Monday, January 31, 2011

Chattacon 36 - A review


Alrighty. So last weekend, January 21-23, I attended Chattacon 36 as an art exhibitor. I packed tons of extra work to display and even brought some of my painted minis to display with my maquettes. The show was well lit and adjacent to check-in. The event setup was interesting in that all of destinations were in nearby buildings rather than adjoined. The con suite and party central was in a stand alone building at the back lot near the hotel. The Art Show was across the street from the dealer's room and limited programming. This lent a strange sense of ambling around that was not unpleasant. At least we got exercise.

I spent most of the weekend days painting in the art show and the evenings partying to the utmost. I participated in a charity dragon draw with Ruth Thompson and did a neat sketch that raised some money. My Dionysius costume is still in progress and Tron 1.0 went over well. As always, massive props to the two other members of my Tri-Force of Awesome : Michael Bielaczyc and Laura Jones. We rocked the suits and suites as only Riders on The Storm can. Other than that, I just chilled, sold a few originals and cast the social nets wide.

Overall, I enjoyed the show quite a bit as it is really just a networking relaxacon. I did feel that at $50 the event was drastically overpriced. Admittedly the con suite was well-stocked and they had all hours free beer. Still you would have to glut yourself to the extreme to make up for this exaggerated cover charge. They had no real programming or guests to speak of either. That said, it was still a very friendly atmosphere and I had the opportunity to see a lot of new friends from last year as well as make some great new acquaintances. Quick shout-outs to the Sprakers for getting me in the mood, Ann Robards for putting me in the show, Coy and the lovely Frolicon gals, Amy and Gena, for making me feel at home and getting me in a swimming pool at 4am (it was indoors).

In summary:

Chattacon 36
Chattanooga TN
January

Convention Cost $50
Art Show Cost: $18 per 4x4 Panel, $18 for 8' foot table

Pros:

Friendly, well lit con to show in. Fantastic con suite with friendly staff and freshly prepared munchies; quite a few veggie options as well! It is in January where any break from the humdrum norm is a bonus. Chattanooga is pretty accessible from anywhere in the Southeast. Ann Robards is a nice Art Show Director and her staff were relatively knowledgeable and extremely patient. The Tesla Coil band Arc Attack were great and are a staple of the show now.

Cons:

Waaaay too expensive for a membership. It was a bit too pricey to hang as much as I did. This is offset by the fact that they don't charge a cut of the sale. The art show had lots of empty space which diminishes the overall impact. No real programming opportunities to partake of or participate in. Having the show be off on its own is always a negative as many con-goers don't even know it is there. No real flow for the show to funnel people around, but from what I understand, that is half the point.

Summary:

A nice laid back show that is great for what it is. 'Nooga hosts several great shows throughout the year and this one has its own charm. The time of year is great for scheduling and the art show was well run if a little underwhelming. It is an expensive event to attend as an artist. If your motivation is sales driven, I would not attend, but perhaps mail-in your work. Even then, I wouldn't expect much. If your motivation is self-promotion, then it is a split. You will meet and hang with great folks, but you won't have many chances to push your career initially.

Would I go back? Yes, but only because my best friends are there. If I could work out an arrangement to procure a badge through programming or promotion I would definitely hang in the art show. If not, then it is a toss-up. As a business investment, this is a slow simmer.

As always, take or leave this review at your discretion.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

A quickie




Sorry for the delay in posting. So much has been happening in a short period of time. Tron costumes, conventions, paintings and lawsuits oh my! As I am developing grantcooley.com I am going to have a regular posting schedule and update day. Anyways, on to the news!

I attended Chattacon 36 last weekend and had a dandy time. I spent the weekend painting in the art show (progress pic above), running around in my beta Tron Costume, and selling a few originals. Since the show I have finished the painting I was working on and am currently working on an interior illo for World of Uteria and another portfolio piece called triptych. The maquette I built for Triptych will be converted in an upcoming Steampunk airship piece. I told you 2011 would be off thee hook. Anyways, I will get my review of Chattacon out in the next few days and will hopefully have a final scan of Final Dawn to you guys by Friday.

You guys take care out there and kick some ass for me!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Some stuff going on!




See! I told you I have been busy. I have hit the ground running in 2011. Recently I started doing large studies like S.A.M. (18x24 Robot Arson piece) to work out textures and applications. Staring at Ashley Wood paintings finally pushed me into doing more gestural expressive pieces and they are a blast. Not being attached to an idea or concept in a laborious sense has been incredibly liberating. I have been slowly working on my new site and schedule and will have both up for you soon. In the meantime, enjoy these pics and the ones soon to come!

Monday, January 3, 2011

Inspiration


Alrighty! 2011 is here and I am ready for it. I'm going to warn you that, yes, this is another revelatory blogpost, and yes, I realize I haven't posted much art lately. I took a break for awhile to get my world together and now I am stocked, sketched and ready for the next 4 paintings. Boom baby! How you like that!?! Well, maybe you'll like it when I post 'em. But anyway, on to the topic at hand:

Inspiration

Drawn Today recently did a podcast on this subject, and I regrettably missed out. So I will take this opportunity to toss in my views on this matter now.

For me, Inspiration comes from those around me. Pure and simple. The motivation to create comes from my heart and the deluge of ideas that floods my brain comes from my 3rd eye. In the end, it is the love and brilliance of those around me that causes my art to finally manifest. The conversations, laughter, tears and Moments are what define us at every step of the way. Believing this, I also believe that a large measure of my self worth is indicated by the quality of company I keep and the ability to truly share in those Moments with everything I am; regardless of the fears and past hurts that such communion seems to bring.

This is not to say that I don't have a bedrock foundation of "id" upon which the castle of me is built. Rather, my friends and children are the style and beauty with which my structure strives to express; the lofty ramparts upon which my imagination soars. Without this, my little black heart would find much darker outlets than Pac-Man and Pipe Dreams.

So in the end, I find that whether it is the company you keep, or the place you find yourself in, that Inspiration comes from Without, and it is up to us to find the strength Within to seize it.

When next we meet I will have scans aplenty and a confirmed Schedule of Events. IN the meantime, head over to www.grantcooley.com and see how things are shaping up. If nothing else, most of my work is collected there.