Points in The Sky.
New release. Photographed in the Canadian Rockies in Yoho National Park British Columbia. This fine art photograph can be purchased here.
The Canadian Rockies
10 Things I've Learned About Running A Gallery That Will Help Any Artist Get Accepted, Sell More Art & Be Successful
Some of you might know, others might not that I opened a gallery in Downtown Winnipeg last year. We started as a pop-up and have moved to more permanent location. Things have been going well and it has been a great experience.
Being on both sides as an artist who is in galleries and now a gallery owner that sells other artist's works (as well as my own), I thought I would share my tips on how to get your art in gallery and quite frankly sell it.
10. Have Your Work Visible. I need to see your work before we can accept it. All artists should have an online portfolio of some kind. It doesn't have to be much, but, again I need to see your work first.
9. Make An Appointment. When our gallery is open we're are busy helping customers and of course selling artwork. A simple email is all I generally need to set aside some time to talk about an artist's works.
8. Promote Yourself. Keep in mind when a gallery represents any artist they are entering into a business partnership with said artist. Personally, I want to see an artist who is active getting their work out there.
7. It's Not Personal. Unfortunately, rejections are just a part of the game. Galleries have to look at the saleability of an artist's work as well as the quality of it. Sometimes, the work is just not the right fit for the gallery itself, but their is probably other galleries where it is.
6. Don't Give Up. Keep trying. Personally, I think I have been rejected so many times I have lost count, but I succeed because I am willing to fail. On a personal, note please don't spam people.
5. Attitude Counts. A positive attitude will get you places. Don't get me wrong, your work should be really good, but artists who are easy to deal with tend to go further then artist's who are not.
4. Follow Submission Guidelines. This is pretty straight forward, but it is so surprising how many artists actually fail to follow submission guidelines (over 60% in my experience!).
3. Do What It Takes. Being an artist is ridiculously hard at the best of times. Be willing to go further and push yourself harder than everybody else. Doing that will get people's attention and will eventually bring success.
2. Be Persistent. Never be afraid to follow up on a submission. We get so many emails it is easy for one to be misplaced. A friendly email following up is a good idea. It also shows the gallery owner you are serious.
1. Be a Professional. If the plan is to become a professional artist and/or advance your career, act the part.
Like anything the key is sheer and utter determination, that is the path to success.
I welcome your comments and questions below.
Ancient Forest
Ancient trees petrified in stone.
Petrified forest National park in New Mexico. This landscape photograph shows the effect of ancient trees preserved in stone.
New Location, New Gallery, New Art
On January 2nd, we moved locations from Graham Avenue in Downtown Winnipeg to City Place (also in downtown Winnipeg). I always wanted a space that not only could I sell my own work, one that I could help promote local artists. Give them their start, so to say.
So this has come to reality in a short period of time. I am proud to say that everything in the new Gallery is made right here in Manitoba. Actually within 20 miles of Winnipeg. The art for sale and design goods represent a movement to quality home grown talent and shopping responsibly.
The City Place we now occupy is massive, and it allows us to do things that just were not possible at the previous location. We will be holding workshops, artist demonstrations and so much more exciting art related activities in the near future. Our art events will be posted here shortly.
I look forward to seeing you here.
Sun Set Over San Jacinto
The sun sets over the San Jacinto mountains in California
The San Jacinto mountains border the edge of Joshua Tree National Park. This landscape photograph was taken late in the day exposing on the mountain peaks in the orange sky.
High Mountain Lakes
North Cascades National Park, Washington, USA.
Twisting and turning through the roads of North Cascades National Park
in Washington, you are surrounded by jagged mountains, trees and rock formations. When you least expect it you turn a corner and find yourself in this large opening with bright emerald waters that sparkle and dance under the sun.
Call For Submission: Robert Lowdon Gallery
Robert Lowdon Gallery is currently accepting submissions from local Manitoba Artists. We are looking for artists and artisans that create unique artistic items with a focus on handmade, eco-friendly and locally produced goods. This can include: craft, visual arts, design, and home decor items.
How to apply:
· Use the contact tab at the top of the page or email robert[a]robertlowdon.com with APPLICATION is subject line.
· Include a link to your current work or inventory.
· A short bio in the email and a description of your work.
