My First Gallery

[John Hart]

Well....I've spent the past few days getting myself ready for my first gallery display, and today was the day to take the day off from work and go out there and set it up. I promise I won't bore you with any future gallery stuff....but this is my first, and I'm excited and apprehesive...so I thought I'd share it briefly with ya'll. :)

This one is Vancura Gallery of Fine Art. I submitted 12 pieces...most of which, I've posted here. The debut is a Mother's Day Festival tomorrow. So here is my display (They said they were going to "tweak it" after I left) :o
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I don't care for the color of the walls but they said they were going to change that this summer.

Here's a few shots of the rest of the place
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[Tony De Masi]

A big congrats John. I hope this gallery serves you well and that the buying Gods abound.

[Jim Burr]

Woot woot! Nice job and cool gloat John...all the best!

[David DeCristoforo]

Woohoo! now sell... SELL!!! It's been a lot of fun seeing these pieces here over the last several months. Seen all together like that, they really showcase your completely unique approach to turned objects. Well met...

[bob svoboda]

Congratulations and the very best of luck with your sales. I predict your turnings will get a lot of positive attention!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

My friend John! Congratulations on a well deserved display that shows the broad spectrum of your turning talents!

Please show us more in the future!

[Roger Chandler]

May the show be a great success, and the display sold out........in short order, no less.......then you have to go and do it all over again............geez.......what a winning scenario!

God speed, John!

[John Keeton]

A big CONGRATS, John!! I know you announced this a bit ago, but seeing the display of your work makes it much more real. Nice gallery, too. I predict success!

[Quinn McCarthy]

Wat to go John.

Step up to my back patting machine.

Quinn

[David E Keller]

That's cool! I hope you get out it what you want(fame, fortune, groupies, etc). Congrats!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

That's cool! I hope you get out it what you want(fame, fortune, groupies, etc). Congrats!

HORSIES..........John and his daughters want HORSIES.....:rolleyes:

[Gary Max]

Wish you the best of luck John-------good looking display.

[Tim Thiebaut]

COngrats John, your stuff looks very nice in there, I hope you sell everything and make a bundle!

[Nate Davey]

Congrats John, positive vibes sent your way for good sales. It's nice to see the pieces displayed as it gives a better perspective on size then the photo booth pics do.

[Scott Hackler]

Good luck John, but I suspect you wont need it!! Keep us posted with the results!

[John Hart]

Thanks gang. :)

I'm not sure I want too much success. At this point, I'd be happy if people just stopped by to look at the stuff. I've got some catchin' up to do elsewhere. I'm not sure I want groupies either. I had some of those a long time ago, and they just keep calling asking you to play the same song over and over and over.:rolleyes:

I'll take some fortune though. I could use a little of that!!

I DON'T WANT HORSES!!!:eek:
(they eat up all the profits.)

Thanks again. I'll keep ya posted.

[David E Keller]

Hey, I just thought of something...

What's it say on your 'About the Artist' card? I enjoy reading those things, so I'm interested to see what yours says.

[cal thelen]

Never boring John good luck.

[Baxter Smith]

Looks great John. Your art stands out and should be pretty eyecatching in a gallery of mostly pictures. I greatly enjoy seeing groups of turnings as opposed to a single one. Good luck with the sales!

[Bernie Weishapl]

John my friend I have no doubt you will do well. It really gets yours pieces out there. I am sure you will do well.

[Jeff Nicol]

John, It looks as though you will have no competition with most of the other stuff being paintings and such in the gallery. You should have lots of lookers and oohs and aahs will fill the air! I just took some new stuff to one of the galleries that has my stuff in it and I dropped a few of the prices on some of the bowls and smaller hollow forms. I have plenty of higher priced items but the little town that the gallery is in is mostly tourist sales in the summer but locals the rest of the year and they don't like to spend big bucks on things.

I hope you sell a bunch during the showing,

Jeff

[Kathy Marshall]

Congrats John! Looks like a nice gallery and a very nice display of your wares! Good luck any may fortune smile upon you!

[John Hart]

Thanks again everyone...
One thing that has always plagued us is pricing. And it seems that every time someone posts a thread like, "How do you price your work?", it always comes around to pricing according to the venue...and there never seems to be a clear-cut answer. Jeff points this out in his post. I figure I'll have the same dilemma. I've listened carefully to everyone here over the years, and tried to get a feel for it. My prices were set everywhere from dirt cheap to a little more expensive than I'd pay for it. We'll see. I'm a newbie. :)

Oh...David Keller. You are out to embarrass me.:rolleyes: They asked me to write something for the "About the artist" thing. It's probably too mushy for us here....but it seemed to meet with their approval. So....No Laughing!!!:D Here ya go


Wood Art By John Hart


Woodturning, as an art form, combines grace, form, figure, intrigue, and fun, while submerged in the natural world. The natural and dazzling character integral to a tree, is often discarded when lumber companies and sawmills prepare logs for the many facets of that industry. The highly figured and gnarly parts of the tree are generally too unstable for reliable traditional processing. Even as firewood, these beautiful sections can be seen as troublesome, because they are simply too difficult to cut and split.

The artistic woodturner thrives with these “less than useful” pieces of the tree. By spinning the wood at high speed on a lathe, and introducing curvatures to the piece with sharpened steel chisels, the inner beauty of the tree is revealed on a 3 dimensional canvas, while producing elegant and entertaining pieces of art, useful conversation pieces, and timeless keepsakes and toys that are both fun and worthy to reside in a display case.

