Spraygraphic's 2nd Annual B-Sides Vinyl Art Show

Coming up this Saturday from 7-9pm will be the second time around for a vinyl art show at Hoodlums. I've submitted this Miles Davis along with a Lou Reed and Michael Stipe. Chuck from Spraygraphic is a great guy and curates a good show, while Steve of Hoodlums does his part to help our local culture. Pieces come in from all over the world and the local participants will probably drift through at some point. The boutique record store has a stage in the back for live music as well.

My wife and I will hopefully be able to be there, at least until our bedtime.

Peace.

Show And Tell

http://thegoodfoot.com/gallery/exhibit/43/daniel-edlen

This past weekend, Vinyl Killers 7 was open and is now online. My 5 pieces are still available and can be bought online.

The show looked HUGE! Every year it keeps getting bigger. This year, Jason used my Tom Waits from last year for the poster. Very cool.

The nice thing about these group shows is the new audience that gets exposed to the concept. Recently it's become apparent how helpful taking advantage of every opportunity for exposure can be, online and off. Profiles with online galleries I created long ago have brought new customers while the new video has done the same.

All it takes is one person at a time. I've said that before, but it deserves to be mentioned again. I really don't pay much attention to the ups and downs of the numbers of people following me on various sites. That doesn't have any impact on my business. I sell work to one person at a time. Heck if someone sees my work online somewhere, gets the concept, and moves on, that's great! If they bookmark it, share it, or contact me, even better. But I don't expect people to follow all that I do. That'd take, well, as much time as I take doing it!

So I show you what I do, as I do it, and tell you about what's going on that's relevant. If you get hooked, cool! If you say to yourself, "Hey that's neat!" and think about it months later when figuring out a birthday present, awesome! If you go, "Wow!" and then tell all your friends right then, beautiful!

That's how the ripples spread, and that's how that one person connects. That's how I get to do what I do, that I love SO much. So thank you for what you do that helps. You, one person.

Peace.

Beginning With The End In Mind

Herbie Hancock, on my favorite single, "Rock It", will be the 5th piece for this year's Vinyl Killers show at The Goodfoot in Portland, Oregon. Since Jason used my Tom Waits for the poster, I wanted my pieces to be really good this year. The others are the Thom Yorke, Frank Zappa, Jay-Z and Michael Jackson I painted recently. I like the black on the label on these.

I really like how my paintings are turning out these days. Not that I didn't like them before, but they seem to be better. To me anyway.

I do basically start each piece with the end in mind. I mean, I have the image already. In a broad sense I am simply replicating the original photograph. I'm not insecure about that fact anymore, as I've recognized the value I add, I put into the piece, but it is true. All I really try to do is make the painting look like the photo.

It's all dots and dabs of white paint. That's all it is. I look at where the white is in the photograph and put it on the record. I'm not even really thinking about the fact that it's a face while I'm painting. Then, in the end, voila! It's kind of fun to see it develop, which you can do here.

My painting can be a metaphor for Life, if you like that sort of metaphysical philosophical thing. Which I do. In Life, if you have a dream, a goal, a picture in your head of how something will look when you get to where you want, you have a much better chance of getting there. Sounds kind of obvious when you think about it. People don't get what they want usually because they don't know what they want!

This has been on my mind a lot with the course I'm on, so I'll ask the question again, "What do you really want?"

I'm asking you.

Peace.

Sell Hard

Am I revealing too much? Am I dealing too much?
Am I revealing my dealings too much?
Three a day I must get paid, if supporting my family
with my art someday. So I sell hard.

Quite awhile back one told me I should
write like I paint, with music that is good
playing behind, driving my mind.
Letting it flow down my spine. So I sell hard.

Trivial pursuits in pursuit of being known,
man if it were that easy, to get shown. Alone
sitting in front of the box, taking hard knocks,
but persisting for little Abbey. So I sell hard.

Yep, the little one on the way, can't wait for
the day. She'll turn my life upside down, more-
over make it whole. But I gotta stay in control
of it to make a go of it. So I sell hard.

But do I hard sell?

Peace.

ON CONSIGNMENT - 08/25/09

Business Matters

Back in April of '07, Shelley at Wild About Music gave me a chance.

That chance has allowed me to do what I do today.

