I got an e-mail nudge this week, from someone asking what I finally did with my ideas for a lower-priced alternative to my work.
The short answer is, nothing.
I painted the masonite squares, tried various ways of attaching finished fragments, tried smaller versions, larger versions. It was all just taking too much time and finesse, and the learning curve was steep. The presentation did not reflect the amount of time that was going into them, either, which is the kiss of death for me. (If it had looked spectacular, that would have been a different story.)
I kept thinking of the story an artist friend told me, about a famous fiber artist who sells his work "as is". The responsibility of how the piece will be mounted or framed is left to the patron who buys the work.
Ding! Printmakers do it--could I??
I took the little panels and, using an adhesive that sticks long enough to fabric to hold it to mat board (but rubs off easily), I lightly "tacked" them onto 8"x10" mats. I put a cardboard backing board in back, and inserted them into clear self-sealing bags.
Voila! It was simple...and fast. And they look GREAT!
They are protected from handling, they can be easily displayed in a nice bin. They can be finished any way the customer prefers--in a frame, in a shadow box, under glass, sans glass--at THEIR framing gallery.
I can apply a lable on the back with a title, dimensions and materials. And I can price them below what a wall hanging of similar dimensions would be.
Will it work?
We'll see what the final judge--the customer--says.
