The power to pick a niche!
I've got a gallery show!
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When I was invited to join the Buffalo Society of Artists, I suspected I did not have a strong portfolio to submit to the jurying board. Predictably, when I entered what I had I did not get accepted that year. The critique that came back to me was that while the submitted works were good, there was little in them that might distinguish my art from that of others with similar styles. Though the rejection stung, I knew what needed to be done: I needed to find a niche. Since I have always drawn, since childhood, the human figure, and since working people were underrepresented in portraiture, why not make that my niche?
The next consideration was, what media? A close artist friend who was working with Chalk Pastels recommended them. I always loved that media, so my choice came effortlessly. One summer day, I took off for a drive around the city of Buffalo and found several people at work on welding jobs, working on electrical lines, and painting old Victorian homes. I photographed them from various angles and lighting to get the most interesting perspective available under the circumstances. Ideally, I’d always preferred to do my work plein air, but these being working people--i.e., in motion-- it worked better for me to freeze the action and bring the image back to finished product. I have continued to find interesting subjects over the past five years as I continue to explore this inspiring niche. I truly have matured in this area and have met wonderful subjects and artists along the way. |