John Hart has been in love with the beauty of trees and wood for over half a century. As a child, most of his spare time was spent in the woods, playing and exploring, and integrating himself into an environment as a natural constituent member. As an adult, designing and building useful things from wood, quickly evolved to integrating multiple species of wood to bring a little delight to an otherwise plain but useful object…..starting with a never-to-be used dartboard cabinet over 30 years ago.

Discovering woodturning was no different. At first, it was simply a method to create the occasional but necessary spindle table leg or a drink coaster….Nothing artsy, but certainly useful. Soon, the usefulness begged to be embellished, and like so many years before, John began to experiment with combining wood types to make interesting pieces. Through the rise and convenience of the internet, John discovered that he could interact with world-class woodturners across the globe, seeking advice, learning technique, and most importantly, getting crucial peer-review of his own work.

Graceful forms are merely the canvas for the inner beauty of the tree. For decades, the character of a tree develops. Years of wind and heat, fire and ice, rain, human encroachment, woodland creature habitats, and catastrophic events, all change the tree through its lifetime. These bits of character are stored in the growth of the tree, and when presented correctly through curves and finish, a tiny story is told about something that happened, long ago in a quiet forest, unwitnessed by anyone.

In these wood art pieces, you will see figure, form, color, contrast and variety, intermingled with the tell-tale signatures of artisans from long-extinct civilizations, as well as those in the not-too-distant past. You will see a love for the complex simplicity of nature, and a love for the quiet moments of human history.

[John Keeton]

Heavy stuff, John!! But, I love it!

[Keith E Byrd]

Great display - congrats and good luck!

[Roger Chandler]

[QUOTE=John Hart;1698856]

. It's probably too mushy for us here..... So....No Laughing!!!:D Here ya go


Oh, be still my heart! :rolleyes: Not only is he an "R-teeeest" but he also be a poet! :D:D:D

No, in all seriousness..........that is a very nice artists statement from a gifted artist.

[Josh Bowman]

John,
Your stuff looks great there, congratulations.

[Michelle Rich]

Congrats: I understand the "willies" and apprehension..Hope it goes well for you. The 2nd time is just as bad..be ready! HA!

[David Reed]

Good-on-ya John. I too predict a successful show. Never having sold anything from my lathe (give them all away), I will be interested in your results.
Good luck

[Cathy Schaewe]

Congratulations! The pieces are beautiful, and I have no doubt that you will be successful.

Just one question: I've 'heard' that words can flow more freely after a small libation (emphasis on the word small) - is that also the case with lacquer? I'm guessing so ..... :eek::D

[David E Keller]

Oh...David Keller. You are out to embarrass me.:rolleyes: They asked me to write something for the "About the artist" thing. It's probably too mushy for us here....but it seemed to meet with their approval. So....No Laughing!!!:D Here ya go...

Not at all, John. I like it, especially the last sentence... That's a great line! Good luck!

[jwjerry w kowalski]

Way to go John, from what I've seen of your pieces, they should be the hit of the show. Let us know how it turned out.

[Steve Schlumpf]

John... been away from the computer for almost 2 days (gloat!!) and wanted to wish you well with your gallery showing! Thought you did good on the display setup - don't know how they could improve on it - but if it helps with sales... great! Any task lighting above your work?

Please - keep us informed on the show! Additional photos would be appreciated!

[Michael James]

Looks good from over here - best of luck there buckeye. Very original pieces well done!

artist's statement looks like a good one...
mj

[Dan Forman]

John, congrat's on the show and hope it goes well for you, the setup looks good to me.

Dan

[Pete Jordan]

Congrats John!

I think you did a great job on your display. I can't imagine how excited you are!

[Curt Fuller]

John, I like your artist's statement. It gives the reader a broad insight into what this turning thing is all about along with describing John Hart in terms that aren't too flamboyant. When I look at the overall views of the gallery I picture someone coming in there and bebopping through all the various styles of painting etc and then stopping at your display and saying " Whoa, this is different!" I don't know how you feel about people touching your work, but in the dinky little gallery display I have I include a small sign that that says Feel Free to Handle the Woodturnings. Something about holding this stuff just does it for me.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Nicely done John, its tough having to write something about yourself like that I am sure. Please let us know how well you do in the show, sending good thoughts your way! Tim

[John Hart]

Thanks again everyone. After seeing Steve Schlumpf's setup...I feel that there just might be room for improvement on mine :o Sheesh....Steve knows how to dazzle!!! http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?165660-My-First-Gallery-Show

But, Steve, no....No task lighting as of yet. The room is specific for 3D art, and they haven't had much of that, so it's really under development....and slotted for upgrades. I probably won't get in there until next weekend, so I'll take some pics of how they rearranged things.

I still don't know about any sales....The opening was a Mothers Day event and the only artists invited to mingle were the Mother Artists. (They said I could wear a dress if I really wanted to come):D

Curt....Thanks...I did ask if I could put a sign up that said, Please Feel Free to Touch. But the owner rejected that idea, but said that they would tell people that it is ok to touch, if they were with the customer. (They're nervous....but I'm sure that'll wear off over time)

[Tim Rinehart]

Congrats John. Looks like super display of your work. As with my comment on Steve's recent gallery admissions, yours are quite interesting to see sizes in perspective to each other. Nice looking display.