Speaking of charity auctions
 

I want you all to appreciate Michele - I emailed her this question and she asked me to post it so others could see the answer as well. As a matter of fact - she did not answer me - perhaps to make sure I would post it? :o I believe that is called 'behavior modification"

I just moved and the nearest larger city is Midland - the hometown of the Bush's and many wealthy oil families. So - I am looking into the charities and trying to find one I can do a donation of a portrait to - to get my name out there. What I wanted to know was if it is necessary to go to the fundraising event itself? Obviously I'll have some samples there as well as brochures and cards- but do I need to go? Or - to put it better, does anyone feel it would benefit me to go? I can hold my own with the public, but it is my least favorite part.

I think it would be a huge benefit to you if the organization running the auction would let you actually demo at the event. Set up an easel beside the finished framed sample piece and work on another painting during the event. For you to simply attend and stand around near your stuff might be kind of awkward and wouldn't be very productive, I believe. Many organizations won't let you attend and demo however, but it's very worthwhile to ask.

There are many other threads about the best/easiest way to do a demonstration in public. You can make it easy on yourself if you bring an almost-finished painting and spend the time mostly dabbing at the shirt or hair and waving your brush around and pontificating. (Thanks to Mike McCarty for this idea!)

I was afraid you say that.

If I am truly working on a piece and there are people around - I am fine and can carry on a decent intelligent conversation. If I am pretending, then I get tongue-tied. I need a lesson in 'pontification'.

I was once doing a huge mural for a hotel ballroom. It was on sheets that they had stapled to the 14' high ceilings with plastic underneath. I only had 3 days to do it for their New Years Eve Party. Crowds would gather and it was fine and I enjoyed it. The last day (no sleep as well) a local TV crew came to interview me. Once I came down off the ladder and he put that microphone in my face - I went completely mute. He kept trying to prod me with things like "...so you researched animals at the library....?" to which I would answer "yes" It was a sad, sad thing. Luckily it aired at midnight on NY's Eve so I am sure not many saw it.

I agree with Michelle. There's no point in going to an event unless you are demonstrating. Or you really like to go to the events and spend money to support the charity. Most charitable events have costly tickets, and at least in this neck of the woods, your donation doesn't come with a meal ticket.

The main thing you should focus on, I think, is getting a lot of those little business cards into a lot of those little purses. While it's good to have brochures etc, on hand, they don't generally fit easily into a man's pocket, nor will they fit in a woman's evening bag. This to me means really snazzing up your business card look, either with a new design, color image, classy card stock etc. That's what they'll take home.

Of course whatever you decide to do should be part and parcel of a unified, top-drawer look that ties all of your marketing pieces together.

All good advice - thank you Chris. I just wonder how uncomfortable it will be to demonstrate at a fundraising ball. Do I dress up like the other attendees with an apron over it?

I would wear something nice looking but not very expensive, in black. Maybe a long inexpensive black skirt, for example.

I just love a fashion thread.

I demonstrated at the black-tie/vintage dress opening of the Titanic exhibit a couple of years ago. I brought a model, and did a piece in charcoal. SOO, I wore my pearls, and best long black velvet dress. Charcoal will come out of anything. I dressed my model in strapless black velvet, with a very Titanic jewel. I wore the same outfit for an auxiliary event. Attached.

Last winter I demonstrated at the black tie gala in Scottsdale with all the antique cars. It was January and although in a heated formal tent, still a bit cold ( for us wimps here) I had to find a long sleeve black velvet gown. The local resale store just happened to have one for $9.00. Although working in oil, I didn't care if it turned out to be a one trick pony. Hmm, I don't at the moment see my image but here's my model with the in progress painting. You'll just have to trust me when I say the OUTFIT LOOKED GOOD. Also attached. I love a shopping challenge.you should see what I picked up today for $4.95.

Now of course the big problem is your shoes, which is why you need full length stuff, to hide the sneakers or in my case, the Z-Coil shoes:)

Ok - so I getcha now....go with the flow and enjoy the opportunity to dress up. Anything to get me excited about it I guess. I do have little opportunity to wear the good stuff. Now that I am in the country I find myself in overalls a lot. My husband purposely split wine on me the other day to get me to change.

If you like fashion threads - did you see the vintage Gunne Sax's I bought from ebay? Under Conceptualizing the Portrait.

Chris, how did you come to demo at these events?

It would seem to me that the opening of the Titanic exhibits and a black tie antique car event wouldn't have anything in common with portraiture, but you managed to make it happen.

Did your demonstrations somehow add to their fundraising efforts (ie did you donate a portrait or portion of one?)