Opening this Friday

Paul Keysar and Kat Knutsen present new work at Artworks on Main, 165 N Main St, Mooresville, NC.

Join me at the opening reception, this Friday, October 8, 2010, 6-9 p.m.

Work will remain on display through October 2010.

Multi-Tasking Exhibit Opening

I am a featured artist in the Multi-Tasking exhibit on display through October 7th at the Cabarrus Arts Council galleries in Concord, NC. Join me for the opening reception and gallery crawl this Friday, August 27, from 6-9 p.m. I have 14 pieces in this exhibit, most of them new, including oils, charcoals, graphite drawings, and walnut ink drawings.

On September 30th, I will be giving a demonstration and presentation about my work.

The galleries are located in the Historic Cabarrus Courthouse, 65 Union Street South, Concord, NC.

200 under $200 Exhibit

Join me at the Mooresville "Corner of Art and Main" gallery crawl this Friday, August 13. I will be participating in the 200 under $200 exhibit at Artworks on Main. Featuring 200 pieces of art for under $200. This exhibit runs through the end of August.

All Arts Market - June 2nd and 3rd

I will be exhibiting my work during the quarterly "All Arts Market", June 2nd and 3rd, at the Neighborhood Theatre in NoDa. I will have new work available for purchase, as well as information on upcoming classes and workshops.

The event is sponsored by Nodarioty and takes place from 6-10 p.m. each night. For more information, see Nodarioty.org. More than 90 artists will have their work on display each night.

Concord Art Walk

Tonight, I will be exhibiting my work at the Piedmont Renaissance Center during the quarterly Concord Art Walk. The event takes place between 6-9 p.m. in Concord, NC.

April is for Arts Events - April 16th and 17th

This Friday, April 16th, 6-9 p.m. is the April is for Arts gallery crawl in Davidson and Cornelius. I have some pieces in the Lake Norman Art League's Spring Exhibit at 442 S. Main St in Davidson.

My painting House Fire (shown below) won second place in the exhibit; juror was Christie Taylor of Hodges Taylor Gallery in Charlotte, NC.

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Family Arts Day is Saturday, April 17, 2010 1-4 p.m. at the Cornelius Arts Center, 19725 Oak Street, Cornelius, NC. I will have work for sale and information on upcoming classes and workshops.

The event is free and activities include:
Hands-On Art Activities by The Community Arts Project
Artisan Vendors
Face Painting by LKN Teen Council
Sidewalk Chalk
Bubble Pools
The Great Fettucini
Clown
DJ

Mooresville Art Walk - April 9th

I'll be exhibiting my work at 202 North Main St Fine Wines in Downtown Mooresville (NC) this Friday, April 9, 2010, from 6-9 p.m. during the Corner of Art and Main monthly art walk. I'll have a variety of work available for purchase along with information on upcoming classes and workshops. Please stop by if you are in the neighborhood.

Charlotte Artery November Exhibit

I have been invited to exhibit as a guest artist in the Charlotte ARTery's November Exhibit.

Two nights only! Friday, November 13 and Friday, November 20, 6-9 p.m. each night.

Located at 130 W. Bland Street, one block off of Tryon St, in the South End of Charlotte. Please come out to see my new painting:

Burning Leaves
10" x 8"
Oil on Linen

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OTHER EXHIBIT NEWS

Teaching Talents: Instructor and Staff Exhibit
November 9 - December 23

Cornelius Arts Center, 19725 Oak St, Cornelius, NC
(Open M-Th, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Ave, Cornelius, NC
(Open M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

I have three paintings and an etching in this exhibit.

Small Works 2009
November 23 - January 8
Lake Norman Art League Gallery
442 S. Main St, Davidson, NC
Open M-F, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

I have three paintings in this exhibit. Please come out December 3-5th, 6-9 p.m. during Christmas in Davidson. Lake Norman Art League will be hosting a reception each night, taking visitors votes for viewer's choice favorites, and giving free posters away to visitors who come out these nights.

American Art Today Exhibit

Green was accepted into the juried exhibit American Art Today: Juried Works at The Bascom in Highlands, NC.

