"A Not So Still Life"

Dear Friends & Patrons,

Below are Pics of select pieces from my new "Coffee Collection." I'm showing them in September at the Little Art Gallery in Cameron Village, here in Raleigh, NC. The Little Art Gallery was one of the first galleries to show my art back in the early 90's. Time passes so fast.

It seems like it was just yesterday I meet the regal and somewhat opinionated "Ruth Green." Ruth and her daughter, Rosanne have built and maintained the longest running gallery in Raleigh. They are true business women. I can't begin to tell you how many of my paintings they have sold over the years.

Concerning Ruth Green, I love that lady. She built a toughness and confidence in me that has carried me through my career. I'm honored to debut these new works with the Little Art Gallery. Please make time to visit the gallery. Make your purchases early. I'm sure they would be glad to give you an early preview. Like fresh pastries, first come, first served.

Enjoy, McRay
http://mcraystudios.com/coffee_collection/default.htm

"Still Lifes by Kimberly Alvis & Eric McRay"

Opening Reception to meet the artist
Saturday, September 12th, 3-5 pm.
Please Join Us!


Little Art Gallery & Craft Collection

432 Daniels Street, Raleigh, NC

(919) 890-4111

http://www.littleartgalleryandcraft.com/art/artistdisplay.php?id=87

"What is a Giclee? - Part 3"

Hello fellow artists types,

I know I've mentioned this event previously. The reason why is because, it's a big deal! You ask, "Why?" I'll make you a short list.

1. If you've been fortunate enough to price yourself up and out of the market of collectors that used to be able to afford your art, this is a way to keep them involved in your career. Giclees are much more affordable.

2. Giclees are ideal for the surrealist, photo-realist and hyper-realist painters who can't produce a large volume of art and also can't sell their works at lower prices. The time it takes to produce those styles of art are very labor intensive, thus demand higher prices. Giclees keep a cash flow while you continue to paint.

3. You've moved you stylically, but you still have request for that previous style of painting. You'd rather cut your wrist than paint another sunset or tobacco barn, giclees are the perfect reproduction process to satisfy the market demand.

4. You're a computer generated artists, you get less respect than an abstract painter. Folks, don't just say, "my kid can do that." They say, "my grandma does that on her Dell desk-top to relax." Giclees on higher quality papers in larger sizes have more creditiblity. It won't look like you print off your little Epson printer or from Kinko's. Sorry, if that was a little harsh, just keeping it real.

5. Giclees can make you lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$. Is that simple enough?

Check Damon and Stephen out!!!

VAE August Artists' Night: Fine Art Giclée Prints with Damon Rando of Artful Color, Inc. Damon Rando of Artful Color, Inc. (http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=dd0f306f4a96542521e6f3798e4bf687&g=841&c=569&p=733aa5369606362b977a25d9e64cedf6&t=1) will give a talk entitled "The Art & Science of Fine Art Giclée" on Tuesday, August 18 at 7pm at Visual Art Exchange (325 Blake Street, Raleigh, 27601).

Damon writes, "Whether it's hard economic times or good times, artists are usually looking for a way to expand the market for their work. Many artists are now producing high quality prints through the giclée process to expand the availability of their work and produce a lower cost alternative to originals. This presentation will cover both the technology and the business of selling giclée prints. In addition to knowledge gained by Artful Color over the years in this business, artists will share their own personal experience."

The talk will last about 1.5 hours, with time for questions.

The talk is FREE for VAE members and $5 for non-members. For more information or to register, contact Rachel Berry at mailto:racrachel@visualartexchange.org or 919.828.7834, ext. 4.

Space is limited, so sign up early!

"An Oldie, but a Goodie"

I'm finishing up the last paintings for an upcoming exhibition at the Little Art Gallery in Cameron Village. The opening reception is Saturday, September 12th from 3pm to 5pm. Put it on your calendar. It will be worth your time. I was drawn back to an oldie, but a goodie. It was comfort food, without the calories.

Hope to see you there, McRay

http://mcraystudios.com/coffee_collection/default.htm

"What is a Giclee? - Part 2"

"Whether it’s hard economic times or good times, artists are usually looking for a way to expand the market for their work. Many artists are now producing high quality prints through the giclée process to expand the availability of their work and produce a lower cost alternative to originals. This presentation will cover both the technology and the business of selling giclée prints. In addition to knowledge gained by Artful Color over the years in this business, artists will share their own personal experience."

Damon Rando
Artful Color, inc
Best in Class Giclée Studio
http://www.artfulcolor.com/
damon@artfulcolor.com
Apex, North Carolina
919.363.6271 office
919.656.8853 cell

"What is a Giclee? - Part 1"

Dear Friends, patrons, and fellow artists,

A mysterious word has arisen in the art world over the past ten years. Still today many of us can't pronounce the word, "giclee". According to Wikipedia, here's the definition...

Giclée (pronounced / "zhee-clay" or / from French) is an invented name (i.e. a neologism) for the process of making fine art prints from a digital source using ink-jet printing. The word "giclée" is derived from the French language word "le gicleur" meaning "nozzle", or more specifically "gicler" meaning "to squirt, spurt, or spray"[1]. It was coined in 1991 by Jack Duganne[2], a printmaker working in the field, to represent any inkjet-based digital print used as fine art. The intent of that name was to distinguish commonly known industrial "Iris proofs" from the type of fine art prints artists were producing on those same types of printers. The name was originally applied to fine art prints created on Iris printers in a process invented in the early 1990s but has since come to mean any high quality ink-jet print and is often used in galleries and print shops to denote such prints.

Well, there you go. I figured I'd leave the details up to the experts. Speaking of experts, it would be worth your time to visit the VAE and meet Damon Rando of Artful Color. A national expert on the art and science of fine art giclee prints. I highly reccomend working with him and Stephen Carroll, who is likewise a brilliant printmaker. They produced my portfolio of giclee prints. http://mcraystudios.com/scenery/default.htm


Check out Damon Rando and the VAE...

August Artists' Night: giclee prints Damon Rando of Artful Color giclee studios (http://clicks.skem1.com/v/?u=1012e75516d658af7227f913c0ae6b88&g=832&c=569&p=d638ed5b73375c5f742f8cc6ee4e9626&t=1) will give a talk entitled "The Business and Science of Fine Art Giclee" on Tuesday, August 18 at 7pm at VAE. FREE for VAE members, $5 for non-members. To register, contact Rachel Berry at rachel@visualartexchange.org or 919.828.7834, ext. 4.