A Thought for Sunday, September 7, 2014

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul." ---
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

2 Rules Fine Art Now Carries My Original Art Pendants and Mini-Collages!

I'm very pleased to announce my Original Art Pendants and mini collage paintings are now available through 2 Rules Fine Art in Marietta, Georgia!

2 Rules is a beautiful contemporary gallery offering an extraordinary selection of two dimensional art as well as sculpture, handmade jewelry, pottery and many other artisan-created items. (Not to be missed: owner Helen Rule's magnificent chainmaille jewelry and delightful origami birds!)

The gallery is located in Marietta's historic district, just north of the Square, at 85 Church Street. 2 Rules is known for offering art of exceptional quality in a welcoming environment. It's so exciting to have my work featured here! With its gleaming wood floors, clean white walls and open, spacious feel, 2 Rules offers you a comfortable, pleasant experience from the moment you walk through the door.

 

Elegant chainmaille pendants created by Helen Rule

Until now my pendants and mini collage paintings have been available only through my Etsy shop, playingwithcolors. They will continue to be offered through Etsy, but if you would like to actually see, hold and -- in the case of the pendants -- try them on, I urge you to pay 2 Rules a visit. 2 Rules is now offering a large number of pieces in the pendant collection, ranging in size from 1x1 inch to bold statement pieces measuring 1 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches. Pictured below are just a few of my creations you'll find at 2Rules:

My own hand painted art papers and intriguing foreign "found" papers form the colorful design on this piece. A luxurious black silk necklace cord (not pictured) with lobster clasp and two-inch extender chain is included.                              © Lynn Edwards

This pendant was created using stamps I designed myself. After stamping onto the paper, I then hand embellished the design with different colors of permanent artist's inks. The pendant is suspended on a silky black necklace cord  (not pictured) with lobster clasp and two-inch extender chain.    © Lynn Edwards

One of several mini-collage paintings now available at 2Rules. Displayed on its own wooden easel (included) it brightens a desk, shelf or tabletop using only a few inches of space. A mini-collage painting makes the perfect gift for that "person who has everything!"          © Lynn Edwards

All of my pendants and mini-collage paintings are created exclusively by me in my North Georgia studio. Each one is a completely original, one of a kind work of art that will never, ever be duplicated or reproduced. I invite you to go by 2 Rules and check them out. Browse all the beautiful items you'll find in the gallery. It's a feast for the senses, and a great place to discover artful finds you won't see anywhere else.

Visit 2 Rules on Facebook: www.facebook.com/2rulesfineart
Visit 2 Rules' web site: www.2rulesfineart.com

Text and images ©2014 Lynn Edwards

Studio Tour a Success!

Guests try on handwoven scarves and purses

The studio tour was great! We had perfect weather, lots of guests and made many new friends as well as reconnected with those we haven't seen in a long time. One of the most unexpected and delightful surprises for me was having my very first art instructor and a mutual friend, neither of whom I had seen in several years, walk through the door. Talk about a happy reunion! They had driven many miles to get there and I could scarcely believe my eyes when I saw them. It really made my day.

Guests making their selection from original works

Colorful art and fashions filled the halls

Dinah answers questions during a spinning demo

Now that the tour is over with, I've gathered a few tips other artists may find helpful in planning similar events. First, I strongly suggest you accept credit cards. It's easy if you have a smart phone with a data plan. By signing up with Square you can accept credit cards without having to establish an expensive merchant account. By accepting credit cards our sales more than doubled.

One word of caution, though: Square's device comes with woefully inadequate instructions so it helps to have someone who's familiar with it show you the ropes beforehand. Or go online for pointers on how to use it. It's easy once you figure it out, but when a buyer's standing there waiting (thank you, Mary, for being so patient!) it's high anxiety time if you're having difficulties using it. I believe Intuit offers a similar device. Maybe theirs comes with better instructions.

What sold best? We found smaller, affordable items sold more readily than big, expensive pieces. No surprise there. Typical of the season, most of our guests were shopping for holiday gifts although a number of original paintings were acquired for buyers' own homes. Jewelry was very popular, as were handwoven fashion accessories and fine art prints. Combined, our sales enabled us to raise a sizeable donation for the Cobb County Humane Society.

For refreshments, we kept things simple. We served goo-free shortbread cookies and ginger snaps, pretzels, and candy along with non-alcoholic apple cider and bottled water. The paper cups, napkins and paper plates were yellow and orange to reflect the season, and we used a simple fall leaf garland to decorate the refreshment table, which was covered with a yellow tablecloth. Everyone served themselves and cleanup afterwards was minimal. I was surprised how little there was to clean up, considering the amount of traffic we had coming through all day.

To draw attention to our location Karen had created signage that was placed along the street in front of the building. We also had professionally printed banners next to the parking lot entrance, and balloons tied to the handrail outside the front door. Dinah and Betty filled two planters at the entry with pots of bright yellow mums to draw further attention. So the atmosphere was festive both inside and outside. Municipal regulations required us to be mindful of the size and placement of our signs, so we were careful to comply as well as to remove them promptly when the event was over.

Since we were one of 13 studios participating in the tour, we cross-promoted the others by printing up a list of all the participating artists and their locations as a handout for guests. We also checked on the locations of nearby ATM machines so we could direct people to them if need be.

Holding an open studio is a lot of work and takes a lot of preparation. We worked really hard to prepare the space, hang the art, tag it, purchase refreshments, and a hundred other tasks in advance of welcoming our guests. Preparing for it was exhausting, but the day itself was great fun and wonderfully gratifying. A heartfelt thank you to all those who attended, and to my fellow artists who worked so hard to make the day so successful!