WAM had a location in Santa Monica, CA across the street from where my mom regularly eats breakfast. She'd been on the lookout for places that might be interested in my Vinyl Art. See I'd sold them only through word of mouth locally to people either my wife or my mother-in-law knew. The goal was to be able to pay my own health insurance for a year. If I could do that, then I'd be able to keep going.

I needed a more steady source of sales in order to follow my passion. Wild About Music was a perfect fit for my work. SXSW was coming up in Austin, so Shelley, after looking at a packet of inkjet prints of photos of my early work, decided to show several during the craziness in Texas. The Led Zeppelin Page and Plant and the Stevie Ray Vaughan I sent sold before the festival even started.

Since then, both the Zeppelin and the SRV pieces have done consistently well. B.B. King, Willie Nelson and others have sold occasionally. But thanks to the sales from WAM, I was able to pay my health insurance.

As the economy tanked, art sales predictably have dropped. Fortunately, my online presence has kept me afloat with sales here and there and now has led to more opportunities for wider and more focussed exposure.

But Shelley's still there, with a couple pieces of mine in the front window and a bunch more hanging on the wall as you go downstairs from the merch section to the gallery section. Last month the SRV sold again.

So I'm doing something special, for Shelley and hopefully for my art. I'm sending her the double portrait above. It'll be marked at $325, less than what 2 separate pieces would be, even though my costs, all told, are higher. I want to draw attention to her store, my art, and as a result our precious memories and culture. So go if you're in the neighborhood. Because business matters.

Peace.

ON CONSIGNMENT - 07/22/09

Up Front

Shelley has my work up front in the window at Wild About Music on 6th in Austin, TX. Very cool. Hendrix sold last month so I get to replace it with another piece on consignment.

She's been wonderful to work with from the start. The start is, after all, the important part in a relationship with a gallery, or really between any two parties.

Getting the issues squared away upfront sets up the guidelines and framework for the entire relationship, the whole tone. WAM's contract is stellar, and they even added a couple clauses on my request that clarified some additional points. I felt trusted. Even though they have an online presence, they don't yet sell my work online, but Shelley certainly wants to ensure that neither of us is undercutting the other. We even went through a price increase on her end successfully.

Now, I had the opposite happen with another gallery. I should've known, again, from the start as I was treated with suspicion and my integrity questioned based upon that gallery's experience with other artists. Among other things, they didn't want my last name to be associated with my work, and they wanted me to ultimately stop promoting myself online.

After some back and forth communication, we did initially arrive at an agreement and they signed the first contract they'd ever signed with an artist. Yep, they'd never made contracts before. I modelled the agreement after mine with WAM. So I was protected, if not insulated from their distrust. Eventually we ended our relationship as they couldn't understand me or look beyond their own hangups.

It's that communication that enables understanding. Yes, the structure of the relationship between artist and gallery, musician and record label, creator and distributor is changing, but if the issues are addressed at the outset, then both parties feel comfortable enough to readdress those issues and to consider new issues as they arise. Creatives and middlemen might live on different planets, but if Venusians (women) and Martians (men) can relate successfully, then we can too. Just be upfront.

Peace.

ON CONSIGNMENT - Jimi Hendrix 04/21/09

Front And Center

Even though I'm suffering a might bit of post-holiday lack of motivation, a bad thing for the self-employed, and a persisting upset stomach with accompanying joint aches, I need to keep painting.

I just found out over the weekend that a couple of my pieces, the Page/Plant Led Zeppelin and the ZZ Top, are in the front window of Wild About Music. In the center too! I know because my sister-in-law, the one who's just been visiting for 3 weeks lives near Austin and goes to 6th St. for Saturday night fun.

So I've gotta replace the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Willie Nelson they'd sold last November! Chop chop! A-listening to Rob & Big.

Peace.

SOLD - Stevie Ray Vaughan 01/05/09

Effect Without A Cause

I love what I do! I guess that means I love me too. Cool.

So, I'm back to painting. Yeehaw! This Springsteen is my very first international order, from Italy. Cool.

Next is a GG Allin for a lady who works for the guy who's sending me back my pieces. Sending me back my pieces? Not cool?

Nope, totally cool. Primitive Kool has decided to end our consignment agreement. I don't blame them much. I mean this show didn't sell any and they'd spent a good chunk of change on local promotion. They'd sold several over the past year through online connections and gallery walk-ins, but the economy's woes hit San Diego hard. So even while one of their own employees buys the Joey Ramone from that show and commissions GG Allin, and after Johnny Cash sold before the holidays, I'm getting my paintings back! Cool.

