Sat, Apr 4, 5:41 PM CDT

Digital Portfolios

Mar 28, 2003 at 12:00 am by MonkeyLek

In my last column, I wrote about presentation of art work. Now I am writing about how does a digital artist present their work for jurying. We, as artists, have little control over how our work is submitted to shows. Hopefully in the future we can change that. Most galleries want slides of the image. These are not always easy to get nor do they represent the piece as well as would a digital file. I even know of a service that keeps digital files of its members's work for potential clients. However, one must submit a slide of the work, which will then be scanned in so it will be available on line. They will not accept a digital file. In essence it becomes an online gallery. The traditional online gallery is another source for the artist to showcase their work. One basic tenet I believe in is KIS - Keep it simple - (I left out the other "s" intentionally). This is only my opinion. If too many things are competing with a graphic that you want others to look at, be it music, animations, etc., the audience will not be focused on the image. Also, if it takes too long for the image to appear on the screen, people will just quit. It is hard now to judge the latter since high speed connections are so prevalent. I still use a 28.8 as my target knowing it will almost never be used. If I am comfortable with the quality of the image and its download time, I know no one should have problems with it - Famous last words! I have been criticized that some of my full images, not thumbnails, are too small to show all the detail. I keep the largest pixel dimension about 450 pixels. If and when most people have higher speed connection, I might modify this a little. Since I sell my prints, this, also, protects me to some degree from piracy since the images are small and would not reproduce well as a print. Recently at a meeting of an art group (non-digital), a few members discussed little books that they claim are the "in thing" for presentations to galleries and potential shows. I have not seen nor heard about them other than from this group. I am very lazy about submitting my work for shows and contests. I prefer to spend my time creating art work and writing. Not very practical, I know. Anyway, these are little decorative books which are bound in some fashion and contain slides, or I guess small samples of the art work. Remember, I have not seen one. It was also stated that the better the outside looks, the more chance it will be perused and the artist's work accepted. Recently, I began to work in multimedia using the digital print as the substrate. I tried unsuccessfully to scan it to show the multimedia effects, but they would not show up, and I knew they would not be evident in a slide. So I did not submit my work to an international show that was looking for new types of work. Anyway, these are some of my experiences. Since I assume some of you submit work to art galleries or just digital galleries on the web or in magazines, contests, etc., please give your opinion on this topic. I'd like to invite anyone who happens to be near Tulsa, Oklahoma, to a three person art show that I will be a part of starting April 6th and continuing until April 30th. The opening is on April 6th from 2-4 PM. I will be showing my digital fine art that centers around the new techniques I have been using combining acrylics, texturizing media, digital pigments and inks on various substrates including handmade paper. The other two people work in hot glass and I have been told their work is very exciting. The show takes place at WaterWorks Art Studio which is at 1710 Charles Page Blvd, Tulsa, OK 74127. If you have any questions, you can contact them at: (918) 596-2440 or me by e-mail, paula@paulajane.com.
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  • The Paula Sanders Report is a regular Renderosity Front Page featured column, where Paula investigates and comments on graphic software, techniques, and other relevant material through her reviews, tutorials, and general articles.
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