TWSA Celebration weekend 2013

I've just got back home after attending the TWSA Celebration weekend in Kenosha Winsconsin. It was an amazing weekend filled with spectacular artwork, awesome artists and much laughter and fun.

Here are just a couple photos of the event for you.

Me beside my award winning painting 'Bookworm Breakfast'

Me, with Frank Eber and Chris Beck

The Art Colony Girls: Mary Jansen, Marilyn Wear, Kaaren Oreck, Chris Beck, Jane Freeman, me and  Chihiro Yabe

Having fun together

All the attending exhibiting Artists

Thank you to TWSA for organising such an awesome weekend.

Ona

www.onak.ca is now updated!

Over the last week I've been busy updating my website www.onak.ca.

All my paintings are now grouped into galleries. Visit the main gallery page by clicking on Galleries in the tool bar on the left of the screen to easily view them. Here is a screen shot of just the first few galleries.

 You can then click on the gallery of your choice to see an overview of the paintings in that gallery.

In the picture below you can see the first few watercolours on my Family life gallery page

From here you can then click on either the pictures or titles to go to the individual painting pages where you can read about each painting and find information about the price and shipping.

Hope you enjoy looking at all the different galleries. Don't forget to have a look at the new Open Edition Prints page and Card Shop too. Lots of great gift ideas here for yourselves and well as your friends :)

Let me know what you think.

Ona

Distort-Ted

I don't know if you all do the same but when I'm setting up a still life I tend to 'live with it' for a day or two, changing things until I'm happy with it... well I came back to it one time and found that my Ted's who live in my studio had 'found' my set up :)

The distortion in the glass certainly provided amusement for these curious Ted's. Hope it does for you too.

                                                   Transparent Watercolour13.5 by 25 inches

Congratulations to Mary for guessing the correct number of Ted's in the painting. A card will be on it's way to you tomorrow.

 Ona

Distort-Ted WIP 4

Several of you have e mailed asking for an update so you can see what was behind the orange glass that I was painting in the last post I made. Thank you all for your interest.  I hope you like little Distort-Ted...

 ...He makes my husband and I smile each time we look at him with his tiny paws poking out of the sides of the glass and his face peering through at us.

 I am now working on the next Ted who will be investigating the glass bowl in front of him. Any guesses what he is doing?

Ona

Distort-Ted WIP 3

I am still working my way along the line of glass objects.  I am having lots of fun distorting things that are inside or behind the glass bottles and vases. I think the orange bottle I am painting at the moment will be the most fun to do. Look either side of the bottle at its base for the clue as to what will be distorted in this one.

Have you guessed?

I love how the light reflects the colour of the glass onto surrounding objects. The vase to the left of the bottle I am currently painting glows with orange. I'm looking forward to painting the Ted to the right of the blue bottle for the same reason too.

Ona

Distort-Ted WIP 2

I loved reading all your guesses about the number of Ted's you thought might be in the painting. Thank you for e mailing them to me. As you can see by today's update there is definitely one Ted. I'm going to keep you in suspense a while longer though for the finished number of Ted's. Most people who e mailed seemed to think there were three but a few thought there were more. I wonder who will be correct.

I am now working my way along painting the different glass objects some of which are orange, others are blue and a couple are clear. I'm pleased with how it's going so far. Glass is certainly fun to paint.

Ona

Distort-Ted WIP 1

 After a couple of weeks break from painting it was fun to pick up the brushes again. Several of my friends have been painting glass objects recently and it got me thinking about a possible Ted painting... I just love the distorted shapes that can occur when you look at things through different shaped glass objects so I had great fun thinking of different ways I could distort my little Teds or the objects around them.

The painting is still in it's very early stages. I wanted a rich dark background to really set off the glass bottles but also wanted to continue the theme of distortion in the background too so I decided to add in subtle lines and shapes rather similar to those you sometimes see through glass. In some lighting conditions they are hardly visible but in others they are more clearly seen.

