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Monday, November 13, 2006

Niche Market Articles

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry I'm not terribly active here, but of late, I'm editing three of Tellman Knudson's blogs. I've just been very busy. :-0 But I haven't forgotten you! I'm very interested in learning more about you and what you like to write, what questions you have, etc.

This morning, I had a questons from one of your list mates, asking about writing an article on visual art.

These are a lot of fun. I once reviewed the International Art Show at the Carnegie in Pittsburgh, and the article was one of the most fun articles I've ever written.

If you're not an artist or an art afficionado and you know what you like, but not much about art, you need to do some studying. Read as many art reviews as you can. Notice the form.

There's usually a blurb about the artwork, in general. Then, you'll need some biographical information about the artist for one paragraph.

And you'll need to know what other visual arts writers have written about the piece of art. Then, form your own opinion based on what you've learned.

And here's how I'd structure:

  1. Come up with a punchy title.
  2. General information about the piece of art and where it's being shown.
  3. A little about the artwork.
  4. A little about the artist.
  5. Some of the information you've gathered. Is the piece well received or panned?
  6. Your own observations
  7. Closing paragraph
This is my opinion, how I would write an art piece. But, remember, I don't generally write art pieces. So, study the genre. Then, write a great article in that form!

Editors like to see creativity, but they also respect form. To begin, please editors. When you're established, you can get away with more. When you're trying to be published, it's best to dot the i's and cross the t's.

Please email me with your questions or post them in the comments section here. I'm ready, willing, and more than able to help. :-)

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4 Comments:

At 1:33 PM, Blogger Brian said...

A work of art has an author, and yet when it is perfect, it has something which is essentially anonymous about it. - Simon Weil

As both artist and writer I'd like to expand on Pat's ideas in this article about visual art by pointing out another approach to writing about art. Art can express more than the artist's intent when viewers attach their own experience and interpretation to the image. In this way an image can also be a metaphor and become useful to extend the expression of your niche product or market.

What I am suggesting is that by connecting an art work in the context of the niche you write for, your work becomes a personal view instead of review. This way you only have to name the artist and maybe a link to a reference. To me this approach of including art in your articles extends appreciation to include artist, writer, and reader in a unique experience.

Brian
http://h4h.biz

 
At 2:53 PM, Blogger Pat Marcello said...

Thank you, Brian.

This is excellent advice!

 
At 3:10 PM, Blogger dehawkinz said...

hmm

Unfortunately I belong to the "death to pretentious waffle" school. I went to see 'field' by Anthony Gormley at the Tate, Liverpool. Now whatever I might think about the work, what annoys me is the pretentious waffle that was put up as an explanation of the work.

Art is subjective, personal experience - there can be no definition of 'Good' or 'Bad' art - merely how the viewer responds to the work.

For the record, I live with someone who is not only an artist, but also holds an art history degree, so I am more than used to the "correct phraseology" to be used, but I do not subscribe to this point of view - art is about YOU, and if you want to share how YOU feel about it - use YOUR language, not that that someone else has forced on you because it is 'right' or 'proper'.

Ho Hum, Pat will probably delete this - never mind, I got it off my chest :-)

DeHawkinz

 
At 6:58 PM, Blogger Pat Marcello said...

Oh, sure... as if I'd block your post, Mr. DeHawkinz. :-)

I hear what you're saying, and it's obvious that I didn't make myself clear on this.

I didn't mean that people should write what other people wrote, but if you had been dealing with editors as long as I have, you'd know that they're very particular about how work is presented (perhaps not so much in the UK, but definitely here). They look for form. That's all I was alluding to--to follow the form, in general.

Opinion is the biggest part of an artistic evaluation, but a writer should have some artistic basis on which to give an opinion, don't you think? I mean, you just can't go off, not knowing anything and write, "That piece of art sucks."

Actually, I agree with you 100%. My advice was to learn about the genre of writing about visul art and then to write within that framework, using your own impressions, of course.

And like you, I have art in my background. My house is filled with paintings from my in-laws, who are both professional artists. My husband is an artist and my daugher is an artist.

Not advocating trumped up B.S. at all.

Does that make sense?

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

--Pat

 

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