Cotton Studios » Studio News

Savannah Scenes Limited Edition Prints Available for PreOrder

Rachel — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:58:08 +0000

Due to the high demand for the newest piece in the Savannah Scenes series, The Glow of St Johns, I am offering ten signed and numbered, limited edition prints of this piece. All prints are giclee prints on an acid free Somerset Velvet paper with a protective varnish. The print measures 12″ x 19″, and is ready for preorder starting December 31st, 2009. The price is $95 plus $6 shipping. By purchasing a print, you are supporting my efforts to move into a studio downtown! Thanks for considering your new artwork!

Get a Limited Edition Print $95

Did You Know?

Rachel — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:45:15 +0000

You can get more out of the Cotton Studios website! Didn’t you know?

Promote your business for FREE!

1 – Request a Link

Let’s link to each other! In order for me to link to your site, you must have content on your site that will be of special interest to my visitors, and you must place a reciprocal link on your site. Links to your site from outside sources help to improve search engine optimization, so what are you waiting for?

Please copy and paste the HTML link below onto your site, and then fill out the contact form in order for me to add a link to your site. Spammers will be ignored, so don’t even bother.

My Preferred HTML Link :

Creative Explorations of Artist RM Cotton- Savannah artist sharing artwork and tips for creative growth

2 – Write a short blurb about me

If I have done work for you in the past or if we grew up in the same town, write a your impression, your memories, or your kudos abut me and be featured in a blog post on Cotton Studios. Again this helps us both. I get an awesome blog post and you get some much deserved PR! Email your writing to rachel@cottonstudios.com.

3 – Show your support for the Arts

In addition to being a great supporter of my own work , I am also a great supporter of the arts, including art education, collecting and business. If you or your company has done something wonderful to help support the arts in your area, please share that with us, so that we may share it with our readers. Or if you have heard of something wonderful happening, please share that as well. There are good things happening in this world, and we would love to hear the positive.

Or Invest

There are several ways to invest in my work.

1 – Commission Custom Work

The majority of my work is from people like yourself that want an original piece of work for their home or office. I have been known to do portraits of people, pets, and homes, specialty work for nurseries and children’s rooms, as well as some pretty atypical requests. Pieces are affordable, and I happy to accept payments. As an emerging full-time artist, prices for my work have more than doubled in the last 2 years. I can only see this trend continuing as I continue to be booked for months in advance.

2 – Purchase Existing Originals

Between painting custom work, I like to work on my own projects that reflect my growth and exploration of technique and concept. These pieces mark my artistic progression. Many of these particular pieces will exhibit, but they are also for sale to art lovers and collectors. Each piece is registered with the Fine Art Registry and comes complete with a Certificate of Authenticity.

3 – Purchase Prints

Most of my paintings are also available as open edition prints. Limited Edition prints are available on a limited basis and are offered first to members of the Cotton Club. Prints are created by quality scans and/or photographs of the original piece, the colors are matched to the original, and the piece is printed either on quality photographic paper or as a high quality, archival giclee print. Please let me know if you are interested in a print of a specific painting.

4 – Sponsor a Competition

I regularly enter prestigious competitions both nationally and internationally. Entry fees can be very expensive ranging from $25 – $100 per competition. View a list of upcoming competitions here. You pay the entry fee in return for the following:

PR on the Cotton Studios site with a link to the sponsor site
10% of the awarded prize, if applicable
A Full Press Release to the newspaper(s) of the Sponsors choice

5 – Sponsor an Exhibition

The time and resources it takes to prepare for an Art Exhibit are great. As an artist and an entrepreneur, I am prepared to enter into a partnership with an individual or company in a collaborative marketing experience. The Sponsor may receive the following based on the partnership agreement and sponsor amount:

PR on the Cotton Studios site with a link to the sponsor site
A Full Press Release to the newspaper(s) of the Sponsors choice
Sponsorship listed on invitations and marketing materials
Tasteful Advertising at the Exhibition and Opening Event
A percentage of the total sales of the exhibition

6 – Host a Home Art Party!

