I'm doing it

I will be competing in this art battle this month.
 In a 3 hour time frame, participating artists each create artwork to win the battle. It's all determined by votes from the people who pay at the door to attend ($20 that covers all you can eat drink). The final artwork then become parts of the silent auction.
Come show me some support in West Branch, MI!

Workin' for the Money

I did my 3rd "Hale Hot Air Balloon Fest Art Battle" yesterday, and placed 3rd and got the People's Choice award. This was a first, in that judges were selected rather than the general public buying tickets and placing their ticket as their vote for who they liked most. That's what the People's Choice Award was this year. Alot of battles are chosen by the public, which, in theory is a great idea. It can be fun and give the artists an idea of how their work is perceived by passers-by. HOWEVER, some artists will stuff the ballot box by getting every man, woman and child in their family tree and graduating class to stop by and vote for them (and if it's a case of buying a ticket for $1, some of those people drop $5-$20 and vote for their friend or relative, in spite of the quality of work being created on the spot). It becomes a popularity contest. Dave might have 7 votes, and one was from his dear ol' granny, but Chloe got 13 votes, and 7 of them were from her friends who came by. Dave and his mom eat beans at home while Chloe and her chums hit the Sizzler and shopping after with her winnings. I'm not saying this happened yesterday. I'm not saying it happened at any specific art battle, but it does happen and it infuriates the artists (especially when you lay down $25-$30 just to enter the battle and get bubckus for it). I've had long conversations with other artists who compete around me, and they felt the same way. However, I enter as many as I can, because my full-time job is that of an artist, and I do enjoy these events. It boosts one's self-esteem with the onlookers praising your work, even you don't like it yourself. I was interested to see the results with judges. I was told they had criteria they had to follow, like a grading system. So, here's the drawing I did (because Lennon sells). It's 18x24 charcoal. It was also part of the silent auction. I have yet to find out how much it sold for.

What I'm down with

I am trying to set up a few things in the West Branch area that I'm hoping will bring together the community a little bit-

CosPlay (short for "costume play",[1] is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction such as Disney.[citation needed] Favorite sources include cmanga, anime, tokusatsu,[clarification needed] comic books, graphic novels, video games, hentai and fantasy movies. Any entity from the real or virtual world that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Inanimate objects are given anthropomorphic forms and it is not unusual to see genders switched, with women playing male roles and vice versa. There is also a subset of cosplay culture centered around sex appeal, with cosplayers specifically choosing characters that are known for their attractiveness and/or revealing (even explicit) costumes.
Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture centred around role play. A broader use of the term cosplay applies to any costumed role play in venues apart from the stage, regardless of the cultural context.) in West Branch, maybe during one of the Fabulous Fridays events downtown.

Enchante Gallery Presents: Figure Drawing/Painting Workshop w/ Nuttall Art - I will be conducting a workshop on how to draw or paint the human figure with a live model. It takes place May 5th at Enchante` Gallery and the cost is $20 (to pay the male and female models and for use of the gallery)

NUTTALL ART STUDIO'S 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY! - Saturday, April 21,from 5:00pm until 7:00pm at the studio. Free snacks, giveaways, and $1 raffle!

I'll also be doing events like the West Branch Art & Wine Walk, Blast the Blues at Dean Arbour, Fabulous Friday's Art in the Street, and maybe another Art de Combat.

April Comes in and Goes Out ROUGH!!!!

April's packed with energy, stress and ALOTTA art for Ol' Nuttall Art!!

TODAY, Saturday, April 2nd I'm competing in an art battle in Bay City called
"Art Clash 2011". I've become very disillusioned with art battles. I think they're great, don't get me wrong. If you're a fan of the arts, you should definitely hit up a few. What bothers me, however, is the judging aspect. I like the idea of the general public voting for their favorite artwork, but after the second battle I did, I noticed that some artists were bringing in their own numbers to vote for them. I usually have 3 people at the most show to the battles I compete in, but some of the artists bring in friends and family that could start a baseball team! I don't mind losing, as long as the artwork that wins is good! (DISCLAIMER: this is a general opinion of the entirety of battles I've done, not just one venue. I've done some battles in 3 or 4 venues altogether). I've seen some nice work get nothing while lesser-quality work gets placed. BUT, and this is what my rant leads to, BUT, this Art Clash is being judged by local artists and instructors from the venue, so quality should overcome quantity. And let's face it, Daddy needs the money!!


This coming Thursday Nuttall Art will be participating in the Ogemaw County Community and Business Expo at Ogemaw Heights High School from 4-9. I'm going to be giving stuff out, sell some raffle tickets (maybe) for the anniversary party, and exhibit some examples of my work and maybe sell some swag.
THEN, Saturday, April 16th will be the Downtown West Branch Art & Wine Walk from 5-9, and the NUTTALL ART STUDIO's 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY is a part of the Walk! The anniversary starts at 4 and MOMENTS BY M is hosting Nuttall Art Studio for the Art and Wine Walk. There'll be food, drinks, free wine tasting, a $2 art raffle (FYI if you buy a ticket or tickets, you get a sketch, so even if you don't win, you walk away with something!), free stuff, new stuff for sale, and music on the cd player. Stop in. You won't regret it.
OK, I think this is the last thing: April 30th (I think? I have to double check the date) is "Blast The Blues" at Dean Arbour Ford in West Branch, where I'll be on display. This is the third B the B, and the 3rd time I've been a part of it. I try to display blues or rock related artwork and donate blues-related artwork to the auction.
WHEW!!!
I think that's all! I'll update if I remember anything! Wish me luck.

Battle to the DEATH! well, not really...

I'm competing in an art battle in Hale ( http://haleyes.org ). Gotta be honest, I hope I win. I actually NEED to win. I have bills to pay and might lose the studio if I don't win or sell what I make at the silent auction (which takes place during and after the art battle). And I worry that it'll be more about the numbers than the quality of the artwork. I won't have alot of people in my corner, so I have to rely on my talent, and sometimes that just isn't enough. Wish me luck and if you're in the Hale, Michigan area, stop by and vote!

In a STUDIO down by the RIVER

This Saturday, June 12 Studio 23 in Bay City's hosting an art battle that I'm hoping to compete in. I plan on signing up today or last minute Saturday. I don't know what I'll do for the battle, but I never do! If you're in the Bay City area between 7pm and 10pm, stop in and vote (for me, preferrably). I believe it's only $10 for the public to come and vote.

Look what I did!!

So, I competed in the Art de Combat 4 at Enchante Gallery on March 27th. I did not place, but I'm quite happy with the painting I did. It started out BAD, but about a half hour before the competition ended (a 3 hour battle, a 3 hour battle), I was done, so the oil painting only took about 2 1/2 hours to do. I was in the mood to paint a redhead and I'd chosen images of Ann Margret and Maureen O'Hara, but went with Mrs. Margret. The piece sold in the silent auction.