Showing With The Rogue Gallery

Going Rogue!

One of the things that I highly encourage woodworkers to do is to show their work publicly at any level that they can. It is a great opportunity for growth as an artist and business person on so many levels.

I recently had an opportunity to share my work and portfolio at a local showing with the Rogue Gallery. The Rogue is a different sort of art gallery as the name implies. 

First of all, it does not have a traditional gallery store front, it is a roving gallery that sets up in a different location for each show which lasts for only one evening. This adds a level of mystique, excitement, and anticipation to the shows. The best way to describe the Rogue is that is "Art Gallery Meets Night Club."

The Rogue purposely stays away from showing the very typical and traditional western fine art which is commonly found in the galleries here in Billings, MT. While this type of art is nice on one hand, the galleries tend to carry it and exclude any of the modern and contemporary talent found in this area.

The Rogue Gallery has become a great venue for showcasing some great talent that is often overlooked. Their mission has been to bring art to the people in a more creative and energetic venue. The Rogue is not pretentious and presents art in a manner that is really attractive to a younger generation. I think their efforts are a key element in sparking & keeping the interest in art alive locally. 

Public Showing Is Critical to Success (Survival)

I view myself as a woodworker, craftsman, and artist. I enjoy rubbing elbows with other artists of all types, they inspire and energize me. Being around other creative people influences my view of what my own work can potentially be. 

The show was a great way to share what I create with my community and at what level I bring it. It was a great opportunity to show people what fine furniture can be and how pleasing it is. Unlike most art objects, my furniture is to be interacted with, I encourage touching all of the pieces and sitting on the Shaker Bench. 

I made connections with a handful of young architects, designers, and associates in architectural firms. Some were aware of me and had an incorrect image of what I build. They were impressed with the quality of work and that fact that I designed it as well. 

It is important to make a showing occasionally to keep your face out there. The guys that knew of me thought I had a traditional cabinet shop, but a traditional cabinetmaker I am NOT. A show like this is the perfect opportunity to mold your public image.

The message I am sharing here (without going into a full expository on the subject of showing) is to get involved with your local artist community and show your work publicly.

I put a video together with the footage and images that I captured during set-up and the show itself. I was limited on the pictures I could get during the show since I was talking to a lot of people about my work;) I show up in the video from 1:20 thru 1:28.

I hope you enjoy-

Now get out and show! 

Your friend in the shop, 

Todd A. Clippinger

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ACW Hats Popping Up All Over!

American Craftsman Workshop Hats are starting to show up around the country! Take a look here:

(Click to enlarge Images)

The California Coast:

 Yosemite National Park:

Elvis' Home Graceland:

 This one just came in yesterday has to be the best one yet. It is from Fine Furniture Maker Andy Chidwick at the Baltimore WoodWorking Show, he is visiting with none other than Tommy MacDonald from the RoughCut Show!

How Cool is THAT?

Your friend in the shop,

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love~Share the Knowledge

Video Tour of The American Craftsman Workshop

A New Toy

I just got a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS6 for recording my work. One of the great things about it is that it has a 25mm wide angle lens. This is makes it great for taking pictures of my installed work in small rooms.

I thought that taking photo & video of the shop would be a good test drive for it and a good way to share a tour of the American Craftsman Workshop.

This video was entirely shot with this camera (except for the photos of the camera itself:)

Music: The Forgotten People by ThieveryCorporation

Hope you enjoy the tour.

Todd A. Clippinger
Share the Love~Share the Knowledge

A Visit From Andy Chidwick~Fine Furniture Maker

Last night I was quite pleased to have another professional woodworker, Andy Chidwick, stop by the shop for a visit. Andy & his family have just started their tour with The Woodworking Shows where he shares his knowledge by giving demonstrations and lectures.

Andy is a talented furniture maker and designer, he builds a variety of sculptured furniture which includes, but is not limited to, the Maloof style. Andy also has a woodworking school in western Montana, the Chidwick School of Fine Woodworking. 

But rather than tell you about his trip and The WoodWorking Shows, I will let him share it with you in a video we made during his visit to my shop.

To see Andy Chidwick give a demonstration or lecture be sure to check out thewoodworkingshows.com for locations and schedules. Not only is he a talented furniture maker, but he is also a talented instructor and all-around nice guy.  I hope you get a chance to meet him and see his work. 

If you are interested in seeing what Andy has to offer at his school, check out the ChidwickSchool.com

Other Ways to follow Andy & his family as they travel tour with The WoodWorking Shows:

FaceBook: Chidwick School of Fine WoodWorking (Official)

Twitter: Chidwickschool

Blogspot: OffMyRocker.BlogSpot.com

Get a different perspective of the Chidwick Family Tour by checking in with their son "Tano" at his travel blog: travelpod.com/members/tano.chidwick

Interested in the Shop Monkey? Check out Tom Iovino, a prolific woodworking blogger at TomsWorkBench.com.

