Kim Radatz in “BRAVA: A Collective Exhibition of Seven Women Artists”

The Studio @620 hosts an exhibition of works by seven women artists during Women’s History Month. This exhibition organized by Gallery Curator and artist Kenny Jenson features work from the members of this collective: Chalet Comellas, Candace Knapp, Phyllis McEwen, Joanna Karpay, Carolina Cleere, Lyla Haggard, and  Kim Radatz.

The works presented range from paintings to textiles, sculpture, photography, video, and installations. The artworks are as varied as the individuals in the group. The common theme is one of support, community and creative growth shared among women artists.

Radatz will be exhibiting the work featured above, a mixed media installation of buckets made from encaustic medium and thread, in addition to three piece made from repurposed and vintage clothing.  All of Radatz’s  work deals relationships and the emotions that stem from them. 

There will be an Artists’ Talk during the closing reception, Sat. April 2 from 5-9.

March 12-April 2, 2016

Gallery hours by appointment, call 727-895-6620

Opening Reception Sat. March 12 / 5:00-9:00 PM

Closing Reception with Artists’ Talk Sat. April 2 / 5-9 PM

620 First Avenue South

St. Petersburg, FL 33701

The Studio@620

What is it You Want?

In It’s a Wonderful Life, George asks Mary, “What is it you want, Mary? What do you want?”

The question bears repeating in real life as well.

What is it you want?

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I love having targets to shoot at. But sometimes I loose site of those targets and things get a bit muddled up.

What to do, what to do?

Get back on track by identifying what my target is. Often times this requires some fine tuning and/or adjusting as life changes. But that’s okay, because I am reaffirming the target(s) at the same time.

But what if you don’t know what you want?

According to Jennifer Grisham of Everyday Bright, “One of the most undervalued commodities in our society is clarity.”

Really? Interesting thought. And one well worth the trouble of fixing. Because as we have discussed before, you can’t aim at something if you don't have a target.  Which means lots of bullets could be flying about willy-nilly and accomplishing very little.

Just putting pen to paper is a huge step towards identifying and understanding what you want. But if you need more help, I’d highly recommend Jen’s blog post on the subject as she has some great tips to share.

Until the next time, may you have creativity and clarity in your day!

Do You Donate Your Art?



T-Shirt design by he said tee shed
 at http://www.hesaidteeshed.com/

I saw the above on Facebook this past week and it reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend earlier this year.

She has a “No Donations” policy. Period. And here is why.

• The work we donate is always first rate as our names are attached to it.
• We work just as hard on the free work as the work we will sell.
• If there is no return on the investment, why spend all of that time and energy on it?

I donate art because of guilt. Or because I believe in the cause. And because somebody has asked me to do so, and I’m fairly obedient (though my husband might disagree. :)

So, I am wondering, why do you donate your art?

And if you don’t donate your art, why not?

I know I’d love to hear the ins and outs of your decision, and I bet others will too.

Thanks much, and may your day be a creative one.

Rules Were Made to Be Broken

Today I read a blog post by Seth Apter of The Altered Page on blogging tips for artists and found it interesting, so I am sharing it with you.  Give it a read, I think you might find it interesting too.

One thing Seth said really stood out for me. It reads:

The idea of posting interesting content, day after day, can be daunting to many artists, who would often rather be in the studio than writing blog posts. However, if you think of your blog as an extension of your creative endeavors, the two activities can seamlessly combine.

Spot on. What a great way to think about writing, as an extension of your own work. I will share this advice with my non-writing artist friends to see if it will help them overcome their writers block.

Later in the post he advises to always include an image with your blog post. Advice I have heard often before, especially since we are visual artist, but a rule I choose to break for a variety of reasons.

First of all, I get overwhelmed from the visuals that confront me on a day to day basis. It’s like a visual vacation to see only the text and let my imagination make up the visuals, if they are even necessary.

Also, blogging in and of itself takes time. To feel like I must include an image each time overwhelms me with guilt and guilt is something I am trying to eliminate from my life.

