Jan Helton Artworks

January 15, 2021

NEWSLETTER

2021 Update

I trust your new year is going better than mine! You may be aware that I broke my foot on January 2, 2021. Not a big deal in the whole scheme of things, but...

I rarely go anywhere due to Covid, but I had to go to Green Door Art Gallery on that day to update and move my artwork. (If you are in the St. Louis area, please stop in to visit this beautiful gallery in the heart of Webster Groves. In it you will find a wide variety of beautiful art created by local and regional artists.)

Anyway, once my work at the gallery was finished, I decided to make a quick stop on my way home since traffic was unusually light for a Saturday (plus I was actually dressed with makeup on and a cute mask). Not my best idea! Inside that shop (which will remain unnamed) I was walking from room to room and missed a step down. It was really a freak thing...I landed wrong (and hard).

Long story short, I had my foot x-rayed on the following Monday which confirmed my self-diagnosis: I had fractured my 5th metatarsal on my left foot. I already had an orthopedic boot, but I immediately ordered a knee scooter which has made my life much easier. Although I have to stay off my foot for another month or so, I decided that if I had to break my foot, it may as well be during Covid in the winter!

Inventory Your Art Update

I always enjoy receiving responses from my newsletter subscribers; the type of feedback I receive ranges from encouragement to affirmation to personal application (I love to hear your stories!) to questions about the content. In my previous newsletter, I discussed the importance of keeping a complete listing of what you've created. I shared with you how I currently catalog my watercolor paintings so that the information is easily accessible. If you missed it, you can read it here: Inventory Your Art for a More Organized 2021.

One reader responded with an email brimming with pertinent information. We will call her Lucy. Lucy has given me permission to share her professional knowledge with my readers. Whether you are an artist or a collector, this excellent advice in Lucy's own words is well worth the read:

Ms. Helton,

Thank you for this post. The information is excellent.

As a former museum professional (as a curator, registrar, collections computer tech, and volunteer), keeping records is in my wheelhouse. Can you imagine if we had some of this information on paintings from the past?

Your comment about including the year is especially meaningful to me, since I am always "harping" on including the date ...especially for posters, letters, notes, clippings, and all documents. In the museum field, it is fairly universal to use the format of year:month:day, since people around the world use date formats differently. Today is 2021:01:02. (Always use four and two digits.) And, yes, computer items have a date on them, but suppose the record is printed out and that information is not available. Put a date in your text!

21-1 Holiday Memories Mischief Poinsettias 12x8 arch140cold 2021.01.05

I stand corrected. As you see in the caption underneath my painting above, Holiday Memories, I still have the inventory number (21-1 meaning it's the first painting of 2021) but I have also added the creation date as Lucy suggested. I've also added a CREATION DATE column on my spreadsheet for each piece of artwork. Read on as Lucy continues with advice for both collectors and artists, as well as advice about protecting your electronic files:

As a collector, I also keep a spreadsheet on my purchases. I include some of the same information...Artist (Last name and first names in separate columns), title, medium, image for identification, size (2), purchase or gift, purchase price, date acquired, location where is it hung or stored, value including set on what date and determined by whom, and who should the piece go to upon my passing (which is also in my will). I also always have a column heading for "Misc Notes" for things such as bought from artist or which online site, talked with the artist, see artist's CD in CD collection, etc. This column on a spreadsheet is always useful for both collectors or artists.

I have a separate file for each artist and include information about the artist and the painting, such as magazine articles, newspaper pieces and online posts, as well as any emails exchanged with the artist. I also have most of these items in an electronic form.

I hope these files will be helpful and valuable in the future, so someone else doesn't have to do a lot of research and or wonder what was what.

From my experience in a museum with a conservator, it might also be helpful to note varnish (type and brand) used, which I would assume only applies to certain mediums.

Finally, I'd like to get on my soapbox, a bit. I always lecture people to not just keep electronic files. I know they have become more secure in recent years, but one never knows...software goes out of use, systems fail, "stuff" happens. I recommend taking a hard-copy print of spreadsheets from time to time. It is a backup that might just come in handy. You don't have to store them all; once you print a new one, dispose of the older one.

I hope you don't mind me sharing my two cents. I'm just glad you put these ideas about cataloging out there and I hope many artists (and collectors) will pay attention.

--LUCY--

21-2 Snow Day White-throated Sparrow 7x7 arch140cold 2021.01.10

In a nutshell:

Do include the date when cataloging your artwork.
Do print out your inventory sheets on a regular basis in case of cyber attacks, computer crashes or who knows what else that could happen to cause you to lose all your information on the internet. Better safe than sorry.
Use this system for art you collect as well as art you create.

Get Organized. Paint. Love. Repeat.

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