You're sure to identify with your fellow SKBers in this issue as they share adventures, insights, challenges and accolades, all on the road to being a better artist and growing as a person. Chris Knapp deals procrastination a blow, Ron Ukrainetz has another plein air adventure ala Jim Carrey. Ric Helstrom and Wes Siegrist take you on journeys to the netherlands of the Digital Darkroom and the Web, while guest writer and artist's consultant, Alan Bamberger heads up our Art Biz column with advice on pricing. Mary Lou Holt's quirky point of view is sure to bring laughs while we have a good dose of humor sprinkled throughout by "an Old Farmer", thanks to Cyndi Wagner for passing on his sage advice. Susan Fox shares a grand adventure to Mongolia, reminding us once again, that it's a big world out there (despite how small it seems via the Internet) and just maybe we ought to be planning our own exotic trip.

Our artist profile this issue is Nancy Foureman of Greenville, OH. You remember her. She's the one who won all those ribbons at the SKB Dubois workshop art show, and deservedly so. You'll find Nancy's story interesting as well as inspiring. Nancy is one of those go get'em, get r'done, kind of people who describes herself as a Marine disguised as an artist - and I believe her!

Look for news on the Foundation's projects and upcoming events in On the Homefront and for SKB related workshops, etc. in For the Good of the Order.

Right after the first of the year I will be sending out the details for our fifth anniversary art conference and workshop and will be looking forward to seeing you there. As a New Year's resolution, resolve to send in your news and your views. Your fellow SKBers want to know… Lee and I send you holiday greetings for a most Merry and Blessed Christmas and New Year's.

The following paragraphs are more personal.

My life should read like a list of people that have protected me, encouraged me, and openly given me opportunities. Everyone has a grandparent story, I have one too. Divorce left my mother a single parent and in the '50s divorced mothers were investigated by the authorities and often the children were put in foster homes. My grandfather, also having a sense of immediacy, got me up in the middle of the night, and as drama would have it, we escaped... Thanks to his decision I had a wonderful, adventurous childhood.

The next four years were full of travel. It was an adventure, and a love of travel has never left my soul. I've lived in California, Arizona, Colorado, Ohio, and Indiana. Living in a car made sight-seeing a first-hand experience, but it was a little short on schooling. Moving back to Indiana in the fourth grade offered a more stable situation and I am thankful for the personal attention of my fourth grade teacher who stayed long after many suppers to catch me up on reading, writing, and arithmetic. After that rigorous training, I made the Honor Roll, never to come off it, and I've had a book under my nose ever since. For me, everything has to be a learning experience. I approach my painting the same way - academically.

I come from a family of teachers and painters, and I attended a high school that housed four permanent galleries. Eating lunch in the galleries may not have been the norm for most high school students, but for me it was always where I was most comfortable. I had peanut butter with William Merit Chase, Frank Duveneck, Henry Farny, Twatchman, DuMond, and Wiggins. As a senior I assisted with the freshman art classes, later attending Indiana State and Miami University at Oxford.

It is also very much about the people I meet; so many stories to tell about what I have learned from people. I'll tell you sometime later or perhaps when we are setting on a rock painting together. We often see people on the street and do not realize the vast chamber held within that person until we engage in conversation about art, music, or nature. How a person looks on the outside has nothing to do with the incredible being inside. Have you ever known a painter's work and one day see his photo? Many times it is a shock. Maybe their paintings are bold and they look quiet or their paintings are gentle and they look hard. This always amazes me. I want everyone to paint something, anything, so we can see their soul. It is why I teach, this interest in people.

Friends say it best,
"Most days Nancy's studio buzzes with activity-paint tubes, easels, palettes and budding artists of all ages spill into every corner of the room. In the midst of all this activity, the door is likely to open to admit a fellow artist or a student seeking advice on a troublesome art project, or information on art materials or shows, or (I suspect) just to smell the paint and freshly brewed coffee.

Nancy moves through the seeming confusion with great good humor and endless patience. She manages to give her attention to everyone seeking help. I remember from my days as Nancy's student how much I learned from her, but most of all I remember the fellowship and the fun and the laughter which rang from her studio." ~ Miriam Vermilya, Pulitzer Prize Nominee

Winter will find me painting in Florida around Cork Screw Swamp, the Keys, or out in a boat with my family. My son is the shuttle Captain between Ft. Meyers and Key West, and he has taught me to scuba dive. One can learn much about color from the ocean and the fish. I now live in a flat-roofed house FLW style with deep overhang, it beats the '53 Chevy Coup all to heck.

