Professional Textile Artists
Wagstail
writes:
>The scarves are 100% wool (soft, non-itchy merino) and
>have two design lines: one group is an interpretation of symbols from the
>Tarot, the other uses quotes from women intellectuals, and goddess
>imagery.
But I forgot to mention the price. $50, wholesale.
Marian Crane
About my interest in textiles and fiber art: my doctor tells me it's genetic.
My maternal great-grandmother was a champion quilter. Her daughter was a
leather tooler and seamstress for a boot company in Midland, Texas. My mother
was an expert tailor and needlepoint worker. Oddly enough, the fiber gene
skipped my sister entirely, who thinks a Singer sewing machine makes a dandy
doorstop. The disease didn't manifest in me until ten years ago, when I
started sewing costumes for the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (My
mother refused to do more than basic costuming, saying that if I wanted
blackwork on my chemises I was bloody well gonna sew it myself!)
Ten years later, I've left the SCA and started to focus on blending historical
techniques with fantasy themes. My tapestries are usually a combination of
needlepoint and/or split-stitch panels joined with pieced silk and linen
borders, beadwork, card-woven ribbons, and whatever neat odds -n- ends
I can find. They range in size from only a few inches square to a yard or two
wide...but my cramped apartment space limits the size of my work. Describing
them is difficult: an artist guest of honor at a local science fiction
convention said "they seem to shimmer". I try to make each part of a
tapestry have something to draw the eye -- not a bit of truly "dead" space.
My themes range from images inspired by fantasy and SF books, to ancient
mythological themes, to fractal mathematics and chaos theory. My only rules
for creativity are:
1. No hot glue guns, only sewing.
2. No plastic beads or sequins, only glass, metal, shell, wood,
pearls, or stone.
3. No excuses or shortcuts: if something's going to take two
years to finish, so be it.
I always try to remember the story of the Argentine gaucho who wanted to weave
the most beautiful poncho in the world, and wear it in time for a festival.
But as the festival drew near, he began to rush the weaving. It became
sloppier. When it was finished it was the worst-looking poncho in the world
-- made all the more ridiculous by the band of absolutely perfect weaving at
the bottom, where the gaucho had begun.
Part of my beef with so much modern art and craft is the lack of dedicated
craftsmanship and skill. (As if what the gaucho did was not only expedient,
but ACCEPTIBLE as art!) I was raised with an almost-European reverence for
skill, and hope to combine that in my work with imagination. While I
consider myself at the journeyman level of my craft, I do have a number of
awards already racked up from local and national SF & F convention shows. My
tapestries have been appraised at $400 and up, but -- alas -- I can only sell
the small ones for $75 -- $150 locally in Phoenix.
I'm always interested in networking for sources and materials -- and I do make
trades on neat items that I find at cost. More than that, I'm interested in
trading stories about artworks -- people's favorite art, art that galvanized
them into learning a new craft, art that made a difference in their lives.
Hope this hasn't been too much like a college prof's introductory sermon.
-- Marian Crane
Wagstail
writes:
"I'm always interested in networking for sources and materials -- and I do
make
trades on neat items that I find at cost. More than that, I'm interested
in
trading stories about artworks -- people's favorite art, art that
galvanized
them into learning a new craft, art that made a difference in their
lives."
I think your tapestries sound fascinating! And I absolutely agree about
standards of quality. But how do we explain that to the customer?
Sometimes, I feel like I have to create my own audience. People don't
always realize what shoddy material their lives are filled with. Because
acceptable standards are set by mass-production, many people don't
understand why craftsmanship cost so much. Add to that the problem of
competing with foreign imports (especially for me, in the textile trade)
and the artist faces a real challenge to making a living.
How do you justify the cost of quality?
DJC poland
writes:
>about how to justify the prices of craft works
Oh boy, don't get me started! My favorite way to deal with this is
to do craft shows that require that every artist demonstrate what he/she
does. My favorite is the Mountain State Arts and Crafts Fair at Ripley,
WV every July 4 week because not only do all the craftspeople demonstrate,
but they have an apprenticeship program. Folks who think they would like
to learn a craft sign up to help the craftsman in the booth while getting
a hands-on introduction to the work. Nothing like trying it yourself to
develop a respect for the work. And next to that, nothing like seeing it
done. It really has helped a lot in West Virginia. But I still heard a
story about a potter who digs her own clay and concocts her glazes from
materials she gathers, being told "So you're telling me it cost you
nothing to make this. Then how can you dare charge so much!"
