Thursday Evenings at the Ebb and Flow 5 '10

I've been scouting local outlets looking for an appropriate local outlet for my paintings. As you may remember from the first time I visited,  The Ebb and Flow Gallery Coop  it was early in the day, and there was no one else in the gallery.  

 My husband, Bruce puts in a long day in his home office on Thursdays. He starts at 8 am and often doesn't get off of work before 7 pm. Clearly after a day like that anything that gets him house of the house, and thinking about something other than computers, is a good thing. He loves music so as soon as he clocked out, it wasn't hard to talk him into going out a local hot spot for live entertainment.

First stop -- the Ebb and Flow Gallery in Murrell's Inlet.

I've been scouting local outlets looking for an appropriate local outlet for my paintings. As you may remember from the first time I visited,  The Ebb and Flow Gallery Coop  it was early in the day, and there was no one else in the gallery.   I wanted to revisit it at a higher traffic time.  On Thursday evenings the gallery has a live folk musicians, complementary wine,

 

 and will brew up a wide selection of fresh coffee drinks.

  It was really pleasant... much like stepping back into the 60s and 70s when folk singers and coffee shops were the 'in' social centers of many communities.  I will check it out again in the the future..

Murrells Inlet at Night 5 '10

What do you think of this photo ( Above) as a basis for a nocturne ?
It was  taken in the early evening at Murrells Inlet, SC

Poor Babies 'May '10

Poor babies! 

 They had a rough day at the office (aka golf course).

Golf on the holiday 5 31'10

 One of the big advantages of living on a golf course is that you don't have to fight traffic. Bruce celebrated the holiday with a round of golf.

Swan Lake Arts and Crafts Show 5 '10

Sumter, SC has been hosting and Arts and Crafts Show at its the annual Iris Festival which is held at Swan Lake Park.  It was CC's Artist Date for this week..

First of all we  wanted to see the Iris.  The last time we visited the gardens the Iris had not yet begun to bloom.  But they should be at their peak of bloom right now and CC really wanted to get some reference photos.

While the iris were definitely in  full bloom, we were disappointed in how few  blooms there were growing around the lake.  The we discovered why.   It seems that the Lake's other famous attraction .. i.e. swans have a craving for iris blooms. CC  watched the hefty fella  below munch down a half dozen just while she was standing there.

No wonder the park has fencing around so many of its flowers.

Our second reason for going was to scout out whether CC wanted to consider an entry into  the Arts and Crafts Show in 2011. 

There were a fair number of  fine art craft vendors selling .. glass , wearable art, woodwork  and a variety of other crafts.  There was only one full time painter, and one person who had some paintings and some crafts     (below).  Both said their  low cost reproductions had sold quite well.

While we both  enjoyed the day, the  Art Craft Show itself did not seem to be the right venue for CC's work..

Porpita Porpitas 5 '10

On this morning 's  walk on Pawleys Island, we found the beach strewn with  the carcasses of hundreds of small blue colored  creatures.

Their upper 'body' structure  was gelatinous and roughly an inch  in diameter

and was surrounded by what looks suspiciously like tentacles?

Hmmm ?  Could this be a form of Jelly fish???

A scan of the internet solved the mystery.

The creature  was a Porpita porpita.  Porpita porpita, "commonly known as the blue button, is a marine organism consisting of a colony of hydroids.found in tropical  waters from California to the tropical Pacific, and Indian ocean.  The species has made its way through the Suez canal and is now populating the tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico

It is often mistaken for a jellyfish, but although jellyfish and the blue buttons are part of the same  the blue button is part of the  phylum (Cnidaria), the blue button is part of the class Hydrozoa.

It  lives on the surface of the sea and consists of two main parts: the float and the hydroid colony. The hard golden-brown float is round, almost flat, and about one inch wide. The hydroid colony, resembles tentacles like those of the jellyfish.   Each strand has numerous branchlets, each of which ends in knobs of stinging cells called nematocysts. The blue button sting is not powerful but may cause irritation to human skin It is often mistaken for a jellyfish, but although jellyfish and the blue buttons are part of the same  the blue button is part of the  phylum (Cnidaria), the blue button is part of the class Hydrozoa."*

Apparently  the passive little drifter has been using the Gulf Stream to expand its territory to the tropical waters of the Caribbean and the Atlantic coastline touched by the Gulf stream e.g., Florida, and now South Carolina

*More information is available on the Porpita at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porpita_porpita

Evening out in Murrells Inlet 5 '10

Murrells Inlet is a colorful little fishing port by day.

 Bruce and I decided to go there in the early evening to  watch the sun go down

  and the fleet come in (including  his favorite dive boat .. the Scuba Express)

 

 The thing about Murrells Inlet is that  it turns into a entertainment hotspot by night.