I've also learned a lot painting plein air with New England painters, one thing is how to keep my easel from blowing into the ocean. Water has been an inspiration for many of my paintings. A three story house facing the ocean was the sight of my Rockport Workshop once again this summer. I am a member of the North Shore Art Association in Gloucester, Massachusetts, one of the oldest continuing art groups in America. I was fortunate to work for Mr. Turabin, a chemist and owner of the East Coast Wholesale. We ground pigments and learned the natural sources of the raw materials. He taught me appreciation for the quality of the materials that make our paintings true Fine Art objects.

One's spirit has a great deal to do with how well an artist paints; it changes a painter into an artist.

Being an SKB alumni member for five years has built friendships and created opportunities for me. SKB has given me the determination to make my painting better, stretch myself to reach my goals, and to lay down paint with more authority. And, of course, my resume is better after my 2005 awards - my ribbons and winning painting hang proudly in my studio. Wyoming was such an inspiration and there was an overwhelming feeling of fellowship. What a pleasure to return to the West, playing cowboy and riding horses, reliving some of the memories of the land that was part of my childhood. The instructors have a giving and hard working attitude, truly wanting SKB artists to succeed - and I will get Wyoming aerial perspective next year.

Creating fluid brushstrokes on the painting surface is a quality appreciated when achieved. A warm glow depicts subjects and places that are stimulating emotionally as well as visually. Painting is my medium of conversation, a way of connecting the human visual experience. Painting is not a skill learned and then put away, but a growing experience that continues throughout life. The act of painting is as important as the finished product. A painting hanging on the wall only captures the essence of a moment in time. We love impressionist paintings because they reveal a time period, a window to a great moment. My challenge is to share with you my moment.

"A culture is as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamt by artists."

During a plein air 'paint-out' this past October with the Montana Painter's Alliance (our statewide plein air group), we gathered at St. Mary's Lake in Glacier National Park. Now those of you who know the east side of Glacier also know of the wind. Residents there consider it a mild day when the gusts only reach 45 mph! Windsurfers and flying squirrels love it!

After arriving a day early, myself and fellow MPA'er Janet Sullivan from Missoula, MT., found a nearly sheltered location close to the outlet of St. Mary's to start our first pieces. We carefully chose this area as there were plenty of 40 to 50 pound boulders with which we could weight down our easels.

Back to the Top

Always drink upstream from the herd.

I mean here it is, the eve of the deadline for my next installment and I'm facing a blank sheet of paper. The damn thing has been staring back at me, laughing maniacally for nearly a month. Every so often I wander by and toss it a casual glimpse and each time I walk off leaving a brilliantly white sheet of nothingness.

Sorry to tell you but it is our bane, the albatross around our neck, one of those quirks that haunts all beings locked in the world of creativity. All of us, whether we like to admit it or not, are plagued with three unsightly vices: a) we're workaholics, b) we are the worlds most accomplished procrastinators, and c) we do a phenomenal job of losing time.

Let's look at yesterday, a typical, irritating day that is gone and will never return.

I woke up fairly early ready to attack the world, brimming with great ambitions and a schedule that was going to pack everything humanly possible into my waking hours.

First, I wanted to exercise. I pulled out all the necessary workout clothing and started to don the apparel. Oops, forgot the socks. So, a quick trip to the laundry room to fetch a pair. But wait, what was that glass doing by the computer? Wasn't that the one I left there last night when I last attempted this project? Better put it in the sink. But as I got into the kitchen I was reminded that I had to dole out my daily vitamins for the next two weeks. As I tossed out the one empty bottle I realized the trash had to be emptied, so, another detour to the garage. Hmmm, what was I going to do again?

As you can guess, by the time I was back on track, my schedule was blasted to smithereens. My lofty goal of playing with clay and sculpting didn't get started until almost nine that evening. It took a while but I got into the zone, and everything sort of went away. I was in Nirvana. That was until my husband dragged himself down the stairs at two-thirty in the morning and reminded me that I had to wake up early today.

Well, you can guess, all day long my bottom has been dragging and productivity suffered again.

If it sounds all too familiar, despair not! And before you go running at breakneck speed to the nearest tall bridge to take a leap into eternity let me console you with two facts: 1) you're not alone, and 2) there is something we can do about it.

Let's look at my day a bit closer. My numerous detours are nothing more than procrastination in its most subtle form. You might think that it is lack of focus, but think back to my evening. Five hours of intense sculpting until the wee hours of the morning is proof positive that I have the ability to focus. It also shows that I am being a workaholic. Hey weren't those two of those yucky things I mentioned earlier?

