A Celebration of Women

is very excited to Celebrate the Surreal Works of this Man,

that truly appreciates the inherent Spirit of  a Woman.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My name is

Alexander Toporovsky

… I go by the name of

“Sasha”

…when I paint.

I was born in the Ukraine, there Sasha is a nickname for Alex.

After spending six months in Italy, one of the Art Capitals of the World.

…influenced very young….

I immigrated to the United States,

inspired by beautiful Cezanne Style Landscapes,

with my family at the age of five.

SASHA SAYS: “I have always dreamed of being a great modern day artist. I am currently pursuing that dream, and invite all of you to join me on this adventure. My dream scape paintings are designed to give you, the viewer, a chance to escape the everyday grind, and to take you to a place were you can rejuvenate and be at peace at any time of the day.”

My parents soon got divorced, and I was raised by my Mother,

….and two Grandmothers.

Some Truths as a Legacy of their Mothers and Grandmothers…

By developing the

God-given Nature to Nurture,

Women have a Unique Opportunity

to ‘Change the World’.

1. The influence of a mother has no limit and no end. She can share every aspect of her education and experience in the atmosphere of love she fashions.
2. Creating a home is a way of creating a world.
3. Women have abilities beyond their wildest dreams to organize and create.
4. Women are the Soul of a family and a community.

It’s been said that Women are the

Survival Kit of the Human Race;

that Responsibility has been handed down

from Generation to Generation.

In fact, it’s a Ukrainian Tradition.

“I have always had gratefully

a Close Relationship with Women.”

Alex continues….

“During my adult life many of my friends have been women. I simply find women easier to get along with.

I see women as being the glue of society, the peace makers, and incredible spiritual beings. Men are usually strong because there are women in our lives who we can fall back on.

“My Wife and my Mother

are those Women for me.”

One of my new paintings. I call it

”Purplicious“.

“I like to Capture

the

Essence of a Women…“

her Strength, her Beauty, and her Spirit.

It is my HOPE that I can

Empower Women

through the use of Art.

This is why I enjoy painting Women

Website:  http://mod-masters.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alex has a Sense of Humour, as well;

here’s his painting in the genre of

Social Media SPOOF.

“…Blah, Blah, Blah!”

…..you’ve got to Love it!

….please make room,

Andy Warhol!

We charged a fee to have Drew paint the surfboard at the event. They sold the painting for three times as much and one happy gent went home with the painting. The charity made out and it was a win-win for all.

Hinano Tahiti understood the importance of providing top quality work at auction. They also appreciated Drew’s time and had no problem compensating him for it. If only all fundraisers worked this way…

There are many great charities in the world, and they need your art! But there can be problems with donating art to charities.

The good news is, together we can help charities to get better quality artwork by encouraging them to create a new way of working with artist donations.

THE PROBLEM CHARITIES HAVE BY NOT SHARING REVENUE WITH THE ARTISTS:

You’ll go broke giving to every charity that asks. I know we used to give to anyone who called. It was flattering at first. Then, as years went on, I found many, many problems with giving blindly and not asking for anything in return.

For one, we were losing money we couldn’t afford to. We already had our personal charities that we donated money to.

For another, it was taking a lot of our time and energy. And some of the people we were giving to sadly did not appreciate it.

And lastly, we found that we weren’t wanting to give the best artwork, but rather tempted to give the items that didn’t sell.

Drew and I attended a Surf Industry Ball a few summers ago. It’s a black tie event held yearly at the beautiful St. Regis Resort. They hold a charity auction, both silent and live. Many people who attend are wealthy and have no problem bidding on $10,000-$100,000 items.

You would think an event such as this would attract quality artwork. But in the silent auction, there were amateur pieces. There were also a few pieces of art from successful artists that appeared as though they took art that wasn’t selling in their studio and donated it to get rid of it.

Auctioning low quality art at a black tie event does not work. But I also know, first hand, that this event does not share in the revenue with the artist donating the work.