 

 Lots of open air restaurants line  the Marina

And a board walk runs between them making it easy to stroll between them and listen to the live  bands performing along the way

It's a pleasant way to spend a warm  evening

CCampbellsfineart.com Website Launched

www.ccampbellsfineart.com
Last March, I applied for a SC State business license to open C Campbell's Fine Art in South Carolina. My initial competitive analysis had turned up only a limited set of outlets for selling my paintings this area, so one of my goals was to broaden my market through selling my paintings over the Internet.

In California, I had had a small website devoted to plein air painting built for me. There were so many outlets for my work in the Southern California market, that my website was primarily for professional image and only secondarily for sales. I had kept up the license for the domain after I moved to South Carolina, so that I didn't lose the right to the CCampbellsFine Art domain name. But I hadn't made a single update to the sites simple design. Clearly I was going to need something more sophisticated if I intended to actively sell over the web.

I began the update project by researching a wide range of other artist websites. Some seemed highly appealing but were so sophisticated that I suspected they were being maintained by the website staff of a commercial galleries representing the artist.. Others were equally attractive but were clearly home grown. I made notes on what I liked and did not like, and what I thought were most effective features of each.

I also read everything I could find posted on sites like Empty Easel about selling on the Internet and comparing that information to what I was finding on the other artists websites. Eventually I came up with a list of things I wanted to include on the website.

That was just the beginning. Next I had come up with a physical design (the easy part) and then choose / learn a software application to implement that design (Aaaarrrrgh). I eventually settled on MS Frontpage web building application. There are more sophisticated applications but (#1) we already have a license (which I've now upgraded to MS Share point) , and (#2) it was similar to other applications that I already know so the learning curve was less steep. I worked on the simple pages first ( Bio, Contact Me etc.) Then began tackling the inserting the pages for the paintings themselves.

Simultaneously, I began photographing all of my new series, scripting each of the paintings descriptions , and finalizing a pricing scheme. One thing I learned from my research is to 'keep it simple and consistent'. By clustering the paintings into related themes, and pricing based upon the low end of what the average painting of that the size is going for in my area, I could sell in both galleries and on the web without channel conflict. Granted, I will have less profit from sales in galleries, but that's my problem.

Last but not least I set up a Pay Pal account and linked each of the paintings on the pages to the Pay Pal Account.

Of course then I had to:

1. Test it locally on our home intranet.
2. Remedy any formatting or link errors.
3. Retest,
4. then upload it to the Network Service provider
5. Repeat steps 1 - 3 on the Service Providers intranet
6. Pull the site up on the www and test (etc).

Unfortunately, we had some link problems that didn't show up until we went to the Internet, so a third round of corrections were necessary. It took two months of work, but finally my CCampbellsFineArt website is up and running and my paintings are available for you to look at.

You can go to it my clicking on the title of this post.

C Campbells Fine Art Open Studio Reception 5 '10

 I ( Cece) belong to a fair number of social organizations: a book club, a gardening group, four local artist guilds, dine around, not to mention the country club, etc. I am constantly being asked for an invitation to view my paintings. I'd love to invite each and every one of them over for dinner. It would be fun, and great word of mouth publicity, but that much entertaining would unquestionably interfere with my painting schedule. Such a dilemma! What to do? What to do?

Then I remembered the popularity of Open Studio Receptions in California to show off one's work. The event is a cross between a social open house, and a art gallery solo exhibit reception. The focus is on the art, and how it is created, without the hard sales pitch.

I sent out 60 invitations in April for a May 23rd 3 - 6 pm Open Studio Reception. This first set of invitations went to people who had expressed an interest in seeing my work. I also mentioned the event at each of my social organizations, and asked anyone who would like to receive an invitation to put their contact information on a list. From this , I followed through with another 15 invites. Frankly, at this point I was getting a little nervous, as there is no street parking where I live (my neighbors came to the rescue and offered their driveways for the event).

I'm not likely to tackle an event that large in my home very often, so I decided to go all out. The paintings were clustered into themes ( e.g. Local Landmark Series, Pawley's Plantation Series, etc.) Below Pawleys Plantation Series and one of State Park Series.
















My husband, Bruce helped me hang as many of the paintings from each series as the space on the wall would allow.

















Above: Graphics and Abstract Art

Below: Part of the Local Landmark Series




















Power point presentations were run in a loop on two televisions to visually convey things that the visitors might want to know (e.g. On one TV I had a presentation showing a photograph of each painting followed by a photograph of the area each represented. )





















In the Carolina room, all of the California Plein Air Series were on display, and Plein air oil painting equipment was set up for guests to inspect.




















In the Art Studio Miniature Paintings were on display, and each of the different work areas were set up with the equipment I would use and examples of the results.
















Above: Water media work area and paintings.