The pieces are all dead rockers, the theme of that show, like Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon... you get the idea. Some of my best paintings too. So they're available direct! With immediate delivery! Coolness.

It all depends on how you look at it. I could remain frustrated about a relationship's end. I'd have cause. But, like in don Miguel Ruiz's "Mastery of Love", forgiveness is really for yourself. I mean, now I get to sell them myself! And my wife was kinda hoping we'd get to keep the Kurt Cobain and Joe Strummer. Very cool pieces.

So, it's nice to take responsibility for my feelings about events. I'm really working on self-confidence, artistically and socially. Over the break, I took big steps for me, connecting on Twitter with a bunch of people I've really come to respect over this past year. My goal is to, like with my art, make meaningful and continuing connections with people passionate about human creativity. I've added a link to your right to come follow me on Twitter. I won't take it personally if you don't. Your attention is yours to give where you choose. Cool, huh?

Kathy Sierra, the author of one of the sources of inspiration over to your right, is one of those people on Twitter who I've had the pleasure of interacting with there. She came up with the idea of looking to understand Life's events by looking only at their effect. Disappear the cause. She got the idea from a YouTube video of some kids skateboarding with the skateboards invisible. Cool.

It's an interesting thought, no? Leads to complete unselfishness. Only your impact remains. Return and reaction fall away. Intent and action are what will matter.

Peace. And Happy New Year.

SOLD - Bruce Springsteen 01/01/09

Get On thegoodfoot.com

I didn't do James Brown like last year, but I did do a bunch for this year's Vinyl Killers show up in Portland, OR. Half sold! Woohoo! Happy Halloween!

The John Lennon on the top row and the three with blue backgrounds on the second are still available at http://thegoodfoot.com/gallery/artist/daniel-edlen/. You can buy them online there.

Jason, the owner of the Goodfoot Pub and curator of this year's show did an amazing job. Below is a picture of just one wall. Mine are kinda in the middle with the blinding reflections.

You can see all the pieces in the show here. There's also a news story here about the show with a couple sentences about my work specifically. Looked like a pretty cool scene. Hopefully I'll be able to go next year!

Peace.

Advancing The Ball

Jason, who's running Vinyl Killers 6, let me know that he'd most likely sold the Miles Davis and Tom Waits I'd sent him. The show doesn't start until the END of October! So he's letting me send more pieces by the Oct. 8th deadline.

I found this Miles Davis image on the cover of "Tutu" and I painted it on a greatest hits compilation. I've also found a reissue of a double album of Tom Waits, so I can do two pieces from that. Apparently, Waits is very popular in Portland, OR.

Hopefully, more will sell and more people will find out about what I do. I keep reaching out myself to let people I think would be interested know about it, but word of mouth is the best. You can explain to people what my work's about with the passion you have for your music.

I'd love to know stories about people's reactions to my pieces. If you have any, let me know! Post'em here as comments if you want!

Peace.

SOLD - Miles Davis 09/30/08

Kurdt Kobain? Kool!

So I was at Rockzone today getting my pieces back and I found this album, "Bleach" reissued. $10. Cool! Kurt is credited with his name misspelt. Does anybody know why?

I'd been waiting to find a Nirvana album. It's not "Nevermind", but then how could I possibly expect to ever find THAT one available? So here's Cobain, a last minute addition to the "dead rocker" show at Primitive Kool tomorrow.

I also found out today that I'll get to participate in a silent auction for the School of Rock at the House of Blues! I'd tried to get my work up in the restaurant/concert hall chain a long time ago with no luck. Maybe this'll open up that door again. And it'll be great to help the School of Rock out even more! I hope I can work something out with them at a national level too. Thinking big.

So, I've gotta frame this one and pack! Have a great weekend.

Peace.

SOLD - Kurt Cobain 09/26/08

The Future Is Unwritten

Here's the last one for my solo show at Primitive Kool this Saturday night. This post's title is on the back of The Clash's "Combat Rock" album I used for this painting of Joe Strummer.

The show is part of Newport Nights that I participated in last year. This show will also showcase the kids from Paul Green's School of Rock franchise in San Diego, CA. Apparently they're getting well known with franchises across the nation!

