming up in the future.

We are also trying to think of a good way to express our thanks for folks who bring friends with them to a function. If you have any ideas on what we could do to show our appreciation then just comment to this post or email me or Paula.

Thanks again!!!

The Mosaic Husband

Sorry for the long delay between posts. we had a loss in the family in February and we are just getting back to "normal". This has been a trying time for us and it has made me wonder about an expression I always hear: "Artists must experience pain and loss to show their true talent", or something like that. We'll I would have to venture that all artists, good or bad, experience pain. In fact all people experience pain. I am even beginning to doubt that a "good" artist can truly translate that pain into an expession of their deep feelings for a moving piece or series. Some pains are just too deep and personal to express.

As I have watched my wife deal with this loss it amazes me that she is able to work at all. How one gets inspiration from a loss is also a wonder to me. I guess that's why I'm not the artist. I'm sure that in time some sort of inspiration will be gleaned from this experience. I doubt that it will be anytime soon, but  if the addage is true, I can only assume, and pray, that it will happen one day...... I guess.

The Mosaic Husband

I am proud to announce that Prayer has been accepted into the show Global Priorities hosted by The Atlier Gallery in Miami Florida. The show will run from 3/7/2008 through 4/20/2008. The reception will be held on Friday, April 4th. at 5:00pm along with a Cocktail Party for the SAMA convention.

email: mosaic_husband@paulamacleodmosaics.com

A Peek Behind the Mirror
(Step by Step Custom Mirror)

This edition of “The Mosaic Husband” blog is written by me, Paula (“the wife”). We thought it would be insightful to relate how I work with a client to create a custom mosaic. So I’m going to go through the process of working with Paula S. (yes, her real name) to create a mirror for her bathroom.

Paula was re-decorating a bathroom in her home and had been thinking about a custom mirror accent over the sink. After talking about what she had in mind, we met in my studio to explore the possibilities of a mosaic mirror.

Our first decisions were about the size and shape of the mirror. The space for the mirror is limited, so the overall size needed to be proportionate to the wall and sink space. We agreed on 22” x 28” overall, mirror size 18” x  22”, with rounded corners.

After the practical issue of size was decided, we talked about what type of design she would like—colors, type of glass, themes. For ideas, I brought out several of my own books and we looked through my sample boards of specialty glass. Paula particularly liked the millefiori glass (Italian “thousand flowers” glass made in canes and sliced), so I kept that in mind when I sat down to come up with a few sketches.

A pheasant design in a Martin Cheek book caught her eye, so I used that as a basis for one of the sketches, which she liked best, and I could incorporate the most use of millefiori.

After deciding on the size, shape, and design, I ordered the mirror, glass supplies, and wood for the panel.

Before I began work on the actual mosaic, I visited Paula’s home to take a look at the space for the mirror. I noticed that the space over the sink seen from the hall is very short and the wall would obscure seeing the pheasant from the hall if it were on the right side (originally in the sketch). I put the pheasant on the left side when I transferred the design to the panel. This way, if the door is open, you can see the colorful mosaic. I also incorporated copper-leafed glass to complement the earthly tones in the feathers and pick up flecks of light.

     

Paula was very excited about remodeling her bathroom from selecting paint color and lighting to the mirror. The finished project is very successful and she thinks that the colors of the mirror make it versatile for other areas in her home if she chooses to move it sometime in the future.

Here’s a quote from Paula:

"I am redoing our powder room and I had been looking for an interesting mirror.  Once I saw Paula's portrait work (it is fabulous!) I got the idea to have her make me a  mirror.  We started with the dimensions and shape.  I had in mind some design that would start on the longer vertical side and continue on the bottom.  She gave me some sketches--a flower, a bird--and we settled on a pheasant design.  Paula used the medium to create a most beautiful pheasant.  I especially like the millefioris of different heights that give a 3D effect."

This is a portrait that Paula made in a workshop run by Michele Petno in Sanford, FL. She calls it "Happy Baby" and is a portrait of our youngest son. The workshop focused on using tonal values to derive the piece rather than a specific color. For  more information you can contact Michele Petno at Murano Millefiori.










email: mosaic_husband@paulamacleodmosaics.com