Currently, I’m working on a new series. It is a new direction in my work as it does not consist of portraits, and that in itself is exciting to me, but there are more lovely bits of news associated with this project too.

I did a Kickstarter for it last spring and raised well over my goal with the help of lots of wonderful people. Six months later, I sold the painting which was originally part of the Kickstarter rewards (shown at left), something that was really important to me. And the Regional Arts and Culture Council awarded me a project grant for the series!

Series X will show in September 2012 at Place, and between now and then I’ll post updates about it in this section of my blog.

Last summer, I was pleased to have my work featured here and there across the Interwebs and in print:

- My free culture focus was noted by Barry Johnson of Oregon ArtsWatch here.

- My work ended up on page 18 of this issue of the Oregon Quarterly, the magazine of the University of Oregon.

- Cory Huff of The Abundant Artist interviewed me and posted part of our conversation here.

I keep a blog that is sometimes in French and often in English—more and more the articles and videos are presented bilingually. It’s a lot of writing and process images with a good amount of photos and videos too.

Face Making focuses on my own art practice, the business of art, being an artist for free culture, and the difficulties of living with endometriosis.

The video at left is an example of my video blogging. In it, I talk about the secret to being an artist.

BlogHer features me regularly, for my writing about my art practice and for my focus on the business of art:

“This [blog] post melds words and images, creating a thought-provoking embodiment of the BlogHer 10 session ‘Transforming Online Places into Art Spaces.’ Each image and each thought is more interesting than the last. It’s a consistent theme in [Seemel’s] work.”

 

I understand that copyright as a law protects the expression of an idea and not the idea itself, but copyright as a concept extends into other realms, both in my brain and in society.

In my brain copyright makes me feel like I own what I contribute to culture, which is silly since I use so much of the culture that already exists in order to make new culture. And in society copyright often ends up being used to stop artists from sampling from other artists, interrupting how culture evolves.

For these reasons, I support the free culture movement. To learn more about the movement go here, and to read more about my thoughts on copyright please visit this section of my blog.

Last fall, BoingBoing featured some of my ideas about free culture:

“Artist Gwenn Seemel’s post ‘How I make sure my art doesn’t get ripped off on the Internet’ is a wonderfully calm, sensible, and practical approach to living as a 21st century artist in an age where reproduction is a given.”

 

Towards the end of 2010, the Portland street performer Kirk Reeves appeared on Fox 12 along with me and my portrait of him. To view the story, go here.

 

Apple Pie the book includes images from the series as well as statements by the subjects which explore what it means to be an American from their unique perspectives. Inara Verzemnieks provided the introduction for the book with her essay “Do You Consider Yourself An American?”

The edition of the catalog pictured here is sold out, but a slightly less pretty edition (one with a different cover) is available for $20. Please email me if you would like to purchase a copy.

Just like the series, Subjective the book juxtaposes my work with the work of my collaborator Becca Bernstein. Dr. Richard Brilliant authored the introductory essay for our exhibition’s catalog. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Brilliant has received many honors, including the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Fulbright grant.

The book is available for $20. Email me if you would like to purchase a copy.

HOW TO MAKE A LIVING AS AN ARTIST:

              1) Make a lot of work.

              2) Show a lot of people the best of that work.

              3) Be friendly.

              4) Repeat.

For more information about how I earn a living doing only what I love to do, visit this article on my Face Making blog.

“Few artists are as gifted at self-promotion as Gwenn Seemel. The Portland artist has an ingenious knack for letting the world know what she’s up to and when to expect her latest exhibit—but in a charmingly winning way that suggests she’s not solely in marketing mode.”

 

I caught the miniature portrait bug when I painted this special diptych in 2009 for a wedding, but, at first, I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to do on commission. After experimenting more with panel and some seriously small brushes, it’s safe to say that I have fallen in love with the infinite possibilities of tininess.

If you’re interested in a compact version of you or of a loved one, look for this new option on my pricelist.

Please email me at gwenn@gwennseemel.com if you would like to be added to my mailing list for notices about upcoming shows and events.