I love art, but I also love people. Invite me to your home to share my artwork with your friends and family. You provide the invitations and refreshments, and I will provide the entertainment. The host receives a percentage of the sales made during the event.

Please contact me with any questions or inquiries.

Thank you for your interest!

In Memory of Linda

Rachel — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:37:52 +0000

Linda Ann Smith, my mother-in-law, lost her life to cancer on Saturday, September 19th.

Mama Linda on Our Wedding Day

Linda was an amazing person and a wonderful friend. The first time I met her, I knew I loved her. She was the kind of person that was always ready for a new adventure. She loved Mojitos (especially the mango version from Marleys in Hilton Head), good friends, and the small things that made life beautiful. She was the kind of person that if she wanted something, she went after it. She started her own business, Domestic Diva, about 3 years ago, and almost all of her clients soon became her friends.

One of her best friends, Nell, explained her first meeting with Linda. Nell needed someone to clean her house, so she called after seeing an ad in Hilton Head. When Nell’s husband answered the door, Chris asked, “What if I don’t like your work?” Linda answered, ” Tell you what, I will clean, and if you like it you pay me and then I will come back again. If you don’t like it, then you pay me and I won’t come back.” I love this little story because it shows the spunkiness that was Linda. Always sincere, and never beating around the bush, you could always count on Linda to tell you the truth.

I have always been amazed at how well Linda raised her son Al. She taught him to be strong and level-headed as well as independent, but she also taught him a compassion and understanding for people that is so rare. I thanked her more times than I can count for raising Al the way she did, for teaching him how to be sensitive to a woman. I hope that I can do as good of a job with her grandchildren.

Linda passed away surrounded by loving friends and family, and she will be sorely missed. Although, her life was filled with riches, they were not of the monetary version. She requested to be cremated, so we are honoring that request. With no insurance, the cost is close to $2000 for the cremation. We are asking for donations to help with these expenses. Instead of flowers or even cards, please consider a donation to handle the funeral costs.

The memorial service with be held on Saturday, October 10th, the weekend of Linda’s birthday. We chose to do this so that we may honor her life. The memorial will take place at the Thunderbolt Baptist Church right outside of Savannah from 1 – 3pm.

Next Spring we intend to carry out Linda’s last wishes. She wanted her ashes sprinkled over the Jamaican waters.

Jack Daniels 100th Anniversary Party at The Rail Pub

Rachel — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:07:59 +0000

The Event

It was an awesome party with a great deal of artistic display and support, and of course ample amounts of Jack. On September 23rd, The Rail in Savannah hosted a party in honor of the 100th anniversary of the quality Tennessee whiskey from the old registered distillery in the US – Jack Daniels. The Rail offered 20 artists the opportunity to decorate and make into art blank white Styrofoam statues of the fella I have since been referring to as Jackie Boy.

The artists picked up our statues in late August and had to turn them in a few weeks prior to the party. The judging method was pure marketing genius. Patrons had to order a drink made using Jack Daniel’s Whiskey at which time they would be given a token. You cast your vote by placing the token in the jar in front of your favorite piece of art. Although the judging was purely a popularity contest among the whiskey drinkers, it was a wonderful night full of prizes, fun, taunting and playful competition.

Artistic Preparation

As is my nature, I got really into this project and wanted it to serve a deeper purpose, so I began by researching Jack Daniel and his distillery. I found a very rich history intertwined with the history of the National Prohibition, also known as the Volstead Act, in the early part of last century. I felt very strongly that I should remind today’s society of the pitfalls and negative consequences of Prohibition. Are there similarities between what happened in the 20s and 30s and the Drug Wars of today? Could this be an instance of history repeating? Below is a brief explanation of the piece with notes:

This piece is an ode to the establishment that is Tennessee’s Finest Distillery. Although Jack died before the National Prohibition was passed in 1919. His home of Moore County, Tennessee was among the first places to be voted dry in 1909. Jack Daniel died two years later in 1911 of an infection. On a particularly hard day for poor Jack, he was frustrated and kicked the vault after forgetting the combo.

