The Recap of My 2010 Dot Project: Revisited

2010 Blog Review – what did I end up talking about?

On day one, I talked about my plans for this weblog; I had planned to write something every day and paint a small dot painting to go with it. I managed to keep writing for around nine months, and then things started to unravel ever so slowly. It became a few days, then a week, then a month between posts, so I was disappointed in myself for that. I had yet to figure out a new job and other things, good and bad, that would take more and more of my time, but I did my best. I endeavour to catch up on some of those posts in the future, including rewriting some so they're more substantial.          

Day 2 saw me talk about art galleries and dealing with them from both an artist's perspective, being an art gallery manager and curator, and having once been a gallery owner. That post, along with the taxation tips for artists and copyright issues, has been my top post for hits to date but no surprises there; it's what artists want to know about.

I visited many exhibitions through 2010 with Yayoi Kusamai being my favourite, and reported back on them to the blog, using my laptop in hotel rooms and on the go, it was challenging, but I got it done, in the beginning anyway! I researched books, colours, mediums, easels, and some of my favourite artists, including Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. I delved into what makes a sound or lousy canvas and learnt about some interesting techniques like sun painting and scratch-boarding.

I looked at the most famous paintings in the world. Then someone asked me to list the "most famous New Zealand paintings". This was fascinating and rewarding, and I got the most feedback for this one from blog readers out of all the posts.

Technical stuff like varnishing or how to antique or use the crackle effect were viral postings, along with how to use gold leaf. In contrast, humorous ones attracted the attention of those with a funny bone. Forty things that can go wrong in an art exhibition strike a chord with artists about to exhibit and those who have experienced some of those situations!

I covered art history and styles like surrealism, expressionism and fauvism to realism; however, I could go a little more in-depth with those. It wasn't all just about visual art either, I included music and sculpture, origami, Ikebana, hairdressing, makeup and nail art, the art of making coffee and its latte art, winemaking, and I wrote a piece about the Art of the Geisha, so it got weird and wacky at times!

The business side of art was discussed a lot, especially since this is a passion of mine besides being the main thing I do in my other job, teaching arts marketing. So websites and organising exhibitions, along with general tips on selling your art or getting motivated and inspired when struck with that 'blank canvas' syndrome, were hot topics.

A list of art awards and exhibitions to enter in New Zealand is one day's work, along with many links to other useful sites. All these posts are on my website if you wish to read them. Click on the search box at the top of the page and enter the info you want, as there are hundreds of posts to hunt through otherwise.

Last, I'd like to thank the Hamilton Community Arts Council for their support this year and the funding they kindly provided to help make this blog a reality. All this information will be available on my website permanently for those who wish to read it, and I will add more as there's always something more to say about art.

Enjoy, and all the best for 2011