James Babb - Graphics - Print - Web

Fall Art Show season is underway

2009-10-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's Fall in the Desert, and the Art Show season is officially underway! The snowbirds are back in town, now that day time temps in Palm Springs are under 100 degrees...

Studio Chambon started off with the first of our Art Under the Umbrellas shows with the La Quinta Arts Foundation on October 10th - sales were not bad, considering the economy (and aren't we all a little tired of repeating that?) - we are looking forward to exhibiting at this event on the following dates:

November 7th
January 16th
February 13th
March 27th

The Art Under the Umbrellas is held on select Saturdays in Old Town La Quinta. Visit the La Quinta Arts Foundation website www.lqaf.com for more details.

Also, look for us on November 14th & 15th at the Rancho Mirage Art Affaire, Whitewater Park (behind the Elephant Car Wash). This is always a fun event for us, and we look forward to seeing artists and patrons that we haven't seen since last year. More info: http://www.ranchomirageca.gov/residents/things_to_do/art_affaire.php

Looking forward to seeing you at a show!

Best regards,

James

La Quinta Arts Festival opening March 12th

2009-02-28T04:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's time again for the Big Deal for artists in Southern California, the La Quinta Arts Festival. On Saturday the 7th, Philippe Chambon and I will be on the Festival grounds to oversee the booth layout. This marks 4 years of volunteering to aid the Foundation in laying out the Festival. This is also our 6th year exhibiting our ceramic art in the Festival; look for Studio Chambon near the Library Grand Entrance.

We also act as Artist Advisors on a year-round basis, providing a link between participating artists and the Foundation staff. Artists come to us to privately air issues that they are not comfortable presenting to the Foundation themselves, and we offer our help and advice to fellow artists during the Festival.

This year, Studio Chambon will show many new ceramic art pieces at the Festival, including 4 Grand (as in very large) pieces that are brand new designs. That is, if our collectors don't snatch them up first! You will find us along the walkway, near the main entrance at the La Quinta Library.

The La Quinta Arts Festival runs from March 12th through the 15th.

Bonnie Beaux' new "Circles of Love", other breaking news...

2009-02-08T05:22:00.001-08:00

I just noticed one of my long-time websites4artists supporters Bonnie Beaux of Laguna Beach, has a great new pearl pendant design, "Circles of Love":

If you are a fan of Bonnie's work, or just an admirer of handmade beaded jewelry, you should check out her blog at http://bonniebeaux.blogspot.com/.

In other breaking news:

Studio Chambon is busy preparing for the La Quinta Arts Festival in March [lqaf.com]. We have a number of new showpieces that will debut at the show, including new styles of our popular Serenity Box series. (Sorry, no photos yet.)

We will also have a few of our latest handmade ceramic teapots. A nice selection of our teapots are currently on display at the La Quinta Museum.

My "other" job, Graphics Manager for Innovative Expo, just gets more and more intense. (Which I guess is a good thing, considering the state of the general economy.) I produce all the large-format graphics - signs, banners, custom booths, etc. - used in about 100 trade shows each year.

Please don't laugh at their website, as I just got started on the redesign. Maybe I will get to "finish" it before the next graphics onslaught begins. Yeah, I know - at least I'm working.

We have moved the company to our new building in Thousand Palms - which is just a lovely spot, especially when the winds stir things up a bit - and we are all hard at work preparing for the upcoming Spring trade show season.

Best wishes for success to all artists and creative people in the recovering economy,

James

New Website Plans for websites4artists.net

2008-12-28T12:37:00.000-08:00

As you know, 2008 has been a challenging year, especially for artists. With that in mind, I've made some changes to the websites4artists program to reduce the expense.

Beginning January 2009, I am offering a new set of Website Plans for artists: Bronze for the lowest-cost entry level, Silver for more typical starter websites and Gold for advanced launches.

The Bronze Plan offers a personalized Home Page, a custom-designed header graphic, and up to 5 photo Detail Pages for only $99 start-up and $49 per year for hosting as a websites4artists.net sub-site ($89 per year with domain name).

Existing websites4artists customers are also being converted to the $89 per year rate. Check the website for more details.

Meanwhile, at Studio Chambon we are busy preparing a new set of handmade ceramic teapots, for an exhibition at the La Quinta Museum. Photos coming soon!

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous New Year,

James

Rancho Mirage Art Affaire - recap

2008-12-14T07:12:00.000-08:00

Although Studio Chambon did not see record sales at the Rancho Mirage show November 15th & 16th, we did see some encouraging signs. Patrons were genuinely interested in the art on display, as opposed to the usual, "I dunno honey, didn't we see this aisle already?" we hear at so many shows.

The weather was perfect (as it usually is in the Fall here in the California desert, hint hint La Quinta), and the artists were well supplied with water and breakfast each day.

Hey, artists: What's the deal about skipping out on the Awards Dinner? Hmm, mass quantities of free food (delicious and well prepared) at a gorgeous resort location just 5 minutes from the show site - you just have to buy your own drinks... naw, we don't want that! Sadly, maybe half (or less) of the artists bothered to come, including many of the award winners. Mean idea for next year: You must be present to win!

There had been rumors that a change in management would "wreck" the show, turning it into a JazzFest with the artists only there as window dressing. Not true - if anything, the music was more conducive to the atmosphere of the overall show than ever before.

Continuing problems: Visibility and signage. The show site is a park one block off the beaten path of Highway 111, totally invisible to passing traffic now that the final buildings are in place along the highway.

Apparently, the only "signs" that are allowed on the highway are those folding barrier things indicating "special event". As much as we appreciate the local Rancho Mirageans showing up to support their show, it would be great to attract a few of the thousands streaming by all day on their way to shopping and cocktails.

It is unfortunate that businesses adjacent to the entry street, fully visible from the highway, can't be recruited into promoting the event with some temporary signs or banners. They certainly have plenty of unused wall space!

On the whole, though, our thanks go out to Diana Beck and Bill Schinsky for putting together this enjoyable (and somewhat profitable) event. We really appreciate their involvement and support.

Best regards,

James

Rancho Mirage Art Affaire

2008-11-15T06:22:00.000-08:00

This weekend marks the 8th Rancho Mirage Art Affaire at Whitewater Park - the 5th time for us exhibiting our slab ceramics from Studio Chambon.

This is our first post-election 2008 art show; we hope the enthusiasm sweeping the country will overcome the dire economic news, and all the artists will shake loose a few sheckels.

It's also our first show as a married couple! California's Proposition 8 may have cast our status into doubt for some people, but our commitment to each other, and to the cause of "Equal Rights for Everyone" is stronger than ever.

More about the show after the beans are all counted...

La Quinta Arts Festival applications closed

2008-11-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

The applications for the Festival are all in - good luck to all the artists, and thanks again to those that made use of my services to format and enhance their photos.

Jury results will be made public November 30th.

La Quinta Arts Festival applications close 10/31!

2008-10-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

Heads up, artists! The La Quinta Arts Festival closes for applications 10/31. More about the show at http://www.lqaf.org/. I am an Artist Advisor to the La Quinta Arts Foundation, so I am charged with the task of assisting artists with their questions and issues regarding the show.

If you need help formatting your photos for the jury, e-mail me. I charge $15 per image, which includes cropping, enhancement and formatting.

If you don't have a http://www.zapplication.org/ account, or aren't sure how to do the entry process, don't worry. For an additional $5 per image I will upload your photos and enter the details for you.

Hurry - the final day to submit your files to me is Thursday 10/30!

Best regards,

James