Long before he died, Jack Daniel the-ever-popular never-married ladies man took his nephew Lem Motlow as his apprentice. After the distillery closed and Jack died, Motlow wouldn’t let the dream die. He worked to become a Senator in Tennessee in order to help overturn the bill that would allow the distillery to return to Lynchburg. I couldn’t find if or where the distillery operated during Prohibition, but I did find some bottle labels that showed that it was indeed one of the whiskey’s prescribed by doctors during this time. Whether the distillery operated illegally or not, was never mentioned in my research.

In 1933, the 21st Amendment was responsible for putting an end to the National Prohibition, but individual states were allowed to make their own laws regarding alcohol manufacture and distribution. It wasn’t until 1937 that Lem Motlow was successful in returning the distillery to Lynchburg, but from 1942 to 1947, all whiskey making was again banned by the US Government for the duration of World War II. IN 1947, the Lynchburg distillery was passed to Lem Motlow’s sons. Moore County remains a dry county to this day, but you can purchase Jack Daniel’s whiskey in the gift shop or in neighboring counties.

Facts about the National Prohibition:

Began Jan. 16th, 1920 – The 18th Amendment as a way to reduce crime and corruption, to solve social issues, reduce the tax burden caused by prisons and poor houses, and to improve overall health and hygiene in America.

The crime rate doubled as a result of the National Prohibition Act, also called the Volstead Act because the bill was written by Andrew J Volstead, because the law was unenforceable.

Prohibition destroyed legal jobs, created black-market violence, diverted resources from enforcement of other laws and increased the amount people had to pay for alcohol.

Bootleggers secured their businesses by bribing authorities, Federal Agents, and other high politically ranking officials, thus Gangsters grew in strength and number.

There were no standards in making alcohol, and the poison death rates from tainted alcohol rose 400%.

Whiskey could be obtained from Doctors, and over a million gallons were consumed by prescription.

President Harding stocked the White House with bootlegged liquor even though he had voted as a senator for the 18th Amendment.

After the 21st Amendment, 38% of Americans still lived in areas with prohibition. By 1966, all states had fully repealed state level prohibitions.

The Artwork

Enduring "Progress"

Named Enduring “Progress” because the Jack Daniel’s Distillery endured some of the most challenging times in it’s earliest years by remaining open and profitable in an age where its product was illegal to produce and is now a highly recognized name brand 100 years later. I use the word progress in quotations to indicate that Prohibition ended up being more detrimental to the nation’s history and economic welfare than ever anticipated.

The mixed media piece measures 36″ x 16″. I used articles and images taken from the papers during the early 1900s, printing them and aging them, and then affixing them to a stained 1/2″ wood panel. The Styrofoam Jack Daniels Statue was painting, newsprint collaged on the his vest, and then sealed and affixed to the right side of the board. For a further aged affect, the entire piece is laced in twine. Below are some detail pictures showing close ups of the articles.

Detail

Reading Deprivation for Seven Days !!?!!

Rachel — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:45:51 +0000

A 12 Week Course to Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self

Five weeks ago, I began working through the book The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. I made a solid commitment to myself to complete the 12 week course. As spirituality is between each person and their higher power, I have not shared any of my insights so far, but this past week was so incredibly amazing that I am compelled to share my review of Week 5: Recovering a Sense of Integrity in which I had to undergo 7 days of reading deprivation.

There have only been a few rules this past week, and I was reasonable successful at sticking to them all:

1. No Reading of any type – books, magazines, email or even my own writing
2. No random television – only watch things that are pertinent to spiritual and creative growth
3. Must eat quietly – meaning no television or other distractions while eating. – I added this one!

The purpose of these rules seems to be to quiet my world so that I can hear my inner self, to force me to branch out and do things I have been wanting/waiting to do, and to then have room for play, which is of course necessary for creative growth.

