In my August blog I mentioned that my open studio group in Ventura had decided to publish a book presenting our art and the intentions behind it. Art: Twenty Ten is ready now and I want to share the process we used to create this inspirational gift. Perhaps you will find clues about how to make one of your dreams a reality.
Art: Twenty Ten was born when Katherine Chang Liu, advisor to our open studio, asked if we thought publishing a book showcasing the wide variety of our work would be a good idea. Two persons in the group had already self-published art books and told us how “relatively” easy it had been. One volunteered to put us in touch with the graphic designer who had prepared her work for publication. We calculated how much it would cost each of us to purchase this person’s assistance. It would be between $15 and $25 per person. (It was $20.) Thus encouraged, we voted to take on the project.
After the open studio, one of our members began floating title ideas via email. After a few rounds of input – for and against a variety of titles – we arrived at Art: Twenty Ten. The title initiator, Carole Gardner, has a lot of graphic and computer skills and in short order she was trying out sizes and cover designs. After another few rounds of email, we agreed upon a square format, the cover page she designed, and the basic design for each artist’s two-page spread.
After contacting our chosen graphic editor, Carole reported that if we got everything to him by mid-October, we could have the books in time for Christmas. We decided to go for it. The graphic editor felt it would make everything easier if he only had to deal with one person rather than twenty-seven individual artists. Carole volunteered to field input from all of us, check to be sure it met specifications, and forward approved work to him.
As project director, our appreciation of Carole grew by the day. She recruited a committee that included Liu to provide ongoing feedback, editing and proofreading. Each individual artist selected three images of works from one of her series (one to be large and alone on the right hand page), wrote a brief statement of the intention behind her work, and acquired a portrait to accompany the statement.
Carole’s diplomacy came to the fore. Sometimes what an artist wrote was too brief or too long. Sometimes the three images didn’t show well together; images were not sent in the correct format; or information was incomplete. Once all of an artist's information was correct, Carole sent a proof of the two-page spread to be confirmed or edited before production.
There were foot draggers. One artist had photos with background distractions that had to be removed. Another had to locate, unpack, and photograph her work. One suggested, “You really don’t need my work, there are plenty of other painters.” One didn’t know where she put the CD with her images. Nevertheless, with help from friends and using her own computer graphic skills, Carole brought all twenty-seven artists from twenty-seven different locations into the fold.
Each artist received a mini-proof of the whole book before it was sent out to possible publishers. You would think that after working together in open studio, some for many years, there would be no surprises. Not so. When writing her statement, each artist opened her heart and shared her most profound intentions. We found reading the statements and seeing the images inspiring and we weren’t even seeing the color version! We shared how blown away we were by the power and beauty of our book.
Our graphic editor got quotes from two publishers, Lulu and Createspace. He and Carole decided to make both versions available. The Createspace version is slightly smaller (8.25 x 8.25 inches) than the Lulu version (8.5 x 8.5 inches) and less expensive.
You can order Art: Twenty Ten directly from Createspace at www.createspace.com/3497717 and get a 20% discount ($8.20 - 20% = $6.56) plus shipping by putting in the code RPG886A7 on check out. At amazon.com Art: Twenty Ten is $8.20 plus shipping. The Lulu version costs $17.10 plus shipping. You can order Art: Twenty Ten by going to http://www.lulu.com/ and entering the title. It will not be available on amazon.
If you or someone you know has ever wondered what goes on in the head and heart of an artist engaged in the creative process, or if surrounding yourself with beauty inspires you, I highly recommend Art: Twenty Ten. And, of course, my work and intentions are included in the book.