And that’s a problem. If the charity is not making it worthwhile financially to donate art, they are not going to attract quality art.

HOW MANY CHARITABLE DONATIONS SHOULD YOU MAKE?

Choose 2 or 3 charities that you care about and give to them. After your chosen few, give only to organizations that share in the revenues of the sales. Never donate anything if it will hurt you financially.

Every day I receive 3 to 4 e-mails and calls from people, friends and clients who ask for a donation. This is the downside to having a lot of friends and doing too much networking!

The requests range from the local High School grad night event to very prestigious events and everything in between.

Always, the charities are excellent organizations which are doing wonderful things. It’s hard to turn these people away, particularly if the person is a friend or client.

But if I gave to even half of the requests, I’d have to shut my business down and get a real job, God forbid!

Usually for the small stuff, like the High School, I’ll donate art prints that are just sitting in the studio. It’s not a problem to do that.

But for the black-tie events, we would not want to donate anything but top quality artwork. Otherwise, what’s the point? If you donate artwork that’s less quality compared to what you are proud of, than you will detract new collectors and you’ll make a bad name for yourself.

But on the other hand, when donating your best work, you’ll need to be compensated.
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The E-Myth

Do You Have a Business or a Job?

By Michael E. Gerber

by Michael C. Gray

January 26, 1998

Michael Gerber is a business consulting “guru” whose observations about small businesses have had a profound impact on how his students see their businesses and the role of the business owner.

Gerber observed that most people go into business for the wrong reason. They are skilled technicians – they do a good job of what the business provides to the customer. They believe they can earn more by doing it in their own business than for someone else, so they leave and open their own shop. This is what Gerber calls an “entrepreneurial seizure.”

These technicians believe they will find more freedom in their business, but they discover it is the hardest job in the world, because there is no escape. They are the ones who are doing the work! They are the “business!” But if they are the business, they haven’t really created a business at all, they have created a job for themselves!

According to Gerber, the role of the business owner is really quite different. The role of the business owner is to create a business that works independently of himself or herself. If that is the case, there is an “end point” where the business functions independently of the business owner. At that point, the business owner may choose to sell it or not, but he or she will have created a ready-to-sell “money making machine” for which he or she may choose the effort to devote to it. The business can also be duplicated from place to place.

The model for this effort is the “turnkey franchise,” such as McDonalds. The franchise creator, Ray Kroc, made a uniform business with a certain look, providing a consistent experience to the customer. This was accomplished by establishing and documenting tested, detailed systems. The franchisor controls the design of the restaurant, sells uniformly made food and equipment, and provides the “scripts” for the service people and detailed procedures for preparing the food.

Likewise, the business owner should start with an idea of “what this business should look like.” An organizational chart should be created (which could start with the business owner in each box) to document a business organization, with responsibilities as chief executive, marketing, accounting, finance, and production. Gradually, the business owner tests, measures and documents the procedures for each position and replaces himself or herself until he or she isn’t really needed at all.

The shorthand phrase for the business systems could be “Here’s how we do it here.”

Finally, the business becomes like a game, a dojo, or learning place where each person finds satisfaction in performing his or her part to the best of his or her ability.

Small business owners should be grateful to Michael Gerber for his profound observations and the challenge he has presented to us. Each morning, we should ask ourselves, “Am I going to a business, or am I going to a job?” If we are going to a job, what are we going to do about it? We have a model for change.

The only criticism I have with Gerber’s approach is that it can be inflexible when dealing with the change that we all must deal with today. Employees must think in order to provide outstanding service. More important than “Here’s how we do it here,” we need to know “What’s important here.” What are the values that drive our business? People always need to be more important than the systems that are supposed to serve them. Systems shouldn’t override common sense.

Gerber’s ideal of creating a business that really works is worthwhile. Visit his web site at www.e-myth.com.

May we help you create a business that really works for you?

Buy it today at Powell’s independent bookstore: The E-myth Revisited.