Terms:
· Exhibiting artists/craftspeople/vendors etc. are responsible for delivering a product of high quality .
· We are a commercial gallery, and all pieces are provided with the intention to be sold
· Work sold in our space is subject to a 30% commission. The artist/artisan will be responsible for setting their own prices.
· We reserve the right to reject items should they not be a right fit.
Deadline is ongoing, on an as needed basis.
How To Rejuvenate A City Through Art: Part One
Downtown Winnipeg
The Problem
The Downtown has been suffering for the last couple of decades. With the rise of suburbia, citizens flocked away from the downtown core. Strip malls popped up, chains thrived, we all chased "the dream" while our cities rotted from the inside. Crime increased, jobs were lost, and cities suffered under urban sprawl.
The problem is when cities spread outward, the costs to maintain them skyrocket. New roads need to be built, sewers and waterlines are erected, and power run for new homes. Traffic gets out of control because we all have to travel long distances to work. Taxes increase as a result, cost of living skyrockets. There is a tendency to avoid the downtown due to all these reasons and more.
When we moved away from the downtown, businesses suffered and shuttered their doors. We lost a lot of good paying jobs for our citizens leading to poverty. With poverty, crime rates increased, keeping even more of our population away from our downtown cores. With a lack people about, crime grows further. The lack of people / witnesses in the area is crimes best friend (he is not a very nice dude). It is striking how many of our societal issues stem specifically from poverty.
Our buildings fell into disrepair, our citizens no longer felt safe and the downtown core began to rot from the inside. Until recently, things started to change.
The New Story Line
Cities started to invest in their downtown again. Development of housing was increased, because people wanted to start living in the downtown again. When we lived in the area, we started to care about the neighborhood again. We talked to our neighbour's and built new communities we were proud of. As a result, new local businesses started to sprout up to serve the new downtown population and slowly with a lot of work, our downtown became safe again and that pride in our community was something to behold.
What Is This Art You Speak Of
Now how to did we get to this new utopia, where our downtown was thriving and our population wanted to once again live downtown? We invested in the arts.
I think when most view investment in the arts they generally see it as a painting on the wall or some outlandish avant-garde self-expressionistic whatever-the-hell. We need to think more of art in the general term, or on the macro level. Try to think of art as less than something pretty and more as human expression - emotion, and everything great inside that. So we will start with just a few examples (yeah right) and expand on the ideas.
Urban Design
Great urban design makes cities more walk-able. It provides places for us to play (like parks). The best designed cities function well for their inhabitants. It makes you simply want to exist in the space.
Architecture
Well-designed buildings that function well and add to their environment are the basis of any city. Great architecture is stunning while bad architecture is a matter of taste.
Festivals / Entertainment
As human beings, we are based on emotion. It defines our total being. Entertainment soothes and challenges us. We laugh, sometimes cry, it expands our thinking and brings fun into our lives.
Music
I do not think there is a person alive that does not enjoy music in some form or another. It is a part of the human condition.
Food
We rave about great food. It is so much a part of the human experience that we require it to live. A great chef is an artisan mixing flavours presenting a work of art to be consumed.
Dance
We all dance, whether it is flailing about like some kind of mad orangutan (this guy right here) or a little more structured.
Sport
A lot may argue that sport is not an art form, yet it has all the trappings of so many art forms it cannot be ignored. Drama, physicality, moments of great triumph and crushing defeats. There is hardly any reason not to call sport an art form.
Theatre
Live performance, plays and yes even Hollywood movies fall into theatre. How many movies did we watch last year? I do not know, would be my answer, a lot.
Visual Arts
Painting, photography, mixed media, and on and on and on again. Visual arts stir emotion in the viewer.
Craft
Craft, in my eyes, represents anything made by human beings. Well-crafted items are so heavily entrenched in our humanity that they are pretty much a part of us. I count 15 items that I am presently wearing, and that is just right now. Granted it is cold in here, and that varies from day to day.
These are just a few examples of art, or perhaps humanity. I think the proper term for art is as such. As human beings, we tend to want to classify everything, and put them into tiny boxes. The problem is it just does not work that way.