Why, you ask, do we put things off and then work until times of the day that we should be snoozing in bed? Anxiety? Fear? Self-doubt? Those detours and ridiculous late night ventures are methods that we sabotage our success. After all, isn't it better to say that we are working on something rather than face the fact that our talents aren't of the caliber we hoped?

It's a nightmare that every artist, writer, sculptor, or creative creature shares, no matter what state of success we happen to be experiencing. Whether we are universally known or our families are our only fan clubs, we tend to beat ourselves up with worry and concern that the piece we are working on is just not up to industry standards.

Enter the third demon… frittering away time. We will defend our actions till the sun passes out over the horizon, and argue till the veins on our foreheads are the size of small tree trunks, but the truth is quite simply that all the detours, the myriad of things that had to be done, were nothing more than subconscious acts to keep us away from our creative projects and their ultimate date with public scrutiny.

So what do we do? Just go on and chuckle and present ourselves with a reality that we're artists and that's what artists do? You can if you wish. I mean it's worked up to this time… sorta.

Or, you can do away with these cursed habits. Right now, and forever. "Yeah, right" you grumble, "It's just that simple isn't it?" Actually, it is.

First, become aware of the disappearance of your time. Find out where it goes. Keep a small journal with you and write a little snippet about each thing you do, and the time it devoured. Do it for several days, maybe a week. Then grab a nice cup of coffee, tea or whatever and answer Judy Collins' question. "Who knows where the time goes." Once you see how you're wasting it, it should be relatively easy to whittle away dead spots, those non-directional activities that disable our progress.

As far as the procrastination, the cure is downright silly. Action. That's it, ladies and gentlemen. Action is the immediate and permanent cure. Not just any action, but focused, forward moving, action. As you start one of those little side ventures ask yourself if that is going to help accomplish what you really want to do that day. If it isn't, then let that blankety-blank glass stay there until later. You can take care of it during clean-up time. I promise it will still be there.

How about that workaholic stuff? Isn't that really a good thing? Not on your life. It is overuse of our time until we block the creative flows that serve us so well when everything is going well. I'm not telling you not to work. On the contrary! Enjoy it. Get involved. Experience that zone that makes everything else disappear.

But do it for a specified period of time. Don't let it become all consuming. Come back later, fresh and eager, and enjoy the ecstacy of it for another limited term. When you stop you'll be satisfied, energized and able to handle anything else without becoming a hissing monster who snarls at all who dare invade your "Art Time".

Remember, this is fun, or at least it should be. We are able to do what we really love. As others drag themselves into ditches filled with stagnant water, or cater to a perpetually angry public, or even change bedpans that would make most of us gag, we are the lucky ones! We get to create! It's really something to be very thankful for. And one more thing... that tends to go with the workaholic aspect of things. Every week set aside time. And do nothing. Don't become guilt ridden because time is wasting. Just enjoy the art of doing nothing. It's heavenly in manageable doses.

Finally, and surely not least in the equation, save time for your family.

This is a short account of my trip to Mongolia in April and May of 2005 during which I participated in a Mongolian argali study sponsored by the Earthwatch Institute and then traveled to one of three locations that is home to reintroduced wild takhi horses.

The Argali study is located in the Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve, Dornogobi Aimag (county), and is organized and supervised by Dr. Richard Reading, the Director of Conservation Biology of the Denver Zoological Foundation. I was one of eight Earthwatch volunteers who helped with a variety of research tasks focused on learning enough about argali sheep ecology to develop a long-term management plan for the species. We learned the basics of tracking animals with radio telemetry, how to navigate and mark important locations with a GPS, record continuous direct behavioral observations, and also a straight line method of doing an argali population survey. This involved teams of two or three walking four kilometers in a straight line regardless of terrain, and noting the location with a compass bearing of any of the target species spotted with the unaided eye. Binoculars were used for confirmation and to check numbers, gender, and age class. Since the ground had many rocky outcroppings, rock clambering skills came in handy too. We only went around if it was really, absolutely impossible to go over.

The reserve, which is about a four-hour drive south of the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar (UB), protects 108,080 acres of rock outcrops. The research site is in a valley with a spring that local herders use to water their cattle, horses, flocks of sheep, and cashmere goats. We were treated to an almost daily parade of livestock, including, on the first day, six bactrian camels! The scientists, staff, and volunteers sleep, dine, work, and hang out in traditional Mongolian gers (or, in Russian, yurts). These are very comfortable and perfectly adapted for the extreme climate, where temperatures range from -40F in winter to 80F in the short two month summer. We were there in the spring, which brings strong winds and temperatures between the high 50sF and low 30sF.