But more importantly, it takes time to get a good image, time I don’t always have. Work is my main focus, allotting some of that time to a blog photo is not something I am willing to do. Granted, if you are selling from your blog good images would be a necessity, but I don’t fit in that category.

With my blog I am thinking out loud and learning from others in the process. At the same time I am fine tuning my own voice and growing as an individual and as an artist. But in order to find my own voice, I must listen first and foremost to myself. And sometimes that means I’ve gotta break the rules.

May you swim upstream a little today!

How Rejection Made Me A Better Artist

As I prepare my proposal packet to send off next week I keep wondering, “How can I make my proposal shine over all of the other proposals that the gallery receives?” And it made me realize that although acceptance letters are the ones that make me feel good inside, it is the rejection letters that have made me grow, and that in turn has made me a better artist.

If I hadn’t been rejected down through the years I might not have taken time to evaluate my work.

• Was it the quality of the slides/images?
• Was it the quality of the work?
• Was the work appropriate for the show/venue?
• And on and on.

To help strengthen my weaknesses I have taken many workshops on career development, for both artists and business people in general. And I have listened to countless self-help CD’s while I drive and exercise.

I have continued my art education to improve my skills and learned new ones which has enabled me to try new paths. Some lessons I can use immediately while others percolate for years before I find a good use for them. Some I never use, but that does not bother me for it is the knowledge that has given me strength and assuages my fears to consider future risks more comfortably.

I have taken classes and read up on how to take better photographs, though you wouldn't always know it from my blog snapshsots (hah! :-D). I’m not computer savvy, but I am learning my way around the computer and Photoshop. This has probably been the hardest for me, but I keep pluggin’ along and I am surprised at how much I have learned. Don’t get me wrong, I probably couldn’t keep up with a 5th grader, but I look like a genius compared to my sister.

All of these subjects and many more are ongoing as education is my number one priority. Boy, do I still have lots to learn. And I hope I continue doing so until I take my last breath.

And on that happy note, I better get back to work.

I hope your day is a creative one!

Twins, Kim Radatz

Twins, detail, Kim Radatz

This piece was made while I was at Penland School of Crafts in 2006 for the Spring Concentration.  It is a mixed media piece consisting of Vandyke brown photo prints on muslin.

Do You Know the Secret?

To Etsy, that is.

Periodically I will think to myself, “I should try to sell some smaller works with my own Etsy shop.” And then if I take it one step further and actually log onto Etsy to check it out and try to navigate my way around the site I break into a cold sweat and immediately want to run.

Far away.

And fast.

Is this unique to me? Or have you experienced that too?

And I also wonder, do you buy or sell on Etsy?

If yes, maybe you have some secrets to share on how to do it well?

Please, do tell.  I could use your help.

Juried Shows are a Crap Shoot

Guests looking at Grey Area©

The Florida Museum for Women Artists opening went great on Friday. I visited with old and new friends alike, always a good thing.


As I mentioned before, it was a juried show, which is always such a crap shoot. I know quite a few women that were not juried in and their work is FANTASTIC. So why didn’t they make it in?


One has to wonder. It is a question I have had to ask myself when I didn’t get in a show. Was it the work? Was it the venue? Was it me? Was it all of the above?

Inquiring minds want to know.


Which is why I have recently starting reading books, blogs, and attending talks and workshops on art marketing. And it has helped me. Not necessarily by getting into a specific show, but by educating me for the long haul. Again, always a good thing.

So I want to share some of my favorites with you. Feel free to pass along your favorites too as I am always open to educational stuff.

I read Copy Blogger and ArtBiz Blog  on a regular basis as they cover tons of pertinant info on marketing.   ArtBiz addressed the jurying subject specifically back in June.

Also, I recently I attended a workshop by Alyson B Stanfield of ArtBizBlog in Jacksonville, which was great.  If you haven’t read her book, I’d Rather Be in the Studio, I would highly recommend it.

Good stuff, all of it.

And that, my friends brings me to what I am thankful for on this day before Thanksgiving:

to be able to pursue my passion, and continue to grow while doing so, surrounded by loving family and friends, even if at times it is a crap shoot.

I wish you the best of luck in the shows you enter!  May they all be "yeses."

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!