February 11, 2008 Valentine's Day is Coming

As Valentine's Day gets closer I am reflecting upon my heart. First I must acknowledge and pay homage to a fellow artist, illustrator and designer the late John Alvin. Only a year older than myself it is humbling to lose one of our own. Those of us who are dedicated full lifetime artists, who have appreciated their corporate commercial clients, know only too well their true creative genius, talent and need to pay bills. His doing so allowed his wife, Andrea, the freedom to create photo realistic paintings. I was not close to him professionally but I am sure we must have past each other in the halls of the Society of Illustrators. Cause of death "Heart Attack".

Was I so ashamed of the fact that I designed a Disney Poster, scarves and licensed art for an industry where you needed a magnifying glass and detailed instructions to find hidden initials or name? The images are not on my web site. You can't buy the posters or scarves since they sold out years ago. Maybe I should put it in the miscellaneous category as a potential cause of impending death of copyrights for artists. I supported the writers strike. As for us traditional pen, brush, or digital pens persons This is just off the wire and open for posting:

FROM THE ILLUSTRATORS' PARTNERSHIP
You are cordially invited to attend an important industry-wide open forum

Protecting Our Rights Collectively
An Evening with Bruce Lehman
Thursday Feb 21 6:00 PM
Society of Illustrators
128 East 63rd Street
Admission will be free
Evening lecture, followed by Q & A
Following the event the Society’s bar will be open

With the Orphan Works Bill due for resurrection, with Getty slashing prices for stock imagery, with millions of dollars of illustrators' reprographic royalties going unaccounted for, six artists groups have banded together as a new organization to take action. Purpose: to create an industry-wide mandate to protect artists rights and to speak as an industry with one voice.

This new organization The American Society of Illustrators Partnership (ASIP) brings together the following groups:

The Society of Illustrators
The Illustrators' Partnership of America
The Association of Medical Illustrators
The American Society of Architectural Illustrators
The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
The San Francisco Society of Illustrators
Six other groups are pending members and other groups are invited to join.

On Feb. 21 ASIP will introduce itself at the Society of Illustrators, hosting An Evening with Bruce Lehman

Mr. Lehman is one of the world’s leading experts on intellectual property: Principal author of the 1976 Copyright Act, principal author of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, former US Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks. In 1997, the National Journal named Lehman one of the 100 most influential men and women in Washington. Mr. Lehman was keynote speaker at the first Illustrators Conference in Santa Fe, 1999. For more about Mr. Lehman, go to http://www.iipi.org/nav_about/boards.asp#Honorable_Bruce_A._Lehman

This event is timed to coincide with the Society of Illustrators Editorial and Book Gala Feb 22. So if you’re planning to attend the opening, please attend this important open meeting the day before. Bring your questions, socialize with your colleagues and learn what steps we need to take next as an industry.


The American Society of Illustrators Partnership is a non-profit organization, incorporated October 25, 2007. Executive Director is Terry Brown. The Board is composed of representatives from each of the six Founding organizations.

If you are a member of one of the above groups, you are automatically eligible for joint membership in this new alliance. If you are not affiliated with any current group you’re welcome to join ASIP independently. There is no membership fee.

For more about this new alliance for protecting artists’ rights, listen to Steven Heller’s interview with Brad Holland:
http://www.core77.com/blog/
broadcasts/core77_broadcast_brad_holland_on_intellectual_property
_interviewed_by_steve_heller_6714.asp

An Evening With Bruce Lehman is sponsored by the Society of Illustrators and the American Society of Illustrators Partnership.

Have a Heart and Happy Valentine's Day,
Roberta

January 21, 2008

After reading last Sunday's New York Times front page article on Cell Phone novels I learned that this is not blog land but the blogosphere. Where have I been for the past seven years? Twiddling my fingers on an iMac rather than writing and sending text messages from my cell phone. Who knew that junior high school girls were tapping out novels on their Nokias, uploading to a web site and winning the chance to be published in hard cover. While all that time I learned to use Apple works on a '99 iMac writing my first novel, "Millennium Blue Test", sending chapters to online amateur writing rooms and to friends who lived at least 3000 miles away. So far I have not published my novel which still needs to be edited. A daunting task not unlike bookkeeping and taxes. I better clean my paint brushes.