I just found out today that I get to give the school $25 for each piece of mine I sell at the show! Sweet! So if you're in the area, check it out! Should be a good time and you can support rock music education.

Coincidentally, I also was just asked to take down my pieces from Rockzone Records, the local independent record store that had agreed to help me try to sell my work back last year at the same time as the Newport Nights show. Bummer. Stephen said nobody has ever even asked about the pieces he had on his wall.

So, I'm getting them tomorrow midday. On the off chance that anybody reading this blog is in the Phoenix area and wants to really surprise a guy, go take a look at the pieces and ask Stephen about them and, heck, if you like one, buy it! Support local art!

I certainly didn't know where I'd be today a year ago. I was just so excited people were even interested in seeing my work, let alone buying them as gifts for loved ones. In the in-between-time, Life has thrown our family a curve that painfully reminded us of how uncertain and unknown the future is.

"There's no absolutes in life, only in vodka." - a line from "Homicide: Life on the Streets", my favorite cop show EVER

Peace.

Joe Strummer 09/25/08

Attention Deficit

As I post here day to day, I occasionally forget that most people (including myself, heck) don't read blogs "cover to cover". I try not to repeat myself, but sometimes I need to recap. I've got a few events upcoming in which I'm taking part. I need to remember them too!

Oct. 16th - 12 Inch 4 in Winnipeg, Canada
Oct. 3rd - APW Arts in NYC
Sept. 27th - Primitive Kool Gallery on Ocean Beach in SD, CA (pieces on site still 30% off!)
Sept. 27th - Superstition Springs Golf Club in Mesa, AZ (silent auction)
Sept. 5th - Alabama Blues Project in Tuscaloosa, AL (silent auction)
Sept. 5th - Red Dog Gallery (#70 on map) in downtown Phoenix, AZ (First Fridays)

I think that's it. Your attention is oh-so valuable, so I truly appreciate your spending any time with me.

Peace.

Buy Art Now!

Here's another one for Primitive Kool. It'll be for sale at their "dead rocker" show late September in San Diego, California. They currently have a whole bunch for sale on their website. Paul's been hurting recently, so if you're interested in buying one, check them out. He's offering 30% off until August 31st. Yep, 2 more days! He'll ship'em too.

Peace.

Jim Morrison 08/29/08

Wish List

Keith Moon is another one for the "dead rocker" show at Primitive Kool late in September. He indirectly inspired this list I recently posted. I kinda like lists. They give a cursory picture of taste and background. Early on in this blog I posted more lists because they came to mind then. I wasn't doing the lists, as most do, to start discussions about what should(n't) be on them, but more to let readers know who I am.

Since Jason died, though, I've been kind of a mess. I feel so lucky to have my art to create and my blog to write. Both have been very helpful in keeping my scatteredness in check. I'm so overwhelmed at the continued response I get from my work. And now visitors are getting excited enough to even subscribe to my ramblings. Who I am is becoming refocussed in this universe without my brother-in-law.

With that focus, I pay tribute to my friend Michael who loved making top 10 type lists, and present my list of music I currently want. Pretty straightforward. I haven't had a lot of extra moola to grow my music collection, but bands keep putting it out. Tomorrow comes The Verve's new release. We WILL be buying that. But here're some I know I'd like to own:

Beck's "Modern Guilt"
Wolfmother's self-titled debut
Amy Winehouse's "Frank"
Korn's untitled album
Norah Jones' "Not Too Late"
Springsteen's "The Rising"
Oasis' "Dig Out Your Soul" (coming in October; we'll probably save for it)
Kasabian's new one (when it comes out)

Also, I used to wile away the hours in used records stores listening to CDs and records that simply looked cool or different or that someone had suggested. I know my new friends Barbara and Jeff would have some great ones for me to check out.

So how 'bout it? What would you list as the 5 albums that you've recently discovered (old or new) that you think I oughta give a listen?

Peace.

Keith Moon 08/25/08

Connecting Events

September 27th on OB in SD, CA Primitive Kool Gallery is putting on a "dead rocker" show to celebrate a new school of rock, a la the Jack Black movie. I've got a bunch there from the last show I participated in that are already for sale. Bonzo is the first new one. I'll be doing Keith Moon, Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan as well.

"It's Yours Take It" in Boston looks like it was a great success. My piece made somebody smile. And I will be doing another Steven Tyler probably this week.