I found several interesting this this week. I am more able to exist in the moment without the distractions of email, tv, social , media, etc. I believe before this week that I using media and electronic media as a crutch, as an excuse for working. I wasn’t actually getting any work done, however – not nearly as much as I have found myself capable of doing joyously. By cutting out the “extra” stuff in my life, I have been able to exist in each moment and to enjoy it completely. With this has come the appreciation of my surroundings, the increase in volume of my inner self, a peaceful time. My days seem to have more time in them, but it is actually that I have more quality moments. I am constantly surprised and inspired by my inner voice. It is a connection pipeline to the Great Creator from which continuous inspiration, support and love flows into me and into my world. The more I listen, the louder that voice speaks to me through my creativity, the people around me, nature, and various synchronistic happenings. I can feel the universe leading me to the right path for me, and I am amazed at the increase in the quality of my life.

I am also finding that the Law of Attraction is fast becoming my most favorite trusty law. Like attracts like. A happy mood attracts happy occurances, while feelings of irritation attract irritating happenings. In times of irritation, I am reminding myself that like always attracts like. I am not quite able yet to fully acknowledge an emotion and let it go, but I am aiming for it! Smiling especially when I don’t feel like it works a lot!

Also, this week I have found that I am doing an incredible amount of writing. I feel it has been instrumental to this period of creative and spiritual growth. I am writing as a meditative practice each morning and sometimes at other periods in the day. I use my journal as my resting spot, my place to ask questions and give answers, my place to dream, to confront, my place to make sense of myself and the universe. I have written in my journal, blog posts, business model developments, letters to myself from my inner child, proposals for winter art classes, and even a little poetry.

What is even more amazing is that my creativity has not stopped there. In appreciating my surroundings, I have begun to “nest.” I hung curtains in my bedroom, finger-painted artwork to go above my bed, completely rearranged and reorganized my studio, and decorated my kitchen walls with bronze garden bugs. And still more!! My artist got a little of the action too! I created hand-drawn note cards, completed a home portrait, brainstormed and sketched some great ideas for a fantastical commission piece, and began two other paintings. Plus, I made a few artist dates with myself as required to keep my life awe-inspiring and adventurous. I went to an art festival, took a few bike rides in Sun City, and created a collage of things I really love.

As I contemplate sharing this entry online, I can feel my next hurdle forming. I am looking at myself from the outside trying to imagine what others may see when they look at me. As I look at me with my old eyes, I think, “That chick is kind of out there!” But on a personal level, I have never felt more empowered, more peaceful, more supported, and more capable of manifesting my reality. I will now read and watch tv, but only what I enjoy and what is pertinent to my purpose – not as a distraction. Anything you do as distraction is hindering your advancement in reality. I will be aware of how I am spending my moments, and I will live in each moment.

Oh, by the way, I eat FAR less when I am not distracted by other things!! But, I still love my cookies!!

Introducing the Country Road Series

Rachel — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:46:24 +0000

This series focuses on the temporal nature of all things. Eventually nature will re-absorb the things we have built, so this series proposes to capture those decaying man-made creations before the no longer exist in their present state.

Here I share the process of the first piece:

I begin each painting with a charcoal sketch directly on the canvas. I am focusing on being loose and resisting the desire to perfect everything, so transferring a pre-existing drawing is not an option for this series.

I complete a loose underpainting by blocking in color and temperature. I also add texture in this phase using Modeling Paste.

Next comes a series of glazes furthering the temperature, color and value.

The finished piece is a result of working in colors impasto and then retreating with glazes.

This piece is 24 x 20 inches acrylic on canvas. The sides are painted to allow the buyer to hang without framing, if they so desire. This piece is highly textured and looks even more amazing in person.

If you are interested in buying this piece, please visit my Etsy Shop. If you would like to purchase a print, please shoot me an email.

This is the first in the series – there are more to come, so keep your eyes peeled!!

June Print Winner

Rachel — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:02:59 +0000

The month of June, I held a drawing for a free 20×30 Metallic Print worth $283.75. There were several ways to earn an entry, and I had over 50 entries for the final drawing. I held the drawing the last day of June in the Presence of my Husband (the photographer for the event) and my dear friend Colleen Tolle.

First we shook up the entries in the jumbo coffee can.

And the Winner is…

Elizabeth Hendley Ott is the winner of the drawing. Elizabeth aquired 5 entries by commissioning a painting during the month of June. She can either opt for the metallic print OR she can commission another piece of original art with a $283.75 credit! Wooo Hooo!

