One of the problems for an unknown artist in NYC is finding places to exhibit.  I frequently check Craigslist, but all the opportunities require that you pay a certain amount of money up front….money I don’t have.  One such place advertised itself as a gallery, and to find out about exhibiting there, I would have to go to a meet and greet gathering.  I didn’t go, because I figured it would cost money, and if I was not told in advance how much, I’d be wasting my time.

Turns out the space was actually a hair salon!  On top of getting free decoration for the walls, they charged $500 for the month to do so, plus a 50% commission.

I have no objection to displaying work in exchange for a commission, be it a coffee shop, hair salon or what have you.  But some things are just unreasonable, and designed to take advantage of desperate artists.

In September I will be having a show, in exchange, they get to select a picture.  Although I feel bad about giving up a piece of artwork, it’s reasonable, it’s a good space, and it’s in busy coffee shop in a high traffic area of Manhattan.  I’ll post more information as the time approaches.

I also sent off some samples to a show I did last year: In the Place We Live.  It turned out there are size restrictions this time around, and my finished work is too big.  I entered sketches, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

In the meantime, I’ve done some work on the full size drawing of Treetop Paradise.  Here it is: