My Work & Playlist Top 10 - December 31, 2010

THIS WEEK	LAST WEEK	WEEKS	TITLE / ARTIST
1	1	6	“Love You More (Future Freakz Mix)” (2 Weeks at #1)      JLS
2	2	3	“Night People”      Human League
3	18	3	“Auld Lang Syne (Rosario Traditional Edit)”      Mariah Carey
4	3	14	“Do-Wah-Doo”      Kate Nash
5	10	3	“Love Kills”      Robyn
6	6	8	“Somebody to Love Me” (2 Weeks at #1)      Mark Ronson & Boy George
7	7	9	“Wonderful Life” (3 Weeks at #1)      Hurts
8	14	4	“Shine a Light (Westfunk & Steve Smart Mix)”      McFly
9	12	6	“Welcome to Burlesque”      Cher
10	13	5	“Who’s That Chick”      David Guetta featuring Rihanna

"Illustrated Men" gets 5 stars from ReviewsByJessewave

I'd really like to congratulate all the authors of "Illustrated Men", on their 5+ star review.  One of Jessewave's guest reviewers, Cole, took on the task of critiquing the book and gave it high raves and recommendations!

You can read the review for yourself: Reviews by Jessewave: "Illustrated Men"

"Illustrated Men" is a book of short stories inspired by my paintings.

Order signed copies from me 

http://www.breyette.com/illustratedmen

or you can purchase and download the ebook

http://www.mlrbooks.com/Bookstore.php?bookid=ILLUSTRA

on the drawing board: fun and frolic

Being something that I think you'd look at often if not everyday, I am surprised by how much figurative art seems so gloomy or at least melancholy and somber.  I'd much rather start my day with a glimpse of something that instills me with joy, wonder, or hope.

My Work & Playlist Top 10 - December 24, 2010

THIS WEEK	LAST WEEK	WEEKS	TITLE / ARTIST
1	6	5	“Love You More (Future Freakz Mix)” (1 Week at #1)      JLS
2	8	2	“Night People”      Human League
3	3	13	“Do-Wah-Doo”      Kate Nash
4	4	14	“Shampain”      Marina & The Diamonds
5	1	11	“Raise Your Glass” (1 Week at #1)      Pink
6	2	7	“Somebody to Love Me” (2 Weeks at #1)      Mark Ronson & Boy George
7	5	8	“Wonderful Life” (3 Weeks at #1)      Hurts
8	10	7	“Shame”      Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow
9	9	3	“Do You Hear What I Hear?”      Pink Martini
10	12	2	“Love Kills”      Robyn

The Gallery Game

I felt very honored the other day when I got an email from a gallery in New York City, inviting me to show a few pieces in their space.  While I am still thrilled to be noticed, I was a bit taken back when it became more clear it was not so much an invitation but a solicitation.

Now, from what I understand this is a real legitimate and well known gallery, and am afraid this might be the new accepted structure of the the artist/gallery relationship.

Traditionally galleries earn a commission, typically it's a 50/50 split with an artist.  The artist is willing to pay the gallery half if he sells anything because the gallery provides the space and exposure for the artist.  Unlike other retailers, the gallery isn't buying the merchandise, so they don't have that risk if it doesn't sell, they simply return and find another artist.  

This NY gallery proposed showing 3 of my pieces for a month, and I would pay them a few thousand dollars!  The money would cover a catalogue, invitations, cocktail reception (which is free for the gallery since it's sponsored by a name brand vodka), mailing, emailing and listing on websites (both of which I don't think cost the gallery a thing) and a few other inconsequentials.  The gallery would wave their commission on any sales until the I earned back the money. Ooh, how generous of them to return the money I spent to make the sale. 

So the artist is now supposed to pay for everything? The gallery never risks anything and puts it ALL on the artist.  They just come in and skim off the profit after everything is paid for. Obviously I told them, "No Thanks, I'm not interested in hiring a publicist right now."  Because that is essentially what they are, except that a publicist doesn't also take 50% of what you sell, nor would the money I am paying a publicist be working to promote someone else, such as my funding the galleries catalog.

They even offer more expensive 'packages' and brag that they can leverage reviews for those who choose to advertise in certain publications.  Now I know how people get noticed in major publications, you pay for it. It's probably me, but I find it all a bit distasteful and phony. It makes me doubly appreciative of all my patrons.

It's sad to think that some galleries won't even invest in or believe in the art that they expect their patrons to invest in, and that the art in these galleries is only that of artists that can afford it.  The good news is that not all galleries operate in this matter. Let's hope this practice doesn't spread. 

Go Ahead, Ask, Tell...eventually

Today President Obama signed the law that repeals Don't Ask Don't Tell, the policy that gave the military the ability to discharge gay and lesbian personnel that didn't hide their sexual identity or assume the illusion they were heterosexual.

While this is a great advancement in equality, the little asterisk that accompanies the repeal gives me pause. 

The new law, eventually, ends the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian service  members. The policy will be repealed 60 days after Obama, Defense Secretary Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen all certify that the military is ready for repeal. That won't happen until the military completes its implementation plan, which includes extensive training and education for all branches of the armed forces.

The repeal can't simply go into effect?  They can't just stop discharging service members?  This notion that we need to prepare everyone for this reinforces the fact that many people don't get that people who are homosexual are just people, the same people they've been living and serving with and probably related to all along.  And if the military thinks it needs to provide extensive training and education about coexisting & working together with people,  excuse me gay people, I can only imagine what it might involve.

on the drawing board: spring awakening

Usually the time of year sets the tone for my pieces, but the piece I'm starting is very spring/summer inspired.  I suppose though, doing Christmas paintings in September it makes sense my mind is thinking of Spring already.

My Work & Playlist Top 10 - December 17, 2010

THIS WEEK	LAST WEEK	WEEKS	TITLE / ARTIST (Click titles to purchase mp3's from Amazon - if available)
1	2	10	“Raise Your Glass” (1 Week at #1)      Pink
2	1	6	“Somebody to Love Me” (2 Weeks at #1)      Mark Ronson & Boy George
3	6	12	“Do-Wah-Doo”      Kate Nash
4	5	13	“Shampain”      Marina & The Diamonds
5	4	7	“Wonderful Life” (3 Weeks at #1)      Hurts
6	10	4	“Love You More (Future Freakz Mix)”      JLS
7	3	7	“Well, Well, Well”      Duffy
8	9	4	“Night People”      Human League
9	11	2	“Do You Hear What I Hear?”      Pink Martini
10	12	6	“Shame”      Robbie Williams & Gary Barlow

GOP: We'd like to help the 9/11 first responders, but we just don't see the profit in it.

If there ever was any doubt there shouldn't be any longer, the GOP has no interest in bettering the lives of average Americans.  If they have no compassion for the first responders of 9/11 then they will never care about you or I.  I can understand their principle that the government isn't there to coddle everyone, but there is no question that the country is indebted to these heroic individuals who are going bankrupt and dying because they can't afford health care for all sorts of respiratory ailments, cancers and heart disease brought on by working in the toxic atmosphere at ground zero for months on end.

Every single Republican Senator signed a pledge to block every single piece of legislation until the temporary tax decrease on people earning 1/4 million a year (couples earning 1/2 million a year) was extended, then had the immorality to blocked the First Responders Health Care Bill from even being brought to the Senate floor for discussion.  For 9 years the GOP has used the war cry  "9/11" to inflate their 'patriotism', propagate fear to fund wars (that were all about corporate interests), now when the police, firefighters, EMT's  who were actually there need their help, they can't be bothered to stay in session over the Christmas break...(what would Jesus do?).

So the GOP will apologize to BP, fund wars that further corporate interests, expand the deficit to give millionaires tax breaks, crusade to shrink government so their is less oversight on banks and other industries that would gladly destroy our environment but will never ever put PEOPLE over profit.  They are truly disgusting.

And to the news networks ABC, NBC & CBS who have virtually ignored covering the blocking of this bill you suck just as much.  And FOX who idolizes everything "9/11",  who created a firestorm over a proposed mosque in that NYC neighborhood, you'd expect 'something', but it has barely made a peep about this. Of course FOX is just the mouthpiece for the corporate GOP so it's not surprising, I guess 9/ll heroes are no longer 'real 'Mericans'.

on the drawing board: doing dishes

Once they're done, I'm very pleased with the result but doing elements that are tedious and intricate like the dishes in the dishwasher can be very frustrating.  The good thing about pastels is that no matter when you work on it you can blend new colors into what's already there, there is no 'drying' as with pigments suspended in oil or acrylic.  But also that's a draw back  because each time you want to blend something newly added you have to be very careful not to smudge it into stuff that you've already finished.

My Work & Playlist Top 10 - December 10, 2010

THIS WEEK	LAST WEEK	WEEKS	TITLE / ARTIST (Click titles for Amazon.com mp3 downloads - if available.
1	1	5	“Somebody to Love Me” (2 Weeks at #1)      Mark Ronson & Boy George
2	4	9	“Raise Your Glass”      Pink
3	2	6	“Well, Well, Well”      Duffy
4	3	6	“Wonderful Life” (3 Weeks at #1)      Hurts
5	6	12	“Shampain”      Marina & The Diamonds
6	7	11	“Do-Wah-Doo”      Kate Nash
7	5	9	“Pussycat On a Leash”      Oceana
8	9	6	“Men In Love”      Gossip
9	21	3	“Night People”      Human League
10	17	3	“Love You More (Future Freakz Mix)”      JLS