The Print is on it’s way! COngratulations, Elizabeth!

Thank you to everyone that entered the Drawing. We will hold another VERY soon!

The Trip to the Miami Bravo Casting Call: My Experience

Rachel — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:29:15 +0000

I am back in the office and finally almost caught up after a week of physically exhausting travel. Last Tuesday July 14th, the Bravo Casting Call for the new Fine Art Reality Show took place in Miami Florida at Snitzer Gallery, and I was there! Although I wasn’t chosen for the show, the experience was remarkable.

Two of my dearest friends and cheerleaders, Kelli and Shannon, decided the trip to Miami would be an excellent time to catch up and make new memories, so they drove all the way from Atlanta to meet me in South Georgia and accompany me to Miami. The trip would not have been nearly as much fun or as thought provoking had these ladies not been there. We left the Cordele Cracker Barrell – Miami bound at 3:30 on that Monday afternoon. The first 5 hours went by very quickly with our talks abut relationships, career, and anecdotes of current events. We laughed and talked uncessingly. We stopped for a leasurely dinner at a Chili’s somewhere in Florida, and back in the car the hours began to creep and the rain began to fall in intermittent waves.

Before checking into the hotel at 3:30 am, we took a detour to scope out the gallery where the casting call was to be held. Now, if you have ever been to Miami then you know that there are some really nice places and then there are some scary places. At 3:30 in the morning, the Art District is pretty freakin’ creepy. Every thing is concrete with all the doors and windows secured with metal gates and heavy steel doors. The place look completely abandoned other than a few homeless people asleep in various places and the promise of human existence displayed by graffiti marking the facades. The women with me let me know immediately that I would not be returning to this place alone.

I arrived the next morning with my trusty side-kick Shannon at 8 am to wait in the sweltering Miami sun for the casting call to begin. Amazingly, I was only the 35th artist in line although some people had arrived 5 hours before me.

The 34th artist in line was a beautiful blonde in a long pink and white tye dyed dress, pink shoes, and a floppy pink hat by the name of Ursula Cooke. She was accompanied by her wonderful mother and several very large canvas paintings bound up with blankets and bungees. I helped them unload their vehicle and was amazed at the beauty of their native Hungarian language. I was floored when I saw Ursula’s work, as there is no way I would have guessed at her subject matter from a blonde covered in hot pink. Ursula is very much inspired by the artist Geiger, and she creates images that combine the human form with mechanical parts – amazing.

The 36th artist in line was an artist Shannon and I later referred to as Clothespin boy. Gerry Stecca is an incredible Miami-based artist that has been exploring sculptural works using the medium of clothespins. He currently has work in a Seattle gallery and used to rent studio space in the Art District until he was uprooted by the economy’s nose dive. Although in hindsight, I wonder what the market is for 12 ft tall trees woven out of clothespins.

After being in line for 2 hours, I had visited many of the people in line to hear their stories and catch a glimpse of their work. There was one fellow with a gorgeous smile and really long dreads that had taken a Greyhound bus all the way from Houston, Texas. There were at least 2 other artists from Savannah, and one of them was also from the Illustration Department. In hindsight, I wish I had collected everyone’s business cards or written down their names and addresses. Everyone was very friendly and the work amazing.

The only truly disappointing part of the trip was the portfolio review. We were all in line in an open gallery, so you could see table where I assume ” the initial portfolio reviews” were taking place. There were four reviewers and four artists at a time were meeting one on one with the reviewers. From our vantage point, the reviewer took between 4-5 minutes with each portfolio while the artist explained each piece and the reviewer asked questions. Then I t was my turn.

A thing dark-haired woman with a pinched face waved me over to sit in front of her. My trusty side-kick Shannon carried over my big portfolio and held it open at the end of the table for quick access. This thin-faced woman wouldn’t smile at me. Now I am the kind of person that has evoked a smile from a man I almost ran down in a parking lot. This is my hidden gift – I can make anyone smile. Instead this lady looks at me then looks at Shannon and asks me if she is my daughter. Later Shannon called this a “mean-girl comment”, but at the time I didn’t think much about it because Shannon is quite tiny, but this comment enraged Shannon, mother of two.