You would imagine that a painter would most likely be posting new images but right now convalescing with this broken femur I can't concentrate on painting but finding recovery through tapping on macally keyboard. Hoping that a potential art buyer or two
might want to buy some prints or paintings so I can get a new mac power book. A 15" would be adequate and if a few more paintings sold the 17" model is even better. It's as though none of my other immediate household bills didn't matter. Go be an artist you'll see where your priorities are.

If I knew anyone was interested in reading a few excerpts from the novel I would put it on the blog. In the meantime I am still trying to figure out if anyone actually is interested in reading blogs. One friend of mine said he used his blog as a web site. This is free and really easy to edit.

I will have my new schedule for classes that I will teach at the New York Botanical Gardens and for Squirrel's Nest Art Studio on this blog by the end of this week. No plans to over commit myself this year.

As I usually start off my new year with new goals ( I teach this in my Professional Business Practices and Marketing for Artists course at NYBG and SNAS).

Short Term Priority

3 months

1. Heal broken leg - physical therapy /swimming?
2. Meditate- as often as possible
3. Continue watching scary new global-trashy blood movies like Hostel & Touristas - it will definitely make me be grateful for not being morally and socially unconscious
4. Send out brochures of my art classes and exhibits - snail mail, e-mail & blog

6 months

1. Fix decks and roof
2. Spend time on the garden this spring and summer - plant more bulbs, clean up fix Japanese Garden enclosure - consider a hot-tub/jacuzzi and fix door screens
   
3. Teach
4. Paint

9 months

1. Keep painting
2. Don't forget to take a vacation with the plane ticket I didn't use for Florida.
3. Don't have a solo exhibit this year - paint
4. Paint like my life depended upon it.
   

12 months

1. Take one day at a time
2. Be grateful for the simple things that come and go
   
3. Don't let the little fish get me down - I can swim upstream, in the ponds, lakes, oceans, in a small pool or a jacuzzi.
   
4. Smile even when it hurts
   

Roberta Rosenthal at Squirrel's Nest Art Studio

A New beginning and my first blog

Hello Web Surfers and Friends,

My first big toe into blog land. I started the new year off with breaking my femur bone on my right leg. I fell on the ice going into my house. It was one way for me to slow down so I could catch up on paperwork and filing. I am hoping to use this blog as a way to let you know about my latest creative endeavors, artworks, exhibitions and maybe a few thoughts about art and the environment around the Hudson Valley and Catskill area of New York State. I hope you will check in now and then to see my progress, failures, successes, surprises and perhaps I will remember to use spell check along the way.

My web site: www.robertarosenthal.com is currently being updated, by Chris Rusu, my web master. It should be back to full working order by mid February including new images and prints for sale.

Last year I devoted most of my time consulting on the development and implementation of a local gallery and art school. The process was educational and enlightening. I curated their first two exhibits, put art instructors in place and sold a substantial amount of art for the exhibitors. Once the gallery was on its way to success it earned an award for best renovation by the county's Real Estate Board for the owners. It was time for me to return to Squirrel's Nest Art Studio. The Nest Studio is my home. I always know when a job is completed by letting go with detachment as a necessary passage to the next big thing. What ever that is. For me it is usually new clients, painting, teaching art at the New York Botanical Garden and catching up with paperwork.

Although my leg is broken I know it will heal and the upcoming physical therapy will do me a world of good. I will give you updates as I progress with getting back into shape.

The first exhibition of my work this year will be in a two person exhibit with: Garin Baker and my Asian brush paintings. I will be showing nine watercolor and ink paintings that were part of my last solo exhibit at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum in Newburgh, NY. Garin Baker is an enormously talented painter and muralist.
at John's Framing Shop
2330 State Route 32, New Windsor NY 12553
(845) 534-3349
Dates for the exhibit and reception to be announced in February.



On February 20 - March 27, 2008 I will have several landscape paintings at:
Orange Hall Gallery, Middletown, NY (OCCC)
The Basha Kill - A Quiet Treasure

Reception: Sunday, March 2, 2008 2-4 pm.

********************************************

BTW - I will only be teaching at Squirrel's Nest Art Studio locally in Bloomingburg. Classes include drawing, botanical watercolor or sumi-e Asian brush painting classes. Classes will be small with up to 4 students and I will be offering private classes too.

For detailed information, registration and schedule please e-mail rozenart@aol.com or call me at (845) 733-1848. I will post the schedule soon.

I will teach botanical art certificate courses at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx for the Spring/Summer/Fall 2008 seasons. Go to www.nybg.org for information and registration.

I hope you will want to read more of my blogs and that you will want to comment on contents, feedback or what ever people do on blogs.