And while we're on the subject, but somewhat off of the newsgroup's
subject, craft shows have been saying in their applications "No beadwork."
I assume that's because they don't want folks buying beads and stringing
them and calling it art, and they don't want imports, and they don't know
where to draw the line between simple stringing and some of The New
Beadwork that obviously IS art. So maybe we should help them. Any
comments? You can e-mail me, if it's too far off the newsgroup. Donna
DJC poland
writes:
>even nicer than getting rent money
.....unless you don't have the rent money from another source. DJC
Liana Kiff
Because
> acceptable standards are set by mass-production, many people don't
> understand why craftsmanship cost so much. Add to that the problem of
> competing with foreign imports (especially for me, in the textile trade)
> and the artist faces a real challenge to making a living.
>
> How do you justify the cost of quality?
It takes a while - or a lot of legwork (usually both) but eventually you
CAN find the market for what you're producing, and they won't bat an eye at
the "cost of quality". I've posted this before, but you can really do well
producing custom work for people that fit in this category. Not only do
they appreciate quality, and are able to pay for it, they also enjoy the
prestige that comes from owning custom-designed originals.
I had it easy becuase I live in a large metropolitan area. My market here
is pretty large, and (because I do have another source for rent money) I
have been able to sit back and wait for them to find me. If I ever choose
to make it a full-time job, I'll have to do more marketing, but I already
know my niche and have the right connections.
As a textile artist, I made a decision early on that I didn't want to do
"craft fair" selling. I don't have the patience to build up the body of
work you need to carry with you, and the risk of not being able to sell
what you've made is too great when you need to depend on the income. I was
also afraid that I would not find the market I needed at fairs, and I think
I was right. At this point, I have centered on a product/market that I
could never sell to at a fair - well not at my prices. :-)
Oh - just in case there's still someone out there who hasn't read one of my
posts before, I make custom tassels and passemeneterie (among other things)
for interior designers.
--
Liana Kiff | That's Honeywell's SIG,
Honeywell | this is mine . . . .and
Minneapolis, Minnesota | so is everything I say.
Wagstail
wanted to share the results.
The American Craft Council is probably the best resource for information
about retailing, shows, and craft information. By becoming a member, you
get access to their specialized library. With a phone call, you can have a
listing of all craft fairs in a state, or all the galleries that carry a
specific craft. You can receive free guides, including: "Locating Craft
Suppliers," "Business of Craft," and "Schools Offering Education in
Crafts." The library keeps a database available of members, including
artists and retailers.
Members also receive "American Craft" magazine, and various discounts that
are more or less beneficial, depending on where you live.
All the above information pertains to the $40 membership level. Their
"Professional level" is $50, and adds a bunch of benefits. The most
important, I think: Access to a Merchant Card program that allows you to
accept customer's credit cards (usually you have to have a retail space
before you can do that). The other great benefit is group health,
property, and casualty insurance.
I am planning to join for these benefits, you might like to learn more
about the American Craft Council yourself by calling 212 274 0630.
Marian Crane
You can't justify quality to your customers. That takes having a famous name,
lots of lovely glossy ads in Ornament and other magazines, famous patrons,
and customers who know silk from sow's ears. Since most artisans cannot make
their markets, they must refine their window in the market...until they reach
the people they want to reach.
I gave up worrying about that dilemma long ago. I've found that if I'm true
to my craft, my audience will find me. Nine out of ten people will look at a
beaded silk tapestry and yawn, or accuse me of buying it at the local Cost
Plus. The tenth person goes white, chokes for a bit at the price, looks at the
piece for half an hour, and then buys the damn thing after declaring that he
or she cannot live without it. And ya know -- that kind of thing is even
nicer than getting rent money <g>!
-- Marian Crane