Can you work out how many Teds there will be in my painting?

Ona

May's Tip of the Month.... beware of Art scammers!

I had a 'very nice chatty enquiry' by e mail this morning asking if my painting 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, We Love You' was still available for sale.

The name of the sender seemed familar  and my suspicions were confirmed when I googled the name Betty Hammond but just in case it was a legit enquiry from someone with the same name I replied that it had sold a year or two ago at the CWA exhibition but that limited edition prints of the painting were available. I was interested to see  what the reply would be.  Almost immediately I then received a second e mail.

I have decided to share the e mail with you all as I hope, that by me doing so, it might help raise awareness and stop someone from being duped by scams such as this.

This is the e mail I received.... I have highlighted in italics the key areas which everyone should be very wary of if they receive an enquiry and will explain why these should be red flags to you below.

" Dear Ona,

Thanks for your prompt reply. I'm interested in a Limited edition print matted and framed.(1) 

Unfortunately, I'm on my way to France on an official trip (2) (I'm a marketing Executive) and won't be back for another two weeks.

If you'd like to know, I'm relocating to South Africa soon (2) and I'm trying to gather some good stuff for my new abode.

However, I'll have to notify my shipper (3) who's helping me move my stuff to get set for the pick up of the piece from your place as I MIGHT be delayed depending on how things goes.

In the mean time, kindly get back to me with your contact address and phone# so I can get a check prepared and have it mailed out to you right away. (4)

Betty Hammond"

  

Scams like this are the most common scams that hit artists. They presume we are eager for a sale, and move quickly, if we let them.
 
So What are the red flag warnings you should look for in an enquiry?

• The buyer chooses the most expensive option and one that is awkward/costly to ship (1)
• The buyer is in one location, the art is going to another location, and the money comes from a third location (2)
• The buyer selects their own shipping company or private shipper (3)
• There is a sense of urgency and the buyer wants to move quickly. They also issue you a cheque, money order or bank draft from a bank you've never heard of before (4)

The scammer finds an artist's website or other on line marketing site. They will typically pick artwork which is priced highly and/or one that is heavy or awkward to ship. They then pose as a buyer, asking to purchase the work. 

They will offer to take care of the shipping themselves, though their own shipping company or private shipper. 

They will often, but not always, say that they will pay you for the shipping and the art. These shipping cost will almost always be much higher than a standard courier. 

The scammer will very quickly send you a cheque, money order or bank draft for the item plus shipping fee. After you have confirmed that you have cashed the payment, they will tell you that they have had some horrible life event and need the money refunded ASAP.  Because the shipping company never picked up the artwork, you refund the sale. 

The scammer receives your cheque and cashes it before your own bank  realizes that the cheque, money order or bank draft from the scammer is a fake and removes the money from your account. You have now lost the money, with very little possible chance of recovering it!

So How do you protect yourself?  

If you are being asked to ship an item, always use a known courier company and choose that company yourself. You can always give the buyer a couple options so they can choose the fee and delivery style that best suits them. But be in control of the shipping.

Request payment via a credit card using an online payment option like Pay Pal which provide both buyers and sellers with added protection. Although paypal will take a percentage of your sale, it is much safer for you. Any legitimate buyer should not mind paying via credit card because it also provides them with insurance if their item doesn't arrive. Do not accept cheques via mail unless you and the buyer are willing to wait until you know the cheque has cleared before shipping the item. This will typically scare away any fake buyers and encourage real ones to pay with a credit card. 

Always conduct yourself professionally and do not be afraid to lose a sale.

The scammer might send out thousands of e mails like the one above.... most of the time it will be noticed for what it is and ignored. They will continue though because it only takes that 1 in a thousand person who doesn't realise and sends them money to make it worth the scammer's effort. Don't be that person. Be aware!

information source credits: http://stopartscams.blogspot.ca/2013/04/scam-email-betty-hammond.html https://sites.google.com/site/bogusartfair/buyer-shipping-scams
and http://www.artquest.com/artquest/scammer-names.html
Thank you all for your valuable information.

