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Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Lipetsk, Russia.  The very same studio, where after a month-ish long sojourn, I got to paint today.  Wow.  I feel so much better.  "What?" you ask?  Three woman in their festival scarves, doing a  bit of a dance.  It already feels fun!  But by the title of this post, you  should be able to guess that's not the real topic du jour.

Instead, let's do a sidebar discussion of an energetic one that's going on over at the Red Dot Blog right now.  It's titled  Should Visitors Be Allowed To Photograph Artwork In Galleries, Museums and Art Shows?  A few commenters quickly veered off track, telling terrible tales of woe of how their art was photographed by a crook.  Who then proceeded to:

(1) use it as a screen saver

(2) print off a copy to hang by their desk cubby

(3)post on facebook to share with their friends, or

(4) send their tacky photo off to a print on demand place to get an even tackier giclee made of it.  

You are correct - said tale of woe tellers were not so much upset that images were made, but that images were made and they the artists WERE NOT compensated for them financially.  Yes, of course, I could not resist adding my thoughts to the post, so rest assured that there is at least one loud voice laying the problem at the feet of the almighty (not!) giclee.

Anyway, we are STILL trying to reach the REAL topic of the day.  Let me get you there with a little anecdote.  

I went out to do a few errands just a bit ago, and was walking back to our apartment by way of Bykhanov Park.  Walking toward me on the west end park path was a woman pushing one of the SUV sized baby carriages they all seem to love in this town.  She's got her phone tucked between her ear and shoulder, and she's chattering away.  About 8 steps behind her is the big (ha!  3 yrs maybe?) brother of the carriage rider.  He's got his toy plastic sandpile shovel, upside down, so the business part is tucked between his ear and shoulder, just like mommy.  And of course, his chatter is just as animated as the mom's.  Aaaah, the mimic.

It was a perfect example of learning by example, learning by repetition, learning by COPYING.

And how does it fit into a blog about painting?  If you have spent even a little of the time I have in art history, you have already read that many of the great artists of seasons past went to study with their teacher in the morning, and went to the museums to copy the masters who came before them in the afternoon.  It was, and is, an accepted method of learning.

I am in the middle of an amazing opportunity, this living in Europe gig.  I am visiting museums that I never dreamed I would be able to, as well as some that I never even knew existed.  It's a grand adventure.  I always go with my camera and my sketchbook, because this is my one chance visit.  If I don't record my impressions, there's NO WAY I will be able to remember everything I saw and felt, nor the paintings that triggered the emotions.  So yes, I am one of those people who photograph and sketch my way through the museum.  I figure they've got something going on that I can learn.  A lesson that they can teach me from that museum wall.  A few rules I think are important to follow:

(1)  don't attempt to sneak, or covertly photo ANYTHING

(2)  turn off your flash!  If you don't know how, or your camera won't, then find a different one.

(3)  find a person who looks like a docent and ASK to take photos of your favorites.

(4)  if you don't speak their language, use charades.  Show them the little symbol for flash on your camera, and turn it off while they are watching.

(5)  and some photo-ing logistics

  (a)  photo the painting

  (b)  immediately follow it with a photo of just the label

  (c)  forget assuming you will remember everything because you won't/can't

  (d)  don't waste your visit - when you get back to your domicile,  get the photos in a file complete with any notes you made.  How can you study from them, if you forget where they are, or horrors, delete them off the camera?

(6)  I saved the most important one for last - BE RESPECTFUL - you might have paid a hefty admission fee, but you are still a guest.  

There's a lot to be learned  from looking at great art.  Don't you suppose that's why we have museums in the first place???!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Karen

I hardly ever add post scripts, but I am today to avoid the slew of comments that will otherwise go off course.  I hereby go on record as saying it is NOT acceptable in any way, shape, or form, for you, or anyone else, to photograph another artist's work to SELL.  Don't do it.  And if you are studying, by painting a painting just like the one you loved at the museum, keep it for your own enjoyment.  No sense causing someone to add the word tacky to your personal adjective list :)

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Lipetsk.