That is All Fine and Good but How Does This Make Any Difference
See the thing is when we invested in arts in our downtown our population wanted to start being around it. We liked living in well-built neighbourhoods that were safe. We liked taking our children to festivals. We enjoyed our Sunday strolls for coffee and walking our dogs in our parks. We liked getting to know the person who made what we owned, and we thought it was kind of cool to see their kids grow. We took pride in building things with our hands. We were proud to show our community and help out our neighbours because we knew a great community is only as good as the sum of all of its parts.
How Art Has Helped Other Communities
New York
In the 1980s, New York was out of control. A skyrocketing murder rate, crime rampant in the streets, the city was covered in garbage, literally...
End of Part1
Part 2 will be posted shortly
Reflecting on Yosemite
Yosemite National Park
Reflections cast across the lake in Yosemite National Park.
The Symphony Of Bryce Canyon
Bryce Canyon shortly after sun set.
Bryce Canyon is probably one of the most amazing images you could ever see. Located in Southern Utah, the canyon is a sea of colours. This photograph captures the amazing beauty of the region.
(Winnipeg) RBC Convention Centre - Kitchen Photos
I always enjoy working for the WCC (as I call them). They recently approached me for some fun commercial editorial photos of their sales team. The RBC Convention Centre, of course, has a massive commercial kitchen, capable of feeding thousands of people.
Below is what transpired:
Transformative Art Show Opens December 1st
Robert Lowdon Gallery is proud to announce the opening of Adelle Rewart's inaugural art show: Transformative.
Please join us on December 1st for the art show opening of Transformative.
Adelle Rewerts is a Winnipeg based painter, colour lover and modern hippie. She grew up captivated by the vast swatches of the prairie landscape - from blankets of fresh white snow to crimson sunsets enveloped by indigo nights. In her 20's she traded in the prairie vista for the excitement of Toronto, with its shiny lights and grey cement. When her life unravelled she turned to painting, where she once again found her solace surrounded by colour.
In her series, Transformative, she uses colour and shape to share her coming-of-age struggle with identity as she evolves from a self-minded twenty-something into a wife and mother.
Nuts to black Friday, let's have a Green Friday Sale.
The Forests of the North West
I am committed to planting more trees and protecting the ones we have. That's why we now plant a tree with every purchase at our gallery or online purchase.
To sweeten the deal I am also giving 20% of our online store and 2 for 1 small prints (in store only). Enter code GREENFRIDAY in our online photography store. The sale ends Monday so the time to act is now.
We have also partnered with Living Edge Handcrafted Furnishings. Who source all of their wood responsibly using reclaimed trees and wood destined for landfills. You can check out their amazing furniture here.
They say it is the responsibility of each of us to leave this world a little better then we got it.
The Best Photography Editing Software Right Now
Using nature's true colours are often your best photo editing tools
As a professional photographer having a good command of photo editing software is essential. In the days of film the photographer would often send the completed shoot off to the lab and that was it. Now with the advent of digital photography post processing has become an essential component to any shoot. I could and still do argue that the better a photographer is in camera, the better the final result, but this article is not about that.
Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is still the king when it comes to photo editing. Adobe consisting does a great job with "upping" their "photo editing skills. The amount that can be done in photoshop is down right amazing. From simple processes, to complex steps with hundreds of actions, photoshop is a powerful tool that should not be ignored.
I strongly encourage all photographers and amateurs alike to get comfortable creating their own actions. This tool is powerful and literally will save you hours if not days in your workflows.
Adobe Photoshop CC, or creative cloud, is the latest version. Because the product is now delivered electronically there is a steady stream of updates and new technologies.
Adobe Bridge
Unless you work in the photographic industry, you are probably not familiar with Adobe Bridge. Bridge is a raw file editor and photo management tool. As a professional photographer you will usually dump your files into bridge and then take them to photoshop from there. I generally spend more time in Bridge these days than I do in photoshop. My photography work has evolved to a place where I am more focused on the reality of the scene or circumstance than I am of a hyper edited finished photo. What better than reality I say?
Capture One
Capture One by Phase One is a probably completely unknown if you don't work in the industry. If you shoot medium format digital cameras it is your standard. Capture One is basically Phase One's version of lightroom. It is a great Raw processor that can give phenomenal results to the commercial photographer. The only problem is that for some reason I find it very temperamental with my landscape photography work. Sometimes I get great results other times, not so much...