Below Oil Painting Work area



































Above: Still Life set up with miniature still life example

Below: Art Photo stand with illustrated directions







































Above: Composition Sketch White Board




















Above: Desk and business work area

Below Mobile Media cart




















Well you know what they say about the best laid plans. The skies had been clear and beautiful the entire week before the reception. Sunday morning we awoke to dark skies, and warnings flashing the the TV that people should stay home due to the possibility of tornadoes, hail and wind. By the time the Open Studio Reception was to begin there was a torrential downpour coming down. Needless to say we did not get  a huge  turnout, but given the circumstances, more people came than I would have expected in the storm.

We all had a good time, and all I gave lots of tours. All our guests were very enthusiastic about my work, and took a lot of business cards to spread the word.. And the good news is that I now have all the materials (right down to the Parking signs with my Business logos) ready should I choose to have an Open Studio event of any size.

Nancy's Hibiscus 5 '10

Neighbor Nancy Susla asked me to take care of her hibiscus when she went North for the summer.  When she left it was struggling to survive.  Boy is she going to get a surprise when she returns home.  It has doubled in size and is full of blooms.

Artist Date: Ebb and Flow Gallery 5 '14

My Artist Date  for the week was to  visit the

Ebb and Flow Art CO-op and Coffee House

This CO-op gallery is housed in a low country bungalow facing  Hwy. 17 in Murrell's Inlet.  My first reaction when I walked through the door was that I had suddenly been transported to the  Hawaii.   Many of the galleries on the BIG Island are housed in bungalows, and share the same sense of funk and fun that I found in Ebb and Flow.    No snobby pushy salesmen here, or sterile  rooms  with nothing to do but stare at the walls.  Most of the rooms had  comfy chairs, or couches, several had tables that invited you to sit and linger; all were filled with  interesting objects of art.  Twenty-four local artists  and craftsmen are showing  here.  The media includes hand-crafted furniture,  silk art, o pottery and glass art,  jewelry,   traditional paintings on canvas and more.. 

This funky  gallery / coffee house offers an eclectic atmosphere to meet, chat, work and enjoy a great espresso, latte, or cappuccino named after famous artists. On Thursday evenings the place comes alive with folk music. I can't wait to go back.

You can check the  Ebb and Flow  out yourself at:

4763 Hwy 17, Murrells Inlet, SC, 29576

(843) 651-2386

http://www.ebbandflowartco-op.com

Thursday Evening Out on the Town:Surfside 5 '10

Surfside Beach is one of the sleepy little towns that line the Atlantic Ocean along the Grand Strand.  Cut off from the mainland by a large saltwater marsh, the town  is built on a two block wide sand bar.

Beach Rentals line the shoreline, and the main street of the town leads through a 1950s style amusement park to a private pier

Twenty years ago hurricane forecasting was not as accurate as it is today, so  no one was prepared for the damage that Hugo did when it slammed into the South Carlina coastline on Sept 22,'89

Hurricane Hugo's destruction of Surfside Beach. The Sun News File Photo by Bill Scroggins

There was hardly a building left standing especially in the residential areas

Oddly enough the amusement park area survived relatively intact

The the town has rebuilt itself.  Low Country cottages have given way to high rise condos and timeshare units.  The pier and amusement area still remain much as they were before Hugo

Arcades, tourist trinket vendors  and hot dog stand line one side of the main street, and the amusement park rides with its old fashioned rides are on the other.

The pier has it's own trinket shop, as well as a open  air bar  overlooking the beach

On warm evenings the bar brings in live combos playing music from the 50s, through 90s.

It all has a very nostalgic feel about it, and is a great way to end the day.

Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/09/21/3072339/sc-coastline-more-vulnerable-23.html#storylink=cpy

BJ the handsome golfer guy 5 '10

BJ looked so dapper playing golf today; he's really a handsome guy

Georgetown Watercolor Society at Dunn Acres 5 '10

The activity for the monthly meeting of the Georgetown Water-media Society was plein air painting at Dunn Acres. Out hostess, Pam Dunn, and her husband Max opened their lovely restored rice plantation manor (below) and all of its gardens for us to paint in.

 The manor sits on bank of the Black River with beautiful views in each direction

( Above: looking east) ( Below: looking west)

The front of the manor faces a series of aquatic gardens that Max has constructed out of what was once an alligator infested jungle of swampland. Max told me that when they bought the property, the grounds were so overgrown that it took a bulldozer to reach the manor house. He has turned it into a series of aquatic gardens that any public arboretum would be proud to own. (I my eyes, it was more beautiful than most public gardens).

From the manor house, well laid out paths and bridges lead off to the cypress ponds which right now are lined with several colors of blooming iris. At other times of the year, Azalea, and roses bring welcome color and contrast to the dominate green.

 

In addition to the cypress gardens, there are several beautiful waterlily and lotus ponds.

There were so many beautiful spots it was hard to know what to paint.I finally focused upon a lovely little statue of a little girl sitting on a cypress stump.

You'll be able to see the  two finished paintings on my website as soon as the paint dries enough for me to photograph them. (See also follow on posts about   plein air pain(t) ing.)