Thursday, January 16, 2014

deck of art cards

Long ago, I created an art database in FileMaker Pro and the format hasn't changed much over the years. Quick, efficient and organized, but not the same as having a hard-copy of the image in my hands. So, I keep a deck of art cards, each about 2 x 3 inches. These are printed from the information in my data base and include the image, title and art number as well as gallery notes that tell me if the painting has been in one of my galleries.

When it is art-rotation time, I spread the cards on the table in my studio to select a new body of work. Using this process, it is easy to see if the images compliment each other. In this photo, work that is at my studio and available is grouped on the right side of the table. The number of pieces there should reassure me that I can take that painting sabbatical I am supposed to be on but these foggy winter days make me want to paint.

8 comments:

  1. What a fabulous idea. I love artists who are organised. Thanks for sharing. Must get myself organized now that I have cleared out my studio clutter and ditched some old paintings and class demo stuff. I really enjoy your blog and your work, although I don't comment often.

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  2. Thanks very much for your comment Maggie! I love these little cards. When a painting sells, the card gets a little red dot and it goes into a sold file. When I look at them all together, it looks like my life in review. : )

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  3. Barbara, I don't have file maker, but I guess I could do the same in Word. Do you print these out on postcards on your printer? I really like this idea as it's visual, easy to manage and you don't have to spend lots of time looking for past images on an external hard drive. I love that it looks like one's life in review at a glance.

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  4. I know Word is capable of so much more than I use it for...maybe it can act as a database? I print my "report" from FileMaker Pro on ltr size glossy paper. I created the report in FMP to print 6 images with info per sheet. Then I just cut the sheet into 6 "cards" that are 3.25 inches high x 2.75 inches wide. Good luck. Let me know how it works for you!

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  5. I agree with Maggie -- I love having friends who are organized! As usual, great idea, Barbara.

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  6. Thanks Kay, I love having those friends too (that's you). A future post about organizing my tubes of oil paint will be for you : )

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  7. Barbara, I shared a link to this post above on my FB page. Hope that was OK. I should have asked you first, sorry.

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