& songs from the great Ella Fitzgerald

Concert Saturday April 24th

Doors open at 6:30pm for wine social and Art showing with Sasha & Patrick Carney

Concert starts at 7:00

“Rebeca’s voice is better than most of what you hear on the radio today!

Kashif- Grammy award winning producer,Whitney Houston, George Benson, Kenny G

Wine Social throughout the evening

If you want to participate in the social,

Please Bring a beverage or bottle of wine to share

and a heavy appetizer

We will be showing the Fabulous Paintings

of

Sasha

& Patrick Carney

Saturday April 24th Doors open at 6:30 for art showing and wine social

Concert starts at 7:00

Location:141 Camino De Las Flores, Encinitas Ca. 92024

Cost: $15.00 in Advance

$20.00 at the Door

There is limited seating…. the sooner you buy your ticket the better!

Address: 141 Camino De Las Flores Encinitas Ca, 92024

(760) 632- 8043

Additional Press Release news:

Showing some cheek … participants in Spencer Tunick’s nude art installation pose for the American photographer outside the Opera House just after dawn yesterday.
Photo: Nick Moir

THE artist Spencer Tunick put out the call – and Sydney answered. More than 5000 volunteers began arriving from 4am, queueing from the Opera House forecourt round to the Museum of Contemporary Art to be part of the American’s nude art installation; a crowd so big it spilled on to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

They were willing to risk being late for work, being filmed by television cameras – and worst of all, being spotted by someone they knew – for the honour of being the 2000th buttock cheeks from the left in a Tunick photograph.

The official name of Tunick’s installation was The Base. Yet after waiting two hours for the sun to come up, it became apparent that Blue Poles might be an appropriate title as a brisk wind hit the Opera House steps.

A collective cry went up with each new chill as we gathered in the shape of a giant upside-down triangle. Soon people were slapping their buttocks en masse with their hands to warm up.

Those blessed with magnificent pelts of chest hair – something of a rarity among the waxed and trimmed crowd – fared best in a sea of goosepimpled flesh.

The ferries appeared to slow down as they came and went at Circular Quay, passengers witnessing more bare breasts than in a Russ Meyer film, while news helicopters flew overheard. But we were not daunted. The mood was happy, strong. Young and old, straight and gay, we were united in our nudeness. We were declaring to the world: “Yes, these are our bellies, our tuckshop arms, our hairy backs. Love them as we do.”

Tunick directed the crowd via megaphone with a flurry of instructions, seemingly able to pick out individual people among the thousands: “that guy with the hairy chest”, “the really white guy”. He said “don’t look at me” so often he was starting to sound like Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet. At times he seemed like a stern headmaster: when some baulked at his instruction to embrace a stranger – we were already nude, what more did he want? – he said that anyone who didn’t should get out.

“Please, I speak no English,” a German man said to the Herald’s stunned correspondent as he embraced him.

Classical music lovers often complain that they need more bums on seats, so Tunick obliged by staging his next set-up in the Opera House Concert Hall. With one last difficult, possibly dangerous request that we stand on the seats while simultaneously draping ourselves backwards, Tunick finished to thunderous applause. It was almost a disappointment to put one’s clothes back on.

This week marks the publishing of my new book, “Starving” to Successful | The Artist’s Guide to Getting into Galleries and Selling More Art. This book was written to help you approach galleries in an organized, systematic and professional way. The book will help you avoid the mistakes listed below.

But first, for those of you who have already ordered, we will begin shipping the book early next week. Due to the tremendous response, it is going to take a couple of days to get them all mailed.

For those of you who haven’t ordered yet, you can still place your order at the “pre-order” price through this weekend. The price increases to full retail on Tuesday, August, 25th. Visit www.xanadugallery.com/book for more information and ordering.

This book springs from my experiences with artists. Several years ago, I began to wonder why artists were inept talking to galleries. I quickly realized most were unsuccessful because there is very little information explaining the best strategies.

That lack of information leads to these blunders:

Mistake #1: Presenting an inconsistent body of work.

