Worst Release Ever ♥ Owls for Charity - Collection Review #2
KATIE BERGGRENNote: This is the second blog post in a series devoted to reviewing past painting collections by Katie m. Berggren.
Over the weekend we moved my husband's office from our bedroom into our son's room (now that he's moved away to start his career). I spent Sunday re-arranging my bedroom. What a blessing a few re-placed things, and a new perspective, are.
And boy did I clean. Calling back to last week’s email about cleaning and re-setting after a big collection release, here’s something I figured out:
When you are dusting EVERYthing,
you realize, quite quickly, what you
do NOT want to dust ANYMORE...
...And that thing goes out the door. If taking care of it doesn’t please you, then it goes.
The first day that I was dusting with my handy new duster, I found 2 things immediately in the studio that had to go (one being my previous duster, ha ha!) And I look forward to seeing what else ends up in the donation bag.
Volunteering where I can see the items come in, sort them onto shelves, then watch families pick them up and take them home… makes giving even easier (and more rewarding).
OH, Speaking Of THAT...
Earlier in the week I created 3 more mini owl paintings, and 100% of the price from the purchase of these three new owl families will go straight to The Giving Closet. See the new owls. (you can donate to TGC, too!)
On To Promised Things...
I promised last week that I’d tell you about my worst performing collection release EVER. I keep near-scrupulous record of all of my paintings and my collections - here is a glimpse into my folder to see them all :)
This is not to say that the artwork in the aforementioned release was BAD, it isn’t, it wasn't, I love it! I spent hour upon hour preparing the art for The Silhouette Collection, in November of 2024. My first official DIGITAL art collection release!
The silhouette idea came to me months before I actually started creating these pieces. Drawing outlines of women and children, or women alone, then using Photoshop to carefully insert textures from my earlier paintings, into the bodies. I LOVED the idea – some of my earliest artwork (like, 23 years ago) was digital, so I was eager to play.
I used some of the most awesome textures from my hand-painted pieces, finding little sections that seemed perfect, then overlapping, cutting, smoothing. It felt part like craft, and part like design.
I LOVED The Finished Pieces!
I chose inspirational words to go with each one, and my son helped me to get things just right, with his artist’s eye. I received many notes from the public about how awesome these were, and I visualized them in collages and as inspirational images in schools or lactation rooms. I was excited to show everyone the whole collection after showing only sneak peeks. And then I did!
AND... Absolute Crickets!
The connection just wasn’t there. And that's how we learn. I laugh about it now, but I was so confused. These were digital prints, so no original artwork on canvas, but NOT. A. SINGLE. PRINT. SOLD on release day. Maybe not even during release WEEK!
I had already worked these into my plan as my end of year gift for my best collectors, and since so many people had told me they loved them, I went ahead and mailed them out in many client gifts. Honestly, I love them, and I don’t know exactly what went wrong. But that is the nature of business: try and try again.
I'm Grateful That I Love What I Do ~ So Time Spent Creating Never Feels Like Wasted Time.
Looking back after a bit, I realize that I over-kerned (spaced) the font on the images, which is a design no-no, and I should know this, but I was following only my heart. And I wonder if the art felt just 'too weird' to people, or 'too impersonal', or maybe just lacking faces :) also probably the fact that none were actual original paint on canvas or paper.
Overall, a really cool idea, a lot of work, a beautiful collection of pieces (IMHO), and a HUGE flop. The only collection I have ever considered a FLOP. But it is apt.
And Then I Immediately
Moved On To The NEXT Thing.
Because We Have To.
Some of my favorite pieces from the Silhouette Collection are True Love, and Best Friends. Do you have a favorite?
A puzzle: can you determine what paintings donated the textures to the above 2 pieces? Where did I find those colors and patterns? 😊
A Gift For You
To THANK YOU for joining me on this journey of months-ago nostalgia, I’m giving you a special gift. A downloadable and printable piece from The Silhouette Collection. Just click the image below to access your free 5x7 inch downloadable print. Once you get to the window with the image, right click to save to your computer. Some of my true collectors will know EXACTLY where the texture in this piece came from (more about THAT project next week)!
NEXT WEEK: a collection that OPENED my heart and possibilities but also made me cry in frustration.
Thank you for being here, I always appreciate you ♥
Anything specific you'd like to see/learn/know?
Love & Sincerely, Katie