Argali sheep (Ovis ammon) prefer cold, arid grasslands, steppe covered valleys, and rocky outcroppings. A ram can weigh over 400 pounds and carry heavy spiraling horns more than 64 inches in length. Preliminary data indicates that the basic social unit is a ewe and her lamb. Lambs are born in late April and early May, and the rams and ewes form temporary mixed groups ranging from three or four up to a herds of over 100 animals. I saw groups of up to eighteen sheep at a time, but four to eight seemed more common. The argali population is known to be declining and a major purpose of the study is to understand the reasons why. Predation by domestic dogs appears to be a factor, along with poaching and competition for forage by domestic livestock. There are approximately 600 argali and 10,000 livestock animals in the study area.

One memorable day included a visit to a herder’s ger and a genuine Mongolian BBQ (the so-called ones in this country are a Chinese marketing gimmick). That morning, I did the 4km argali survey with Dr. Reading, and on the way back to camp he pointed to a layer of white on the horizon and said it was an oncoming dust storm. By the time we arrived back in camp, white dust was swirling. As the rest of the team was resting in our ger, which doubled as the dining room, the white visible through the clear panels in the top of the ger turned orange and, as though a switch had been flipped, the ger went dark. Peeking out through the door, we saw that the whole world had gone orange amid howling winds. Then the Mongolian staff came through the door with salads, vegetables, and a whole roast goat in a metal container. The BBQ was on! As the cooks cut up the meat and heaped it onto platters, the hot rocks which helped cook it were passed around for good health in the traditional manner. After all had eaten their fill, each nationality took turns singing songs, an Earthwatch argali team tradition. There were Mongolians, Americans, and one Englishman. After three rounds, the wind and dust had died down and the party was over. The next morning, when I asked Dr Reading how he would rate the dust storm on a scale of one to five, he gave it a three, noting that a five would have meant sand instead of dust and hurricane force winds.

I spent the final two days of the project on my own doing behavioral observations and immersing myself in the environment of the northern Gobi as preparation for the paintings I plan to do. I photographed many argali and document their habitat. Other species I saw and/or photographed included ibex, Mongolian gazelle, red fox, golden eagle, cinereous vulture, and black-eared kite.

After the end of the project, I went out for a short expedition to Hustai National Park, about 100km southwest of Ulaanbataar. Boojum Expeditions of Bozeman, Montana, handled the arrangements and provided and excellent guide and driver. Once again, my accommodation was a ger, this time at the tourist camp adjacent to the park headquarters. I saw many takhi, including a young foal, maral or red deer (similar to American elk), bobek marmots, and a variety of birds.

The takhi is the only surviving species of wild horse – equids like American mustangs and the Chincoteague ponies are domestic horses gone feral. The Mongolians call them takhi, which means “spirit,” but the scientific name is Equus ferus przewalskii, Przewalski’s Horse, named after Colonel Nikolai Przewalski. Between 1897 and 1902, four expeditions captured quite a few foals, fifty-three of which survived the journey to the west. The last confirmed sighting of a wild takhi was in 1969 of a stallion in the Dzungarian Gobi area. Many of the descendants of the captured animals live today in zoos and on private reserves. I have seen and sketched the group that lives at the Tiergarten in Berlin, which was the impetus for me to see takhi in their natural habitat in Mongolia.

The current total population of approximately 1200 animals is descended from only thirteen horses, so intensive genetic tracking has been required to avoid health problems associated with inbreeding. Organizations in a number of countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and France are dedicated to their survival, breeding, and reintroduction. The International Takhi Group was established in 1999 to reintroduce the horses in accordance with IUCN (The World Conservation Union) guidelines. Bringing the takhi back to their historic home in Mongolia began in 1992. It means a lot to the Mongolians to have the horses back in their country, so they are generally highly supportive of efforts to conserve their habitat.