Artists generally love their freedom. They want to experiment. They love a challenge. They crave variety. All good things, except when you are presenting your work to a gallery.

The work you present to a gallery needs to be unified. It doesn’t need to be repetitive or formulaic, but it must present you as a consistent artist with a clear vision.

Often I feel I am looking at the work of multiple artists as I review a single portfolio. To avoid this problem you need to find focus in your work.

If you work in several media and a variety of styles, focus on just one for the next 6-12 months. Create a body of work that feels like a “series”. Once you have 20-25 gallery-ready pieces in this series, you will be ready to approach a gallery.

You can further create consistency by presenting the work in a consistent way. Use similar frames for paintings and photographs, similar bases for sculpture, similar settings for artistic jewelry. Make it very clear all of the work is by the same artist.

If you simply can’t rein your style in, consider creating multiple portfolios, one for each style.

Don’t confuse the galleries you approach with multiple styles in your portfolio.

Mistake #2: Producing insufficient work to sustain gallery sales.

Many artists create marketable work, but in quantities too low to make a gallery relationship viable. Successful artists are consistently in the studio creating artwork. You may be surprised to learn the results of a recent survey I conducted.

I asked artists how many new works they created in the last twelve months. Painters responded that on average they were creating 53 pieces every twelve months. Sculptors 31. Glass artists 500!

A gallery owner needs to feel confident you will replace sold art quickly and maintain high quality. They want to know if you are successful the can replenish their inventory.

Don’t despair if you are far from reaching this goal. Rather, look at your creative production for the last year and set a goal to increase the production by 25% in the next 12 months.

Several suggestions to increase your productivity:

Mistake #3: Delivering a portfolio in a format inconvenient for gallery review.

Often your portfolio is your only chance to show your work to a gallery owner. Poorly formatted portfolios are rarely viewed. Your portfolio should be concise, simple, informative and accessible.

25 years ago, formatting a portfolio was simple. A portfolio was either a literal portfolio with sheet protectors and photos, or a slide sheet.

The choices have since multiplied. CD? Digital hardbound photo-book? .Pdf file? Email? Which format is the most effective? None of these, actually. Each has drawbacks limiting effectiveness. They are either too much work for the gallery owner to access, too easy to delete, or too hard for you to maintain.

In my book I will show an example of a perfect portfolio. Easy to maintain, easy to share. Successful.

A couple of things to keep in mind with your portfolio:

In “Starving” to Successful I will teach you how to create a powerful portfolio. Your new portfolio will end up in gallery owner’s hands, rather than in the garbage can.

Mistake #4: Lacking confidence and consistency in pricing.

One of the greatest challenges facing you as an artist is knowing how to correctly value your work. Many artists price their work emotionally, and inconsistently. Galleries can’t sell wrongly priced art.

Worse, nothing will betray an unprepared artist like not knowing how to price his/her work.

Many artists mistakenly under-price their work. They do this because they feel they are not established. They do it because their local art market won’t sustain higher prices. They do it because they lack confidence in their work.

In the book I will help you come up with a consistent, systematic formula for pricing your art.

Is your work priced correctly?

Mistake #5: Approaching the wrong galleries.

My gallery is located in an art market dominated by Southwest and Western subject matter. My gallery stands apart from most of the galleries in Arizona because I have chosen art outside the norms. Yet I am constantly contacted by Western and Southwestern artists. They seem surprised and hurt when I turn them away. They could have saved us both some discomfort by researching my gallery before approaching.

Which markets should you approach first? How should you research the galleries? Is it safe to work with galleries in out-of-state markets?

“Starving” to Successful will teach you how to create a list of qualified, appropriate galleries to contact (I will also teach you how to approach them).

Mistake #6: Submitting art through the wrong channels.

Conventional wisdom, and even some highly respected art marketing books will advise you to send your portfolio with a cover letter to the gallery. You may also hear it’s best to call a gallery and try to make an appointment to meet the owner. You might visit a gallery’s website to learn of their submission guidelines.