SO, it took this lady less that 30 seconds to flip through my portfolio – she didn’t ask me any questions and wouldn’t even let me get out a sentence or two as she zoomed through the portfolio. When she got to the original samples from the larger portfolio, she looked at the Princess and the Pea painting and under her breathe remarked at the beauty. I asked her if she had ever heard the story and she laughs at me and says “Yes, I am an elementary school teacher.” She then sent me on my way.

Now, it very well could have been that my work was just not what they were looking for, but I didn’t feel that the work was the problem. Have you ever met someone that reminded you of another person you used to know – someone that you couldn’t stand. The new person that you met may have been fabulous but you couldn’t get past the fact that they reminded you of that other person you used to know? I felt that was the case with this elementary school teacher reviewing my portfolio. Two things:

1. Why was an elementary school teacher doing portfolio reviews?
2. Why did only one person look at these portfolios?

Oh, well, you never know what they are looking for, but I know personally that they passed over some really amazing artists during this shindig.

Now, before this trip, I said my prayers. I asked that whatever is the best thing for me – may that be what happens. SO I will stand firm that the Big Guy decided that being on a Bravo show wouldn’t be the best thing for me. I still can’t wait to see the show and find out if any of the wonderful people I met actually made it. My warmest thanks go out to everyone that supported me through the entire process. A special thanks to Kelli and Shannon – You guys made the entire trip worthwhile, and you helped me to evaluate the next steps in my career. I am still working on developing my biggest goal – I think I want a show at the MoMa – is that too much to ask?

Seriously Need Your Opinion

Rachel — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:03:33 +0000

If you had to guess the ages of the people in this pic – could you? Is it possible that one of these people could be the other’s parent?

I am seriously curious of your honest answers – please post them below – then I will share an interesting story

Rachel is Aiming for the Stars!

Rachel — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:53:00 +0000

I was working away last week – minding my own business, when my wonderfully inspiring friend Tom sent me a Direct Message on Twitter informing me of an awesome opportunity – Bravo is hosting casting calls for a New Reality Contemporary Art Show. I immediately went to check it out, and I decided that very day that I had to go for it!

What is the show about?

Apparently Bravo is hosting casting calls for what they are currently calling The Untitled Art Project. The show’s concept has not been fully explained nor will it be until the series airs, but the basic concept is similar to that of Project Runway or Top Design – a group of specially chosen artists are given art projects they must complete within a certain time frame and then they are critiqued. I would assume that the playing field of artists is narrowed each week by an artist being let go after each challenge, but again I don’t know the full scoop.

Why in the world would I subject myself to the scrutiny such a show involves?

1. I love the idea of the life and work of an artist being shared with the public as a form of art appreciation for regular people. If my ego has to suffer a little so that more people have an appreciation for the handmade, then so be it.

2. I am tired of people thinking that just because I work from home and make art, that I am lazy and have it easy. I work 10-12 hours a day and I have to work through struggles daily just as anyone does. I want the world to see what it is I do.

3. I also think that it is an amazing opportunity for any artist to grow both as a person and as a creative mind. Creative Challenges are necessary for growth, and I am craving some creative challenges lately instead of the normal everyday financial challenges.

4. If I were to make the show, it could mean an amazing leap for my career, and who doesn’t want that?

What do you have to do to interview?

IN addition to providing a resume, the artist must fill out a 23 page application that asks a wide range of questions, including information about your artistic career as well as your personal life. Also the artist must provide a digital portfolio as well as a hardcopy portfolio for review during the casting call. I have been working on these items for 2 weeks now, and I have surprised myself with the breadth of my work and have found the introspection necessary for filling out the application both challenging and enlightening. It is exciting that this is already a growing experience for me, and I haven’t even left my studio yet!

When do you go?

I leave for the Miami casting call Monday, July 13th, and I will return from the casting call on the 14th probably pretty late. The drive is 9 hours for me, and I have no idea if I will be going alone or not, and I really don’t care – as long as I am there. How fun! An adventure… Wish me luck!