I had a special opportunity to visit a nomad herder’s ger and was treated to soft goat cheese and delicious salted butter tea. The photograph I had taken with the father is one of my most treasured images from this trip. (see above)

Mongolia has a long history as a place where art and craft are practiced and valued. I visited the Mongolian National Modern Art Gallery and was impressed by the quality and variety of the work on display. Small, nicely done original watercolor paintings of Mongolian landscapes and other subjects are available at very reasonable prices in most gift and souvenir shops. Leather and felt are used to make a variety of products for visitors, including miniature gers. Some of the best cashmere in the world comes from Mongolia, although most of it is currently processed into finished goods in China. However, Gobi Cashmere in Ulaanbataar makes a variety of sweaters, scarves, gloves, blankets and other goods out of cashmere, camel, and yak wool. I couldn’t resist bringing home a soft, feather light cashmere scarf and a yak wool blanket.

I found Mongolia a fascinating and worthwhile destination for a nature artist. Plein-air painters can find compelling landscapes with amazing light. The land and animals are unique and the people are friendly and interesting. I’m already looking forward to my next journey to the “Land of Blue Skies.”

Since teaching “PhotoShop for Artists” classes up at the SKB Artist Workshop in Dubois for the past two summers, I have been asked by my local artists here in Colorado Springs if I would teach a beginning class in PhotoShop to them. So in October I gave my first PhotoShop class here with fifteen students attending, and a waiting list for my next class. I found in teaching PhotoShop that there are a lot more PC computer people than there are Mac people and some of the commands are a little different on a PC than they are on a Mac, so I am having to learn how to use a PC.

I have found in teaching beginning PhotoShop that it has refreshed my memory in some of the basic things in PhotoShop that I have either neglected to do or have never done, three simple things that can save you great heartache...

1. Make a copy of an image to work from. Never use the original image. That way if you mess up you can always go back and make a new copy.

2. Save your new-copied image with a different name as soon as you have copied it, so you don’t later overwrite your original by mistake, and so if for some reason your computer or program freezes up you have it saved somewhere.

3. SAVE OFTEN!! I can’t stress this enough. It is so easy to get so involved in what you are doing that a couple of hours can pass by before you know it. Then all of a sudden your computer freezes and there is nothing you can do to save all that work on which you’ve just spent so much time. All you can do is scream, “Noooooooooooo!!!!” and re-boot your computer and start all over again. So that is why I stress to SAVE and SAVE often... every five or ten minutes... it’s just a couple of key strokes. At least if you have saved the changes that you have been working on every so often, when your computer freezes up you have only lost what you have done up to your last save. I know because it has happened to me too many times. It’s easy to forget.
Good picture taking and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Being clear and consistent when pricing your art gives you credibility as an artist. Just as consumers expect clear consistent pricing when shopping for milk at the grocery story or for a new refrigerator at Fred's Appliance Palace, they also expect that when shopping for art. Price structures that are difficult to understand or explain or are problematic in other ways do not engender confidence in buyers and do not encourage sales.

A clear consistent price structure means that every work of art you create is assigned a dollar value that relates to the dollar values of all other art that you create. In other words, all art is priced according to the same basic principles, determined by you and/or those who best know your art, so that the price of any individual work of art makes sense within the context of the rest. Pricing rules and guidelines are based on unique characteristics of your art in combination with outside art market forces. If you have little or no experience selling and/or pricing your art, please read "Price Your Art Realistically" before continuing. (see Alan's link below)

A main goal of sensible art pricing is that similar works of art have similar selling prices. You, the artist, decide what those similarities are based on criteria you choose. Those criteria become the measures by which you assess and ultimately price your art. Remember at all stages in this process that those criteria should be explainable to anyone with questions about your art, especially potential buyers.

A good first step in determining your criteria is to select one or more works of art that you consider typical of your current output and that display an average range of your skills. These would be pieces that you consider neither exceptional nor inferior in any way. If you work in more than one medium or style, select at least one piece that is representative of each.

Describe these works, in writing and in detail, in terms of basic physical characteristics as well as in terms of variables unique to your art. Basic physical characteristics include size, subject matter, color, complexity, weight, detail, cost of materials, time necessary to create, and so on. Variables unique to your art might include the number of dogs in the composition, theme, texture, frequency of use of the color orange, direction of the brush strokes, date produced, or degree of abstraction.

Avoid using subjective criteria to describe your art such as what it means to you, what its message is, how it makes you feel, and so on. Subjective qualities are important from intellectual and/or emotional standpoints, but not necessarily in terms of pricing as they can vary widely from one viewer to the next. No one, however, can dispute a work of art's size or subject matter. If, over time, you find that some of your art imparts similar feelings or messages to wide audiences, you may eventually be able to quantify those feelings or messages as price points.