Capture One is famed for it's life-like skin tones, and this is true. I notice a better gradation and even colours in skin when using the program.
Adobe Lightroom
Ah, lightroom. You either love this program or not so much. I tend to lean a little to the right on Lightroom, it's a great program but it generally does not suit my needs. I think it is more so just a matter of style. I was trained on bridge, and I really like it. I also tend to go against the grain in life and in my photography work. For instance, I prefer PCs over Macs, I use Nikon over Canon, I don't like taking cell phone pictures, and quite time in nature makes me whole, compared to being a social butterfly.
Now Lightroom is a great program, though, and it is very useful and I still do use it on regular occasion. The tethering capabilities of lightroom, in my opinion, are best in class. It's mostly the importing / exporting requirement that I tend to despise. If that was archived (or thrown away) I would probably use lightroom every day.
Honourable Mentions:
Here we have some programs and online resources that make editing fun and easy. They are better suited to the photo enthusiast, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking pictures for fun. I reiterate, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH TAKING PHOTOS FOR FUN.
Instagram took over the world with their photo filters. It has influenced the whole industry and is worth a look if you just want to get something out there.
Gimp
Gimp is a free open source photo editing program. If you are an enthusiast it is worth a look.
Photoshop Elements
This is an extremely light version of photoshop for mobile devices. It is worth a look if most of your photos come from a mobile device.
Check out some additional photo editing software right here.
Have anything to add? Am I completely wrong or right on point? Leave a comment below.
Sun Rise At Black Canyon of The Gunnison
Black Canyon of the Gunneson
The sun begins to rise over Black Canyon of the Gunneson National Park. To say it was cold on this day is an understatement. Minus 30 with a strong wind, it was absolutely frigid. Although the ice crystal in the air of this landscape photograph taken in Colorado definitely add to the effect.
New Mexico.
Frost rolls across the New Mexican Desert.
The southern desert of New Mexico is an interesting place. The state itself is one of the poorest in the United States, yet the land is stunning. This landscape photograph shows the harsh beauty of New Mexico in January. The frost on the flat land and the lone rock formation create a juxtaposition much like beauty and poverty. They just don't seem to fit together.
MTS & Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Recently, I have made more of a commitment to share more of the photographic work I do. When you are so busy it can be difficult to take time and write up what went on. So needless to say, I have a lot to post on this "photo journal" coming up. Well, actually like 4 years worth.
MTS has been a great client of mine for several years. We originally started working together back in 2013 when they were looking for original Manitoba images to feature in their stores. In addition I photograph their events.
Recently they were out in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. MTS promotes a culture of giving in their organization, and it is very nice to see. The staff is always energized for these events, and the positive energy can be felt all through the room. Here are a couple shots of what when on.
The Best Photo Quote, Ever.
"The fact is that relatively few photographers ever master their medium. Instead they allow the medium to master them and go on an endless squirrel cage chase from new lens to new paper to new developer to new gadget, never staying with one piece of equipment long enough to learn its full capacities, becoming lost in a maze of technical information that is of little or no use since they don't know what to do with it."
There is really nothing one could add to this. Photography comes from your brain. A great photograph is not a result of our gear.
Son Of a Birch.
Birch trees in full colour near Dugald, Manitoba. As trees grow they often go unnoticed. Something that starts about the size of your hand grows up to be a giant. Then passes that along. We all grow up, either reaching to the sky as a birch tree or falling to the ground as a seed.
#exploremb #justgoshoot #photooftheday #abstract #instagood #explorecanada #nature #tree #fall #art #photography #follow #lonelyplanet #exploretocreate #friday #nikonnofilter #beautiful #picoftheday #landscape #nature
Carlsbad Caverns.
Formed from sulfuric acid, the caves are 490 feet from the surface. It’s a pretty long hike down and a very difficult one back up with 50 pounds of gear on your back. (there is an elevator - when working)
Carlsbad Caverns, NM
January 16, 2016
#instagoodmyphoto #justgoshoot #exploretocreate #peoplescreatives #visualsoflife #passionpassport #theoutbound #worldtravelbook #flashesofdelight #photo #pic #art #beautiful #instagood #picoftheday #photooftheday #photograph #lonelyplanet (at Carlsbad, New Mexico)