Friday, August 1, 2008

Publishing images of completed works, when and when not to


With today's technology and all its possibilities (think the Internet, Facebook, digital imaging etc) one has to be very careful how and when to publish completed works. Many juried exhibitions require that the work be unseen in any previous exhibition and that selection would be the first time the work be seen in public. It can now also mean that a work must not have been published on the internet, blogs, books or anywhere else. Okay, there is obviously a need to be careful. What has happened already is that someone had an image of an artist's work and published it without permission. When this was discovered by the organisors of an exhibition in which it had been accepted, the work was withdrawn. What really hurt was that it was selected to receive an award. The lesson here is to keep a tight rein on images of work, think where images may appear and also be aware that, if not your own work, permission must be given before publishing.
With this in mind, I will only publish details or unfinished works on this blog. However, once a piece has been in a public space I am happy to show completed works.
Above is one of my first WholeCloth Banner works. It is called Time Floating 74cm x 98cm and is worked on a silk broadcloth using Procion MX dyes, discharge techniques and just a little bit of pigment. It was selected for the 2008 International Fiber Celebration, Lincoln Center Galleries, Fort Collins, CO, USA, and received the award for The Best Use of Dyes.


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