Once you've completed your written descriptions, your next task is to set a base price for your chosen typical work or works of art. A good analogy to a base price in the art world is a base price in the car world, or the price of a car with no extras (this may sound crass, but it's how the overwhelming majority of art gets priced). A basic car model with no extras costs a certain dollar amount; models with "extras" cost more. How much more depends on the amount and quality of their extras.

Artists with gallery experience and consistent sales histories should already have base prices that typical works of their art regularly sell for. If you don't have a track record of sales, your base price should approximate what artists in your locale with comparable experience and sales records charge for similar works of art. Keep in mind that even though your art is unique, experienced art people like dealers, advanced collectors, consultants and agents make price comparisons from artist to artist all the time. Being able to evaluate your art from a detached standpoint by comparing it to that of other artists in your area is necessary in order for your price structure to make sense in the marketplace.

Once you've set your base price, use it as the norm to price the rest of your art in relation to that base, in terms of "extras" or lack thereof. "Extras," according to your descriptive criteria, are those characteristics that make certain works of art more significant, in your judgment, than others. If, for example, your typical work of art measures 20 by 30 inches and you base-price it at $1000, and you consider one measuring 40 by 50 inches to be more significant, you might price it at $3000. Similarly, you might price one measuring 8 by 12 inches at $400 because you consider it to be less significant, all else being equal. "Extras" that indicate price increases beyond the base are characteristics like more complex compositions, larger sizes, more intricate details, higher levels of technical difficulty, greater production times, and more expensive materials.

If certain works of art hold special meaning for you or represent critical moments in your life or career, but are not drastically different from your other art in terms of physical criteria, best procedure is to keep them off the market because the tendency is to overprice them. Isolated extreme prices may not make sense to viewers, and can even skew an artist's entire price structure in an unrealistic direction. If you can make a case to the art world as to why isolated works of art should be priced well beyond similar looking pieces, and the art world agrees with you, then fine. If not, save emotion- or attachment-based pricing for when you become famous and have greater latitude in how you present your art to the public.

As previously mentioned, your price structure should make sense to people who have questions about your art, such as why this piece costs more or that one costs less. Be able to explain how and why you set your base price, and how and why you set other prices higher or lower in relation to that base. Having a price structure that people who know art can understand is essential in order to move art from your studio to for-sale settings and ultimately to private or institutional buyers.

Once you've set your selling prices, don't change them without a reason. Any deviation in price, particularly in the upward direction, has to be justified. In other words, don't raise or lower your prices just because you feel like it. People generally shy away from art that costs a certain amount one week and a different amount the next; they prefer constancy in art prices.

And now for a few hypotheticals:

Suppose your price structure turns out to be too high-- people who like your art enough to ask how much it costs aren't buying. This means that you have to lower your prices, but by how much? Re-pricing somewhat below what comparable art by artists in your area sells for is a good starting point, but rather than arbitrarily cut prices either across the board or on a piece-by-piece basis, conduct an informal survey first.

Ask those most interested in your art how much they think it should sell for. Whenever you get the chance, also ask dealers, experienced collectors, consultants, fellow artists, and agents what they think. Put together as much of a consensus opinion as possible, and then reduce prices accordingly. Your goal is to generate sales with the new lower structure, so make sure reductions are in line with or even slightly greater than consensus opinion. You want to avoid having to reduce prices again, but you don't want to make your art so inexpensive that people won't take it seriously.

Suppose your art becomes popular with the public and sales are brisk. When demand reaches a point where a good percentage of your art, at least a third, sells within several months of its appearance on the market, think about raising your prices. A price increase is also in order when demand for your art regularly outstrips demand for art by your contemporaries.

As you become better and better known, a brand name, so to speak, your art begins to merit premium pricing, or pricing beyond that of your contemporaries. Exactly how much that premium is depends on the significance of your accomplishments (shows, awards, news coverage, etc.) and the constant or, better yet, expanding interest in your art. Depending on how well known you get, continue to price according to what "the competition" charges, but who that competition is will likely evolve from local artists to regional artists, and possibly even to national or international artists. As you advance in your career, always be aware of what circle of artists you are perceived as belonging to and how much they charge for their art.

Suppose that with the passage of time or as tastes in art change, that one type of your art finds favor with collectors while demand for your other art remains modest. Raise the prices of this in-demand art above that of your other art, and price earlier examples higher than those you're currently making. For example, if collectors come to like your abstracts much more than your landscapes, raise prices on all past, present and future abstracts, with prices for your earliest abstracts (those in the styles that receive the most attention) being raised the most.