In my experience, these methods all guarantee failure. I will share with you a more direct, simpler approach; this approach will tremendously improve your chances of success. The approach is no secret, and yet most artists don’t employ it.

Find the solutions to avoiding all these mistakes in the pages of “Starving” to Successful.

In addition to learning how to avoid the mistakes listed above, you will also see clearly how to effectively organize your work, build your brand as an artist, communicate effectively with your galleries, and much more.

I will give you concrete steps you can take to systematically prepare for gallery relationships.

You may order the book at the pre-publication price of $19.50 (Plus s+h) through 8/25. The first printing is already 3/4 sold out- I encourage you to order your copy today.

Learn more about the book and order your copy today at www.xanadugallery.com/book

Please email me directly, jason@xanadugallery.com, or call me toll-free at the gallery at 866.483.1306 if you have any questions about the book.

Sincerely,

J. Jason Horejs
Owner
Xanadu Gallery
7039. E. Main St. #101
Scottsdale, AZ 85251

www.xanadugallery.com/book
jason@xanadugallery.com

Testimonials from workshops (basis for the book content)

I have picked up 2 new galleries (it was very easy, I might add) once I got my portfolio together, following your guide lines. And, got the note yesterday that one of my pieces sold over the weekend.  Thank you for your class-for me it has been very profitable.
My best,
Dinah”
Dinah Ilhe
(Salt Lake City workshop)

This was the most informative seminar I may have ever attended! Very direct, practical, specific information. Took the mystery out of pricing, inventory and what to say.

Traci Parks
Columbus, OH
www.miracleimages.com

I would highly recommend the seminar. It was very well planned and executed. The pre-seminar ‘assignment’ was very beneficial. It gives us each a chance to talk about where we are at, show samples of our work, and share our goals. I know the packet I sent was reviewed and Jason had a feel for where I was at before meeting him in person. He had a feel for my painting style and had visited my website. I brought my portfolio along and had one on one time to hear his thoughts on my website and portfolio.

At the seminar I was very impressed by the organization of their presentation. It was much appreciated to have a ring bound booklet that covered (page by page) all the pertinent information so you weren’t scrambling to write everything down and could just really listen. There also was a space on the page for notes or questions. A great handbook to refer to once you are back in the studio.

I can’t say enough about how helpful and genuine . . .Jason was in sharing his experience in the art market. You felt very comfortable asking any question and that it goes beyond the seminar day as Jason invited us to email with any further questions that came up which we forgot to address that day. I have stopped by the gallery and ran some pricing questions past Jason and he was very helpful.

The seminar really gets you to look at all aspects of professional artist’s marketing needs and how to prioritize getting it all accomplished. I wish you well on your artistic journey. This seminar gave me a burst of energy to accomplish my goals.

A fellow working artist with high hopes for the future!

Kiki Sweeney
Scottsdale, AZ
www.kikisweeneyfineart.com Xanadu Gallery | 7039 E. Main St. #101 | Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480.368.9929 | info@xanadugallery.com | www.xanadugallery.com
]]> http://modernmasters.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/the-six-most-common-mistakes-artists-make-when-approaching-galleries%e2%80%8f/feed/ 0 modernmasters Xanadu Gallery "Starving" Artist to Successful Artist http://modernmasters.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/interview-with-an-art-dealer/ http://modernmasters.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/interview-with-an-art-dealer/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:10:17 +0000 modernmasters http://modernmasters.wordpress.com/?p=23 ]]> An interview with an art dealer, about all matters of art and selling art.

http://robinrile.com/blog/?p=9

One of the paintings I will be exhibiting in the show

Come join us for a month long celebration of art and music, with over 100 artist from across the nation showcasing their art. Music nightly with over 30 musical acts performing. There will be over 20,000 people in attendance on the opening night alone. This is going to be quite the show. Hope to see you there.

Host:Alex Sasha Toporovsky
Time:4:00PM Sunday, August 9th
Location:Village Fair Plaza – Carlsbad, CA