I was a little surprised...

I was a little surprised to see how many pictures I took last week. I thought I had nothing to show this blog post. (Well, go figure. The computer is not letting me upload the photos. I will come back this evening after the computer has had a time out to think about its behaviour and edit the post to include photos. Sorry folks)

I started this little project with no direction intended yet. I drew the girl with the mouse several years ago, then last year some modern handkerchiefs showed up in my stash. They are not modern in the sense that anyone has spent any time trying to re-imagine the handkerchief but recently sewn by machine. (hint: there's a market niche for someone, handkerchiefs for the modern man or woman)

I'm not convinced by the appliqued cape. It is supposed to be her shirt, but cape it sure looks like now. It is easy enough to pull off.

On Friday I went to a monthly meeting of the Textile Artists Collective. TAC. I think that's what the initials stand for. September is a catch up month with a lot of socializing. We also had a show and tell. I think all of us are submitting pieces to be in a side gallery of textiles in Inverness, Nova Scotia. The photos below are a selection of what will be hung.

There was quite a long discussion on prices to charge for each work. I am pretty slap-dash when it comes to pricing my work. If there is a price on it, I want it to sell. I think about who is walking into the exhibition and what the wallet will bear. Then I wonder what are the odds that my piece will sell compared to the other pieces and I come up with $0.25 cents. Then people get mad at me and tell me to stop fooling around, so I up it $75.00 and feel happy. Then people say I am undercutting the other works, so I say, what would you pay? And nobody answers.

Now, do they not answer because they don't want to hurt my feelings, or they are embarrassed by the prices they want to put on their own works? They can't decide on their own price, and want someone to say what they want to hear? Well, I don't like a lot of other people's works. I like the people, but there is a lot out there, textile, ceramic, wood, you name it, that just doesn't appeal to me. I would never buy it. So the price should be $0.00.

See. It doesn't work to get other people's opinions on what your price should be. Don't forget, there is usually a 30% commission fee for the gallery. Do the math correctly to you get the end price you want.

Then, look at the work and pretend it would sell for $500.00. How do you feel? Elated? Disappointed? Ruined?Walk away, come back. Look at it again, imagining a new price. Go up or down accordingly, until you and your stomach feel at peace together. Never mind what other people say or demand of you. The right buyer will come along and either like your price and pay happily, or phone you and try to bargain. Hang up. They aren't the right buyer.

Just to conclude this little rant or lesson (your choice) I said both my pieces weren't for sale. One is too personal and the other is earmarked for an upcoming exhibition in Halifax. I will take my chances that it will sell there. If not, I can give it to my mom. She loves my work.

On another topic, we closed up the camp. Oh sadness. The weather was lovely, the breeze lively, and the sandwiches delicious. It is always a bit of a heartbreak to close up, but around 3:00 the sun is heading down and the chill comes up. We hopped into the stuffed car, turned on the heater and were relieved that we weren't spending the night.