Raising prices for the earliest examples of your most desirable art is somewhat similar to pricing antiques and collectibles-- the first edition of a famous book costs more than later editions, early Barbie dolls cost more those produced today, and so on. The significance of your "first" or "earliest" art only becomes apparent as you progress in your career. You have no idea how the public will respond to different styles of art when you first create or show them or what their legacy might one day be, but as that legacy becomes clear, price increases are in order.

Continuing with this line of reasoning, suppose, from a historical standpoint, a particular type of your art becomes significant beyond you as an artist-- in other words, as part of a movement or school of art. For example, let's say you painted large abstracts in the late 1950's. Prices for these abstracts will have to be raised, not necessarily according to how your own career has played out, but rather according to how abstract paintings from the late 1950's have been embraced by collectors. Prices for these abstracts may far outstrip prices for all other art you've created, regardless of the significance that you personally place on those abstracts, just because you painted them in a particular style at a particular point in time.

"I've been chased by Elephants, Lions, Leopards and Grizzlies and this was one of the most heart-stopping moments "says John.

On an assignment to paint the Landmarks of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. for a one-man show, John accidentally got in the eye of Hurricane "Wilma."

The show called "Seerey-Lester Paints the Town Red" was scheduled to take place at Native Visions Gallery, Ft. Lauderdale on Friday, October 28, 2005. John was to paint en plein air interesting and historic sites around the town in his own inimitable way.

Aware that the hurricane was approaching, the gallery owner made an executive decision to try and go ahead with the show. So John and his wife, fellow artist, Suzie, packed up their gear and headed for the east coast of Florida.

He got in one full day of painting before the hurricane struck at about 9am the next day. The Seerey-Lesters were on the seventh floor of a hotel in Pompano Beach when "Wilma" struck.

As they looked out from their panoramic view from the 7th floor, they could see the roof lifting and blowing away from part of their hotel. Patio windows were exploding and blowing into the bedrooms in the building opposite. As their building shook and water poured in, John painted feverishly what he could see through the window and what was happening on the streets below. There was no power so he painted by a head flash light. At one point he ventured to the entrance of the underground car park and set up to paint there, but very soon it got too windy and he had to retreat. "I'm always amazed at John's passion for painting in the most adverse of conditions" says Suzie.

As the eye of hurricane Wilma went over there was a moment of calm before the wind changed direction and came straight at them from the south. The windows vibrated and debris was flying everywhere as John carried on trying to capture what he could see before closing the drapes for safety.

"We could feel the building shake and hear things hitting the windows. "I've been chased by elephants, lions, leopards and grizzlies and this was one of the most heart-stopping moments" says John.

"The sound was deafening", says Suzie. "We expected our windows to blow in any minute. But miraculously the room wasn't breached."

After Wilma had gone thru they went out and investigated the damage. Huge trees had been downed everywhere. "It looked like a war zone" says John.

"One of the buildings I'd painted the previous day had been destroyed and big old trees had been blown into the structure. There was nothing left of what I had painted. We couldn't even get to the other sites I'd painted because of fallen trees and downed power lines."

John was inspired to do some more paintings and sketches of the aftermath before returning to the west coast of Florida.

     “What an experience! The town and the museum are beautiful. The event itself, three days of art receptions, lectures, dinners, and backyard BBQ's, combined the elegance and professionalism of a high class museum show with the sense of community and hospitality one might expect from a family reunion. It was a real privilege to meet artists from so many walks of life and from all over the world, including Scotland, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands. I made many friends, and greatly enjoyed being surrounded by such exceptional artists and artwork.

     It was a real treat to be able to talk politics with Robert and Birgit Bateman, Carl Brenders, and Kent Ulberg, to stay up late at the hotel bar with fellow SKBers Stephen Left and Ann Wernicke (among others) and to impress (or horrify) my friends with my Karaoke rendition of Frank Sinatra's "My Way." Those of you who know me are well aware that I'm no shrinking violet. It was also a real privilege to bring one of my best collectors as my guest for the weekend and really get to know him as a friend. It was a memorable time for us both.”

   SKB Teens enjoy Glacier National Park, June 2005.

SKB Teen Program Moves to Dubois,WY

     We are very excited to have our Teen Art Experience Workshop moving to Dubois next year, June 10-17. Putting our new mentor/mentee program into gear, ten teens, with an adult artist mentor will participate the last two days in our annual SKB adult workshop. This will give the teens about 100 artists to meet. The teen workshop classes will consist of color theory, composition, anatomy and technique. The students will be working in oil, watercolor, pastel and sculpture. The head instructors will be Wanda Mumm and Mark Kelso. The main objective for the workshop will be to create a cooperative and positive atmosphere in which an artist can gain skills and a strong foundation for their future artistic goals.

