Thursday, December 17, 2009

Clearing Inventory

With the new year upon us and many new ideas to pursue, I need to find homes for my remaining inventory of paintings and collages. Have a look here and let me know if anything strikes your fancy!

DR


Sunday, December 13, 2009

SpaceBee!

SpaceBee goes live! Friends, now that I have SpaceBee trademarked, I'm working on a number of items that I hope to have ready for the holiday season. First up, I am unveiling 2 limited series paintings based on the piece I submitted to Secret ArtWorks. You have your choice of a neon pink and orange version or a blue/...green/neon pink variant. These are original 5"x7" paintings on canvas boards and are available for $40 unframed or $55 framed. Please email me at atelier.romanos@gmail.com to place an order.



Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Secret ArtWorks 2009 - Sale!

As you know, I recently participated in the Secret ArtWorks charity event to support arts projects around Cincinnati for kids.  2009 was a record year for the ArtWorks foundation, which is awesome news!  Here's a recap of Secret ArtWorks by the numbers:
  • 1474 Secret Works of Art submitted by 536 participating artists
  • 700+ vouchers sold 
  • 900 guests in attendance
  • $50,000 raised for ArtWorks programs!
Now even though they had such great turnout, there are a number of pieces that went unsold, so they've decided to do a special sale on Friday and Saturday 12/18&19 to sell the remaining work.  It's a great deal, $35 for 1 or $60 for 2, so I recommend you check it out.  I know I will!  Details are in the picture below and you can see what pieces are still available here.


Sunday, November 29, 2009

DR interviewed on Strategic Aesthetics


I was recently interviewed by fellow artist and co-worker, Mike Roller, on his blog Strategic Aesthetics. Mike is a talented artist and designer and has been steadily growing his following on his blog through quality content, valid point of view and great writing. The interview was posted today, so feel free to check it out here! Thanks Mike for including me!

DR

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Secret ArtWorks 2009 - Revealed!

Thanks to all that came out to the Secret ArtWorks event last Friday. It was a smashing success, with a record number of participating artists and attendees. Nice to see in this economy that people will still come out to support the arts. I was happy to run into some friends and fellow artists at the event and it's always cool to try to figure out who did what! Though with over 1000 pieces this year, that took some time. Here are a few pictures from the show and of the 3 pieces I submitted.


Me and artist Tom Lohre



"Back to the Future" - collage and acrylic on canvas board



"EWR" acrylic on wood panel



"SpaceBee 16" acrylic and spraypaint on canvas board

Friday, November 6, 2009

Secret ArtWorks 2009


Every year Cincinnati's Artworks foundation does a cool charity event where they invite participating artists to create and anonymously donate small (5"x7") pieces to be sold to benefit Artworks. This year I have subitted 3 pieces, though I cant show you or else it wouldn't be much of a secret! The opening night is on Friday November 20th and the admission is $100 per person, but with each entry you get 1 piece of your choice to take home! I'll be there and hope to see you too! More details on the event can be found here.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

New Piece 10/4/09

I just finished a new piece that I thought I'd post. It's collage and painting (acrylic and spray) on a 48" x 52" wood panel I re-purposed from my office. Many of the artifacts I incorporated into this piece were from my trip to Berlin this summer, which inspired me more than I could have imagined. While you can get a decent impression on the overall appearance of this piece, much of the detail is only really appreciated in person.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Neolaia/Pathos: New.Youth.Passion - Opening Night


I got back from Chicago the other night and thought I'd post some info and pics from the opening of my exhibit in Chicago.

First off, the Museum itself, though small by museum standards, is a wonderful space with an impressive permanent collection and a large amount of rotating gallery space for their many exhibitions. Over 200 people came to the opening in what turned out to be the biggest turnout for an opening night in museum history. There were also a slew of people from various national and international media outlets interviewing the artists and curators. Thanks to the friends that came and a special thanks to Allison Heller from the museum who coordinated an extremely well organized and beautifully displayed event. Thanks also to Mary Antonakos and Diane Kastiaficas for curating the show and of course for selecting me!

I have posted some pics here as well as on the Atelier | Romanos page on Facebook. The show will be up through the first week of January, so I encourage you to go through if you happen to be in Chicago.






DR

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Neolaia / PATHOS: new.youth.passion - Opening Thursday, 09/10/09


I have just returned from a 3 week trip in Greece and Berlin where aside from relaxing with friends and family, I have come back with all sorts of great ideas and ephemera to incorporate into my next round of pieces. That said, my opening at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago is finally upon us, like next week! The show is quite an honor for me to be a part of and I hope as many of you can have a chance to go through the exhibition over the next few months to support the pool of artists. Details about the artists can be found here.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Neolaia/Pathos: new.youth.passion - 9/10/09


Well, I made it in! I had 3 pieces accepted into Chicago's National Hellenic Museum's Neolaia/Pathos: new.youth.passion
show which features the works of emerging Greek-American artists between the ages of 20-40. The opening reception is Thursday, September 10th and the exhibition runs through January 10, 2010.

I am really honored to be included in this exhibit and I hope as many of you as are able to make it to Chicago for the opening can do so! For those wondering, the 3 pieces accepted are:





Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Spring Update


I have not posted in quite some time so I thought I'd better update with what's been going on with me since the last show I did at Red Tree so you wouldn't think I was abducted by aliens or something.

Since mid-February I've been traveling almost weekly. New York, Chicago, Milan, Geneva, Boston, Bentonville, and a few I'm forgetting. While primarily business travel, I've spent as much time as possible trolling galleries and collecting ideas and ephemera for my new work. And catching up on sleep.