'Collect-Ted' Art Trading Cards Now Available

Do you enjoy my Ted series of watercolours?

 If so, you can now start collecting them. 

Each Trading Card is printed using archival inks on quality fine art paper and is 3.5 by 2.5 inches in size. The photo below shows just a selection of the cards available.

(Please note: some images have been cropped to focus on the bears when dimensions of the original painting do not allow the full image on the trading card).

The trading cards can be purchased in 'Collect-Ted' clear boxed packs of either 10 or 20 assorted cards

A pack of 10 Art Trading Cards is $15.

A pack of 20 Art Trading Cards is  $25.

Prices are in Canadian Dollars and include Free postage to Canada and the US. 

(There will be an additional $5 shipping charge for orders to the rest of the world)

e mail ona@onak.ca with your order. 

Payment is made via Paypal which accepts most major credit cards.

Merit Award LWS 43rd International Exhibition

I have just found out that my painting 'Re Unite-Ted' has won a Merit Award at the Louisiana Watercolor Society 43rd International Exhibition. Thank you to the juror Cindy Agan.

What an amazing couple of weeks this is turning out to be!

The exhibition is open until the 28th of this month

(1332 Washington Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130  •  504-891-3032  •   Gallery Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11am to 5pm and sundays 11am to 2pm)  

 so if you are within travelling distance do go and view all the amazing paintings in the exhibition

Ona

Donors Award at the TWSA Exhibition

I am honored and thrilled to let you know that my painting 'Bookworm Breakfast' has won The Donors Award in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America 37th National Exhibition.

The exhibition of just over 80 paintings opened this week at the Kenosha Public Museum and runs until August 4th.

Ona

Having fun with friends!

I have had a wonderful week at the Mckay Gallery. Yesterday Birgit O'Connor, who had just arrived from California for a workshop she is teaching this week, stopped in with Tamar from Studio Six to see us and the paintings. It was a wonderful surprise.

In the photo from left to right ... Tamar, Shirley the president of the society, Birgit and I.  'Incriminate-Ted' is lurking in the background too.

Thank you for visiting the exhibition.

Best in Show and Portrait Award!

I have some great news to share :) My painting 'Incriminate-Ted' has won Best in Show at the BWS Luminosity 2013 Exhibition

Our Juror , Bianka Guna, very kindly wrote comments for each award winning painting.

'Watercolour at its best- very transparent layering of light, following an original idea and impeccable technique –what else could a juror ask for? Congratulations!'  Juror, Bianka Guna'

 My other painting 'Content-Ted' won the Portrait Award!

'A peaceful, intimate and skillful portrait of a child sleeping- an instant classic. Masterful description of serenity, a dreamy piece!' Juror, Bianka Guna


 If you would like to see the exhibition it will be open at the McKay Gallery on main Street Unionville all week and then many of the award winning paintings will transfer to the Richmond Hill Centre for the performing Arts for the remainder of May.

Ona

Caffeinate-Ted!

Poor 'Caffeinate-Ted' is trying to study for his exams but he has left it all to the last minute! He is now desperately trying to stay awake and is resorting to coffee, chocolate and cookies to help keep those eyes open while he studies.

Will these desperate measures be enough for him to pass his exams in the morning? ... or will the caffeine fix wear off and sleep deprivation take over?

Transparent watercolour 25.5 inches by 16 inches on Arches 140lb cold press.

Ona

Caffeinate-Ted WIP

 So how many times have you stayed up late to cram for a test the following day or to finish that painting that is calling to you and by 2am when adrenaline alone won't keep those eyes open you resort to a caffeine fix? This is the idea behind the next Ted painting that I am working on. 

I have been developing the scene over the last week, building up the glazes on the background and the table, to create that dim late night feel. Now I am starting to paint in the items on the table. There are plenty of books of course and plenty of coffee beans too.

 Can you guess what else is still left to paint?

Ona