www.theensocircle.com/rrsub1.html
WEEK ELEVEN: Photographing, Labeling and Submitting Your Work
PREVIEW: You have completed your work and are most likely well on your way to polishing your statement. Your goals are met, and you are feeling pretty proud of yourself, as you should. Forget those weeks where life got in the way of your studio time. No need to worry about having changed or reshaped your goals and started over. The studio might be a mess, but the work is done, and you are only a few steps away from submitting your work to the exhibition. This week will simplify those final details that gives your work a professional look.
4:00 CDT
MONDAY ZOOM: The first part of the zoom will be open for any questions you might have in regard to technical aspects of getting your work uploaded for the catalogue exhibition with its statement and correct labeling. In preparation for the zoom, look at the application and review the short video about photographing your art work. Lyn and I will be available during the week, but it would be helpful to have answers earlier for everyone to hear.
The second half of the zoom is yours to share any thoughts you want to your zoom community. Our next week zoom will be the exhibition and will be recorded to be shared on the website, so this zoom is just for us.
TO WATCH:
Here's an interesting video, mostly for painters, but also useful for other media
How to Price Your Original Art
Here's another video on pricing your art with a suggestions about making limited edition prints:
Artists' Problems: Pricing Your Art
IMPORTANT - HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK FOR THE CATALOG
You will be submitting two forms. The first one, due as soon a possible but before May 23rd, is your headshot and bio.
Here is that link.
Here is an example of a 150 word bio in the first person - you may choose either the first person or the third person.
Jane Smith
I was born and raised in the wide, sunlit expanses of Nevada, and the spirit of the Southwest has shaped everything I create. Working with encaustic and clay allows me to honor the raw, elemental forces of earth and fire—materials that speak to both history and transformation. My encaustic pieces often reflect layered desert landscapes, while my ceramic work leans into organic, tactile forms that invite touch and contemplation. During my time as an Enso Circle Resident, I’ve been exploring the balance between permanence and impermanence—how nature and memory leave quiet imprints. My process is deeply intuitive, guided by the conversation between material and meaning. My work has been included in regional exhibitions and is held in private collections. I currently live and work in a small studio near the Nevada desert, where the land continues to inspire and challenge me every day.
The second form, due by May 23rd, is your catalog submission and staatement about that piece as it relates to you and your work.
Here is that link.
Here is an example of a 150 word statement about a piece of work pictured in the catalog called Corvus Altar.
Corvus Altar is part of my ongoing exploration into narrative assemblage and encaustic, where I weave together natural symbols and layered surfaces to evoke memory, myth, and meaning. The mirrored blackbirds and central dragonfly in this piece feel like ancient messengers—watchful, transformative, and quietly powerful. The elements at the top—a scroll, twigs, and knotted cord—suggest an offering, a kind of ritual or invocation. Lately, in my studio practice, I’ve been moving toward creating objects that feel like devotional artifacts—shrines to moments, questions, and thresholds. This piece reflects that shift. It’s more intuitive, more contemplative, and deeply personal. As with much of my recent work, Corvus Altar invites a sense of reverence for what’s been lost or overlooked. It fits beautifully into my larger body of work, but also marks a new chapter—one guided by presence, symbolism, and the quiet power of assembling fragments into story.
You may upload up to three images for the catalog but generally one strong image makes the best statement. Ask Lyn if you have questions about the images, and please use the Help channel since others may want to ask the same question. :)
TO READ:
Photographing Your Art PDF (LB)
In this downloadable PDF, Lyn de-mystifies the process of getting good photographs of your work with your phone without fancy backdrops and lighting.
Photographing your art work - some easy hacks
Storing and Labeling Your Images This short document provides a simple way to keep images of your work organized and easy to find on your computer. The last part of the document speaks to Pricing Your Work, especially as we move from a gallery-dominated model of marketing our work to online sales.
The Continuing Residents Circle
Your Journey After The Enso - some things to think about
TO ACCOMPLISH: Exhibition Submission Due
Post your Progress Report in the Progress report channel is Slack.
- Make your final selections for the exhibition catalogue and photograph your work.
- Polish your statement for submission.
- You will need to submit materials for the title card of your works. Be prepared to list the following for each work in the submission online form:
Title of Your Work
- (Basic materials you used in creating the work)
Price (You do not have to list your work for sale-Use NFS. If you do want the work to be available for purchase, list your price in US currency.)
OPTIONAL RESOURCES:
Photographing Your Work on a Black Background (This simple guide created from a Slack discussion by Enso Circle resident Wally Lafaiete solves an age-old problem for artists who want a museum-like black background for their work without using Photoshop.
Photographing Your Sketchbook