I just returned to Lipetsk after a few weeks in the midwest US.  Maybe I'd lost my touch.  Or my faculties?  Who knows?  But my ride went a little crazy yesterday.  Let me tell you about it, пожалуйста.  (say puh-zhawl-stuh)  (da, that's please, and you're welcome all rolled into one)

I was at the art gallery on Ulitsa Lenina.  Tatiana explained to me in charades, русский spoken slow enough for me to catch a few words, and a crucial например (nah-pree-mere, example) that we needed three sheets of картон (car-tone, matboard)

There are two art supply stores within walking distance, and so I headed for the first.  нет - we don't have that color today.  Store number two, and my personal favorite, лавка художника, (shop artist) has just what I need.  Purchase in hand (er hands, we are talking full sized crescent mat here) I head out the door pointed toward the gallery.

Okay, the wind never blows in Lipetsk, such a shock from the norms of Iowa.  But on this specific day, the wind changed it's mind, and it was blowing like ____________.  Fill in the blank with your favorite example, your favorite BIG example.  Needless to say, matboard acts like the world's best sail, and I was the only anchor.

I immediately see автобус #315.  I KNOW bus #315, it goes right up Ulitsa Lenina, yup, that's the street the gallery is on.  I hand the driver 17 rubles and fortunately there's a seat open.  Whew.  I position my matboard out of harms way on a typically crowded bus, pull my windblown hair out of my eyes, and wait for the two stops to pass that I know are on my route.  There, stop # 2, the next one should be mine.  But wait, what the heck is going on?  An overpass?  Are you kidding me?  There's not supposed to be an overpass on Ulitsa Lenina.  

Oh.  No.

I have made the ultimate mistake.  I got on the bus as it was doing it's reverse track.  Я не знаю (Ya knee znigh-you, I don't know!) it's reverse route.  Where are we?  I don't think I've ever been to this part of town before.  Nothing looks like anything I know.

Face it, Karen.  You are lost.  Dios mio.  Lost in Lipetsk.  

There is one spot of good news for all of you holding your breath about my supposedly imminent demise.  In Lipetsk, buses almost always come and go on the same track.  Maybe a variance of a block or two, depending on one-way streets, etc.  I knew I could ride it on around and EVENTUALLY get to where I needed to be.  Did I time the 'extended' trip?  No.  I should have.  But suffice to say, I now know where the east bus terminal AND the Lipetsk Cement Factory are located.

As I did my bus-explore of NE Lipetsk, I did have the presence of mind to call Jane, our translator, so that she could call Tatiana and explain that I was only semi-lost, and not to worry.  A century or so later, I finally make it back to the gallery.  Tatiana 'charaded' that I MUST have had a good adventure.  Smiles all around from the gang.

And the moral of this story?  Sometimes you take little unexpected detours.  Sometimes you go places you didn't know you needed to go to get where you were going anyway.  Sometimes it's better to roll with the punches.  (when I say roll, I don't necessarily mean bus #315 on the reverse route)

When spouse and I first discussed his accepting the work contract that would locate us here for three years, we knew there would be big changes.  And we are enjoying them, full tilt.  Silly me, though, I had assumed my art career would go on hold pretty much.  

(1) Both the galleries I was exhibiting in closed.

(2) There are soooooo many new things to learn about how to get along in a different language, that even grocery shopping takes eons.  

(3) Net result is not nearly as much painting time.

But guess what?  After this incredibly circuitous route, things are starting to click again.  Opportunities are landing on my doorstep.

Getting where I want to go, via the scenic route, yup, that's my gig.  Every now and then, I am still hauled up short in amazement - September 2013, I never had a clue this was the route that was going to move my painting forward.  

Getting where we want the painting career to go, wow, what a ride.

Thanks for stopping by to enjoy the grand detour with me.  

Later, Karen

Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, freshly returned to Lipetsk!  Yesterday,  21:00 hours  :)  

And I am ever so pleased to share something I found in my inbox at opening this very next morning!

I told you earlier that I had a painting accepted into the Women's Work 2015 exhibit?  So here comes the exhibit post card, and it appears they needed some color for the front of their card.  I am always happy to oblige!

And of course, surely it goes with out saying?  But I'll type it here anyway:  swing by the Old Court House Arts Center, because even though it's a lovely post card, we all KNOW a real painting is always better in person.  And in case you need a link for a zoom-able view of the painting, it's right here.  Thanks for stopping by!

Later, Karen