     Our new workshop facility will be on a working ranch in Dubois, with accommodations in western bunk houses. The students will do a work detail on the ranch as part of their program. This is a college accredited workshop where the students who are recommended must apply for a student grant.

     This program of mentorship is unique to the teen art world and is supported through the SKB Foundation. The students will pay a tuition fee (which will cover food, lodging and instruction) of $200.00, a deposit of $100 will be needed when the student is accepted. College credit is an additional fee paid to the college granting the credit. SKB grants cover the additional costs associated with the workshop expenses.

     Students need to be a minimum of 16 years of age and recommended to the program by an artist or teacher to be considered for the workshop. Please feel free to recommend young artists for this special program.

     Interested art students need to contact: Wanda Mumm 1748 Interlachen Bay, Woodbury, Mn 55125 , montana2@comcast.net 651-739-0741 or SKB Workshop Director Pam Cable POB 235 Lake George, CO 80827 ravensable@aol.com 719-748-7778 to be added to the list of interested students. Information and entry forms will be available soon for the Wyoming Teen Art Experience Workshop .

Thanks to all of you who volunteered to be mentors. If your haven't signed on to this wonderful new program and want to participate please contact Wanda or Pam.

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This was my demonstration of Motif #1 for my workshop class. "This is claimed to be the most painted and photographed building in the U.S".
HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO PAINT IN NEW ENGLAND? This workshop, rich in history, including the legendary Hammond Castle (photo right), is available to SKBers in July 2006, dates to be announced for this great seaside adventure. Nancy has been painting and teaching at Cape Ann for 28 years. Contact her at 937-548-1764. Nancy was recently named Regional Editor for Plein Air Magazine.

Nancy's website: www.nancyfoureman.hssites.com
Contact Nancy Foureman at rfoureman@skyenet.net

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Jeanne MacKenzie does a plein air quick draw among the Colorado Aspens.
Come join me in Tuscany and Florence, Italy!
Or Telluride, Carmel, Sedona…
Be a part of a fun and informative oil (or pastel) plein air workshop where we visit great locations. Learn to really paint on location ‘en plein air’.
For all levels but plein air may be challenging for the new beginner.

Questions or for a 2006 brochure call 970-224-9690.
Email: jeanne@jeannemackenzie.com
Web site: www.jeannemackenzie.com

Saint Louis, MO – March 27-30 www.vermeeracademy.com
Oklahoma City – April 24-27 www.jeannemackenzie.com
Tuscany/Florence – May 24 – June 3 www.ilchiostro.com
Telluride, CO – June 21-24 www.ahhaa.org
Carmel, CA – September 11-14 www.jeannemackenzie.com
Ashville, NC – October 2-6 $515 www.willowwispfarmstudios.com
Sedona, AZ – October 30-November 3 $550 www.sedonaartscenter.com

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Western Treasures SKB Horse Adventure Art Workshop planned for Aug 2006.
Ever dream what it would be like to be on a real wetern aventure? Combine this with learning new ways to improve your passion for art. Sleep under clear open skies with a million stars, the soothing sound of water rolling over rocks serenading you to sleep. Then wake to the smell of coffee brewing, bacon frying and some of the most picturesque sunrises Wyoming has to offer. Experience the West's quiet beauty from the back of a horse or sitting in an authentic wagon rolling along at four miles an hour. Thus giving you the chance to smell the wild outdoors and contemplate how you would paint the breathtaking snowcapped Wind River Mountains staring at you as you roll along a dirt road. Life's everyday stresses will soon seem as distant as city lights.
Twenty-five of you have already signed up. Contact Julie Jeppsen at julie@juliejeppsenart.com for more information.

By far the most ambitious project SKB will sponsor in 2006 is Blossom ~ Art of Flowers. The deadline for submission and an opportunity to win $25,000 or one of several other generous awards is Sep 30, 2006. The premiere at the Houston Museum of Natural Science is Mar 14, 2007. The exhibition will go on a national museum tour when it leaves Houston. Requests for the prospectus are exceeding expectations even at this early juncture and I have already received submissions. I hope you will participate in the biggest floral art event in recent history. We are very excited to have confirmed eight nationally renowned jurors. You can print out the prospectus on-line at www.susankblackfoundation.org/blossomap.htm.