Green
20" x 16"
Oil on Linen

The exhibit opens with a free, public reception on Saturday, October 24, 2009, from 5-7 p.m. Ms. Blaugrund will speak at 6 p.m. about her selections. The exhibit remains on display through December 18, 2009, and is open during The Bascom's regular hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"The exhibit juror was Annette Blaugrund, former director of the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, New York, New York, who has organized major exhibitions and published and lectured widely on diverse subjects in American art. Blaugrund holds a Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University and is author of major books, among them John James Audubon: The Watercolors for The Birds of America (October 1993, Villard Books, Random House, with Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr.). One of Dr. Blaugrund’s projects was an exhibition and catalogue called The Tenth Street Studio Building: Artist-Entrepreneurs from the Hudson River School to the American Impressionists, organized for The New York Historical Society where she was the Andrew W. Mellon Senior Curator of paintings, drawings and sculpture from 1989 to 1995, and Director of Institutional Planning in her last year there. As an accreditation reviewer for the American Association of Museums, Dr. Blaugrund consults privately with museums and foundations across the country." (Bio taken from exhibit prospectus.)

ELEMENTary Opening Reception6/26/09, 6-9 PM - Concord, NC

Please join me at the "ELEMENTary - The Basics: Air, Earth, Fire, Water" opening reception on Friday, June 26, 2009, from 6-9 p.m. at the Cabarrus Arts Council galleries, Historic Cabarrus Courthouse, 65 Union Street S, Concord, NC.

I have 14 works on display, including 7 new oil paintings, one of which is shown below. Hope to see you there!

Shore Line
16x20"
Oil on Canvas
SOLD

Below is an invitation to the opening:

The exhibit is on display through August 13, 2009. Regular gallery hours are M-F, 10-4.

Finished!

I have finished and turned in all paintings for my second exhibit this summer. I have been working on preparing for the "Realism Found" exhibit (on display through June 30th), and the upcoming "ELEMENTARY: The Basics - Air, Earth, Fire, Water" for the past two months. I am ready to switch focus.

The ELEMENTARY exhibit runs June 22 - August 13, 2009, with an opening reception during the Art Walk on Friday, June 26, 2009, from 6-9 p.m., at the Cabarrus Arts Council, Historic Courthouse, 65 Union Street S, Concord, NC 28026. For more information about this exhibit, please contact the gallery at 704-920-ARTS (2787).

I saw a preview of the exhibit yesterday, and it looks really great! There is a great mix of styles from artists across the region. Please come out to the opening if you can. It won't disappoint.

I'm still working on editing images of the new paintings completed for the two exhibits, so I can show you the new paintings. I created four new paintings for the Realism Found exhibit and seven new paintings for the ELEMENTary exhibit. I'm still working on my website redesign. There's been a lot going on. I'm not posting new information on my website until the redesign is done. In the meantime, look for news on my blog or follow me on Twitter at @paulkeysar.

"Realism Found"Opening Reception June 5th, 6-9 p.m.

I have 13 pieces on exhibit, including several new, never before seen, pieces. Please come out to the opening if you can. I would love to see you there.

Work in Progress

I am currently working on finishing five paintings for "Realism Found: Charlotte Artists Find New Meaning in an Old Tradition". I have to finish these by Monday to get them photographed and framed prior to next Wednesday's hanging. I'll post some photos of the paintings in the exhibit later next week. The show runs June 2-30, 2009, at The Queen's Gallery, 1212 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC. If you're in town, please come to the opening reception on Friday, June 5 from 6-9 p.m., or the Plaza / Midwood "Krawl" on Saturday, June 13, 2009, from 7-10 p.m. Hope to see you there.

After those paintings are finished, I have several more I have to be finished for another exhibit in June in Concord, NC. Those need to be turned in by June 1st. A very busy week for me lies ahead.

Entering Juried Exhibits

artshow.com is my favorite resource to check for upcoming juried art exhibits.

Where do you look?

Some key things I check before entering a juried exhibit:

1. Who is the judge?
What type of work does the judge like, as evidenced by their own work (if an artist) work they collect (if a collector), or work they exhibit (if a gallery owner). What type of work has the judge selected for acceptance and awards in previous juried exhibits? Do a Google search to find out more.

2. What type of prizes will be awarded?
Will it benefit me to enter? In what ways...if I win and if I don't?

3. Will my work fit in with the style preferred by the show organizers?

4. What are the additional costs of entering?
Aside from the entry fee, are there shipping costs or booth fees? Do I think that my income will outweigh the expenses?

5. What are my chances for increasing exposure to my art?
What type of press coverage does the event receive? How respected is it in the art community? Is this a local exhibit, regional exhibit, or will it attract national attention?

I entered art exhibits for many years without paying attention to most of these details, just assuming that my work would speak for itself. It's not going to make much impact if you are speaking to the wrong audience. Once I started researching and only entering exhibits that matched my goals and interests, my acceptance and award percentage went up significantly. I encourage you to do the same.