Your friend in the shop-

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love~Share the Knowledge

Billings PechaKucha...Uhmm...Pe-What-chKa?

Poster By Collaborative Design Architects

What is a PechaKucha?

I was excited to receive an invitation by Collaborative Design Architects to make a presentation at the most recent PechaKucha in Billings.

I am sure you are wondering what this strange word is. First let me explain how it is pronounced: peh-CHAK-cha. This is a Japanese term which loosely translates as "chit chat" (as was shared with me.)

A PechaKucha is an event for creative people to share their work with the public. I use the term "creative people" because using the term "artist" seems to limit interpretation to the traditional painter, sculptor, photographer etc. that we only see in galleries & museums.

The purpose of the PechaKucha is to expose the community to the broad range of talented people that exercise their creativity everyday but are often not seen in galleries.

How does it work?

The presentation is also known as a "PechaKucha 20x20" or some just refer to it as a "20x20." This is because the artist gets to show 20 slides for 20 seconds each for a total presentation of 6 minutes 40 seconds.

The artist has no control over the slide show. I could not pause it, back it up, or fast forward it. This keeps the pace of the show going. I really had to define what was the most important work and message that I wanted to share.

The PK20x20 BeginsThe PK 20x20 Experience

The venue is very relaxed. The public is already having a good time gallery hopping and is very receptive to seeing the artists share their work.

Part of the unique experience is due to the location. The PK 20x20's are not normally held in a gallery but often in a warehouse, bar, or other informal setting. Still, most of the 11 artists seemed to be a bit nervous. This led to comical mistakes & remarks in their presentations but the crowd had a good laugh and the artists seem to loosen up.

I was not nervous at all until I stood up in front of the crowd. Then all of my thoughts fell out on the floor. The slide show started playing and my mouth, separate from my mind, started talking. Many artists had uncomfortable moments of silence in their presentations, but it seemed that my slides were changing faster than they had for the others. I talked non-stop and had to keep up with the ever increasing speed of the slide show.

When my presentation was over I sat down with little memory of what I had said. But after the show I got a lot of compliments on my work and presentation. This proves, once again, that my mouth has a mind of it's own but fortunately it did not embarrass me this time.

PK AudienceThe Value of PK 20x20

 The PK 20x20 is a great venue for sharing your work. Locally it runs concurrent with the Billings Art Walk and the presentations start when the Art Walk ends.

It is an opportunity for sharing and defining your work to the local public. The audience is made up of a lot of people interested in art, other artists, architects, and designers. There is potential that some of these people will be looking for what I provide on future projects and now they know who I am and exactly the type of work I do.

Defining your work to the public is important. There were basically two types of people that approached me afterward. One group was impressed with my work but did not know I existed prior to the show. The other group thought they knew what I did and never bothered to check my website so they really had no clue. Their impression of me was anything from a handyman to trim carpenter but did not realize I was a Designer~Craftsman. So the PK 20x20 was a great opportunity to define who I am and what I offer.

A great follow-up to the show happened a week later when a guy approached me in a local coffee shop. He recognized me from the show and gave some very encouraging words on how impressive my work was and that he had enjoyed my presentation. That was a big boost for me:)

Another great value in participating was the connections made with other artists. I get a great deal of inspiration being around other artists, especially those that work in other disciplines. We often engage in stimulating conversations about the creative process and our projects. I find that exposing myself to other art develops my sense of design and I simply love being in the company of other "Creatives."

One thing that is difficult for many of us to do is to stand in front of a large group of people and be the focus of attention. I felt that it was important that I take the opportunity to not only present my work but to get more experience speaking in public. This certainly has to be one of the best situations to practice public speaking.

Supporting Creativity and Art

A big "THANKS" goes to Collaborative Design Architects in Billings. They started the PechaKucha locally which is actually part of an international program. CDA's goal with the PK 20x20 is to promote public awareness of the creativity & talent in Billings, MT and the surrounding region. 

They have taken it upon themselves to shoulder this program with no other intent than to make the talent known and to support art in the local community. They understand the importance of art and creativity not only in architecture but the role and value it has in everyday life.

Be sure to check out the work at Collaborative Design Architects from Billings.

Also stop by PechaKucha.org and learn more about the program. You can see slide shows by artists from around the world and see if there is a local show that you can participate in. I encourage any artist or craftsman to do so.

Your friend in the shop,

Todd A. Clippinger

"I am not a public speaker but, apparently, my mouth is"