I've also recently submitted some work for admission into a really big show in Chicago and I'll find out in early May if I've been accepted. At this point all I can do is cross my fingers and wait. Aside from that, I have been rearranging my current studio and looking for a new space to possibly move to. I need space to work larger and store my inventory.

So, I will be working on new pieces this spring and summer and am also currently planning a private show with a couple of my fellow artists that we'll likely be doing in Cincinnati in late May. I'll post details on that opening when we get it sorted out.

DR

*BTW, the picture above is of an espresso I had in Geneva last month. Mmmm...fuel....

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Red Tree Recap...


This past Friday night I had my opening at the Red Tree Gallery in Oakley (Cincinnati) and it turned out to be a really great venue and a very enjoyable experience. Personally, I had a great turnout of friends, family and supporters of me and my work, so that's always nice, but on top of that, the show was well curated, nicely organized and well promoted.

The space and lighting at the Red Tree showed off the work well in an intimate yet complimentary way while allowing for plenty of space for people to mingle and enjoy the venue. With the exception of the much too loud guitarist, I would have to offer my compliments to Wendy Smith and her team in coordinating and promoting this show of 10+ artists. I hope more people have the time to go take a look at the work as it runs through the first week of March and I look forward to entering work into more of their shows as they move into their new space!

DR

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Art Opening - Red Tree Gallery in Oakley


I had 3 paintings accepted into a group show at the Red Tree Gallery in Oakley, the opening of which is this Friday 2/13/09 from 6-9. This is sort of short notice, but the artists were just notified today, so not much I can do about that! I'll be there from 6-8 and will be happy to see whoever is able to make it out.

DR

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Back on the ball

With the economy being what it is, most of the freetime that I previously used for creating artwork, is now being consumed with work activities and/or drinking. While productive activities in their own way, they are not helping me progress my painting.

I did take a bit of a hiatus after the crazy wave of shows from late 2007 to summer of 2008 where I completed almost 40 pieces in the span of 9 months. I have however resumed sketching, writing and collecting ephemera and thoughts and am ready to get back at it. I am currently submitting work into some upcoming gallery shows and I am looking forward to having the deadlines to keep me focused.

Thanks to all that provided me with so much support through 2008 and I look forward to showing you what inspiration 2009 will bring to my work.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Atelier | Romanos on Facebook


I've recently created a group on Facebook to keep everyone updated on happenings without having to periodically spam people. I dont want to be that guy. If you're on the wonderful world of Facebook, I invite you to visit the group here and join.

Thanks also to everybody that got calendars!

Monday, January 5, 2009

2009 Calendars are finally in!


Well, these are a bit later than I was hoping, but my 2009 calendars are in. These calendars are 8.5" x 5.5" and feature 12 months worth of my artwork from shows in 2008 in Cincinnati, Covington and New York.

I had originally planned to have these ready by early December for sale for $20, but with 2009 under way, I will take orders at $12 each. Email me at atelier.romanos@gmail.com and I will send you one.

DR

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Art Leasing


With the new year come new endeavors. Besides new pieces and shows, this year I will also be starting an art leasing business. There have been a number of occasions when restaurant owners have inquired about my interest in hanging my artwork in their respective establishments, which has led me to coming up with a business model that makes sense for the restaurateur and the artist. Let me explain.

I'm sort of torn on restaurants as art venues to begin with which is why I have thought of this in the first place. The way I see it, artists do their artwork for 2 reasons - 1. Love and 2. Money. Anytime I've shown work at coffee shops, art fairs and galleries I have sold artwork. I have sold the artwork because of 2 reasons - 1. Desirability and 2. Venue. Galleries and art fairs are expected venues yes, but coffee shops also have become to artists what blogs are to aspiring writers, a convenient and easily accessible way to show your work. Great.

Now, on the restaurant front, here's my philosophy. When I go to restaurants, which is like every day pretty much, I am going there to eat. I may be going to socialize and eat. I may be going to enjoy the ambiance and eat. Bottom line, at restaurants, I'm there for the food, not to look at or buy artwork. In fact, when I even notice artwork at a restaurant, I assume it's part of that restaurant's permanent collection. Which then brings me to my philosophy on art sales there and in general.

Ok, when you sell artwork through a gallery, your work is the product they sell. Their business is built on your work, and your art career is largely dependent on their business. They also advertise and display your work. They earn their sales percentage because they offer a service and venue to the artist and in my opinion, galleries should be the only venues that take a premium from your sales.

Now coffee shops are sort of a grey area because a good shop will curate, advertise and invest in doing openings for the artists they accept. Popular coffee shops that gain a reputation among local artists like Sidewinder or Brutopia here in Cincinnati, can be a pretty desirable alternative to a gallery in many ways.

Anyhoo, back to the leasing idea. Since restaurants are not venues where patrons are looking to buy art, there's not much draw for any artist to show there. Especially if the restaurant takes a cut on top of that. In my opinion, the restaurant should be paying the artist to show their work there. The restaurant needs decor, which is the service that the artists provide them. If a restaurateur wishes to display artwork, they should either purchase pieces specifically to cater to their brand image or they could do as they do with linens and plants and use a service. The benefit is that for a flat monthly fee a restaurant can have a defined number of pieces that can be rotated out on a customized schedule. This is easy for the restaurateur to budget and also gives a recurring revenue stream to the artists.

Right now I am creating my pricing strategy and am filling out the portfolio of available work (both mine and that of other artists that I will represent). As I finalize my plan I will post a link to the website which will have details for anyone interested.