 | | |  |  |  |  | | click on images for more info |
|  | It's
beautiful in Scottsdale right now, and if you don't have the pleasure
of living here and are tired of the long, cold winter it's time to plan
a trip to Scottsdale. Our season is off to a great start and we are
looking forward to a fantastic 2009. If you haven't had a chance to
visit our new website take a few minutes to do so. We have greatly
expanded our offerings and are adding new artwork daily. More
importantly, we have made it possible for you to contact the artists
directly, giving you the opportunity to interact with the artist, learn
more about the artwork, and negotiate a sale directly with artists from
around the country.
Visit xanadugallery.com today!
In
this issue of Red Dot you will see new works, meet our collectors and
learn more about one of our newly featured Studio artists, Juliana
Hutchins.
All my best,
J. Jason Horejs
Owner
Xanadu Gallery |
|  |  |  |  | | Trevor Thomas - February 12-26, 2009 - Opening Reception, Thursday, February 12, 7-9 p.m. | | | | | | |
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|  | | Mr. Harlan F. with Dave Newman and "12M", the newest addition to Mr. & Mrs. F.'s collection. Dave Newman opening reception, January 15, 2009. This piece will hang in the couple's cabana. |
| | Mr. & Mrs. F, in addition to being Dave Newman fans have an enviable glass collection comprised of some of the top contemporary artists in the medium. Below are images of their collection - you may see additional images of their beautiful home by clicking here |
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| | |  |  |  |  | | Juliana Hutchins has been painting, learning and
teaching for nearly 30 years now. She paints with a flair for realism
that captures the spirit of her subject.
Juliana paints mostly in oil (her first love!) but in recent years has
also been painting murals on just about anything for businesses,
National Parks buildings, concert halls, churches, hospitals,
residences, in trophy rooms, on cars, boats and even riverboats! Do you
have an idea of what you would like? Juliana’s work is absolutely
guaranteed to be to her client’s liking. She loves to paint and has a
perfectionist’s eye. Her hope is that you will love her work she has
done for you, for years, even generations to come. | | We recently sat down with Juliana to discuss her work. Below are our questions and her answers. | | Xanadu: Not all painters can paint big and do it well. What led you to painting
murals in addition to your smaller works of art?
My early formal training
was mostly in pencil drawing. My early career concentrated on this medium. I
did okay doing this, but then was left single with 4 children to raise. I
needed to do art that people NEEDED to be sure I could remain painting for a
living. I was working at a grocery store to supplement my income, and saw a man
across the street painting on a video store window the latest movie out. I
thought, hmmmmm, I could do that! I went home and painted a giant "Supergirl"
on the front window of my house (this was a loooong time ago!), took a photo of
it and went around to all the video stores in town and my mural career was
born. It was a great school because they were cleaned off after 6 weeks and
another painted in it's place. I did all kinds of venues, mostly entertainment
related places...movie houses, boats and vans, motorcycle dealerships, of course
video stores, pet shops, flower shops, all kinds of businesses. I've done a
few private home murals, more lately, but most of my commissions have been
with businesses. They are great for businesses, because once they have a
big mural, they become landmarks, thus increasing their viability and as a
result, their bottom line.
X: If somebody wanted to commission
a mural for their home, describe the process of working with the
homeowner.
I would come out to the home to find out what the homeowner
had in mind. I would need photographs and/or resources to work with. I take
measurements and take color samples of the other colors in the environment, plus
note any shapes that are used in the architecture and other decor to integrate
into the mural. It is important that the mural blend well with the rest of it's
environment to come off well. I can take photographs if needed of subject
matter to be used in the mural if the homeowner doesn't already have them. I
base my work off of photographs.
It is important to me that the CLIENT is satisfied with what I do. It is not me who has to live with the mural, but the client. I have an absolute guarantee that the client, even the fussiest ones, will be satisfied with my work. I will work on the piece until it is exactly what the client wants. I don't normally do preliminary drawings. Between having the photo resources, the color/shape samples and communication with the homeowner, plus my guarantee, we both already know what it will look like. Once the mural and price are decided on, I require 1/2 up front, and then the other 1/2 upon completion to the client's satisfaction. An average mural usually takes between 1-2 weeks. Of course the time spent depends on its size (not complexity).
X: Is there a formula you use for pricing your
murals? Is it the same whether for a place of business or a private
home?
I normally charge $30 sq/ft. However for very large murals(over
10'x20') it is less per sq/ft and will be determined on an individual
basis.
X: Are you willing to do out of state murals?
Yes,
but I will need to add airfare and car rental or gas price if it's within one
state to the cost, plus unless I have family/friends or the client I can stay
with, I will need to add rooming costs. I have family/friends in Southern
California, the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area, some areas in Utah, upstate NY, and a
few other places.
X: Your pastel of the little girl, “Chiquita
Bonita” is fantastic. I feel like I know the girl personally, and I adore her
innocence and genuine spirit. Do you accept commissions of
people?
ABSOLUTELY! I can, and like to paint from life, but it is likely
more convenient to paint from a photograph (or both!). I know what kinds of
photos make the best paintings (rarely studio photos). If a good photo can not
be found, I will do the photography too, usually at no extra cost unless there
is traveling involved. I also have a fabulous program on my computer that can
turn even a small (but reasonably good) photo into something I can use if say,
the person is no longer living, or a portrait of the person in their youth is
wanted. I've even done portraits that were accurate from a driver's license
photo. A good portrait is all about lighting and
expression.
X: What feelings do you hope to engender in the
viewers of your work?
I LOVE telling stories with my art. My goal is to
evoke emotion...a smile of knowing how the person in the portrait feels, the
memory of a time in their life, an "ah-ha" response, and one of my favorites,
with my murals is "oh wow, you mean that's not real?" I love painting what the
eye sees, plus maybe a little more. I want my art to be of more than just
monetary value to my clients, but of a sentimental value too. One of my
favorite murals was of some I did at Banner Desert Hospital in Mesa, AZ, in an
area that had a lot of older patients. I painted, among other elements, a
bookcase with different classical books, and a cat laying on one shelf. I was
told that people would come to the mural and say "here kitty kitty"! Another one
was a painting of one of their therapy dogs in a corner. When other therapy
dogs came in, they would start barking at the other "dog"! It amused patients
and staff alike. Plus those "critters" don't have fleas or dander!
| | | | Do you have a question you would like to ask Juliana? Email her at julzhutch55@yahoo.com | | Visit Hutchin's website at julzhutch.com |
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| | Xanadu Gallery - 7039 E. Main St. #101 - Scottsdale, AZ 85251 - 480.368.9929 - 866.483.1306 - wWW.XANADUGALLERY.COM | | to
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