I'm loving the comments, so thank you. I also really appreciated the emails about Perez Hilton using my Marley piece in connection with Gwen Stefani's baby's name. The picture's down now because they're not supposed to use the thumbnail image from the photo distributor at all, much less not associated with a post about my art. This happened before, so at least this time it wasn't associated with something offensive. But this means I'm connecting! Pretty cool.

By the way, one of those connections has some pretty cool news too! Talk about exposure!

Peace.

John Bonham 08/25/08

A Break In The Story

I've got this link above so that people who find my site and blog after buying a piece of my art can connect with me.

The only thing I don't like about selling my work on consignment is that I don't get to connect with the buyer. I don't know anything about them or what their plan is with my work. I don't mind, it's just that part of what I really enjoy with selling my work is knowing who wants it and why.

I was doing my state sales tax and realized that I've sold 5 paintings of this image of B.B. King, all through consignment. It's great that people are responding to my work strongly enough in the context of a retail shop to plunk down a chunk of change to take a piece home. Very gratifying. But I would love to know the story behind the purchase.

Maybe someday I'll find out.

Peace.

ON CONSIGNMENT - B.B. King 08/20/08

In Demand!

Well, I went from having no work to do for commission or consignment to having 5 in one day. Wild About Music in Austin sold my B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Led Zeppelin, and Roy Robbins in Pacific Palisades wants 2 Sinatras for my first repeat celebrity client! Woohoo! I'm also doing a few pieces for a show in September at Primitive Kool in San Diego.

Also, the Rage Against The Machine arrived safely fortunately. I'd thought it might have been lost between DHL and the USPS, but apparently because it didn't have very far to go, it got delivered before the tracking info got transfered, so it just never showed up as "delivered". Whew! My faith in delivery hasn't been broken.

I was asked to donate a piece to a local fundraiser for a team that's going to walk in the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. The silent auction is at a golf tournament, so I'm not sure who to paint. Maybe Olivia Newton-John or Carly Simon? Or Melissa Etheridge or Marianne Faithful?

What do you think?

Peace.

SOLD - Frank Sinatra 08/19/08

Consignment Crazy

Willie's going to Wild About Music since they sold the last one I sent. They also sold Zeppelin and ZZ Top! Raw Style sold Dylan and Primitive Kool is putting on a School of Rock show at the end of August. So I've gotta get cracking!

Also coming up is the Waxploitation show. I'm starting to get some visitors who've searched for it. So the poster is ready just in time! Hope they get a good turn out.

Peace.

SOLD - Willie Nelson 06/23/08

How Would You Choose To Choose?

Commission or consignment?

The Elvis Presley I painted was a very successful gift from the Mississippi plantation owner to his son-in-law. Satchmo is for himself. He's going to put it on display somehow at their gift shop!

But this brings up the question I've gotten a lot: "How do we sell more?"

Galleries would tend to say consignment because their clients usually expect to be able walk out with the piece they specifically want. It's quite exclusive to be able to have a gallery owner make a special request of a represented artist as it means the supply isn't limited and prices won't stay as high unless it's a rare occurrence.

Boutique shops might say commission because it saves them on display space and storage, and they don't usually convey to customers that supply is limited to what they see. Also, because they sell mostly gifts, getting to sell custom items is a plus because people like the personal touch.

Each choice, though, has a different impact on the potential purchaser.

Consignment implies that these are all there are and it's up to the artist to choose the subject matter, so it's rare. Yet at the same time it makes it easier for the client to choose if they or someone they know loves the subject matter of one of the currently available pieces. They don't have to think about the subject matter, only who would want it. Also, they can see what they're actually buying. However it excludes potentially passionate people who would go crazy if they could just get the singer _____.

Commission gives them that opportunity and still makes it special because it's just for them, even though supply isn't limited. But it requires the client go on faith that a special order will receive as much attention as one display example and match its quality. It also forces them to think of the best choice of subject matter for their friend _____. Although, people like choice and like feeling included.

This has led me to ask places to have a good selection of pieces on display of suitable favorites and to alert interested patrons that custom pieces are also available. This gives customers enough examples to demonstrate quality and consistency as well as letting them walk out with one if they know someone who loves the usual suspects. It also gives them the opportunity to feel special receiving their own unique creation to enjoy or give away.

I've set up my gallery page the same way.

So, how would you choose to choose?

Peace.

SOLD - Louis Armstrong 06/02/08