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MAKIN'
IT
By Jenny Miller
Special to the Austin-American Statesman
Thursday November 8, 2007
Allison Gregory has been painting since she was
10 and rarely uses a brush. Instead the 29-year-old San Antonio
native relies on sticks, nails and the backs of pencils for her pop
art style and abstract works. Gregory got serious about becoming a
professional artist five years ago, when freshly in possession of a
degree in graphic design from Platt College in San Diego, she had a
‘breakdown’ and instead decided to pursue painting, her passion.
Since then she has enjoyed a remarkable degree of success, getting
her work into five galleries in Texas and several more out of state.
Gregory was also among the local artists selected for Gibson’s
Austin GuitarTown project, and at the auction gala several weeks ago
her colorful guitar sold for $16,800 – all of which will go to
charity. If you missed Gregory’s guitar, check out her artwork at
the Starbucks inside the Radisson Hotel. She’s also been lucky
enough to receive commissions from everything from hotels to
restaurants to serious collectors’, she reports “That’s always fun –
getting to work with people as crazy about art as I am”.
How did you get the opportunity to do the
GuitarTown project?
My ex called me and said, “I heard on the radio
Gibson is looking for artists – you need to apply.” I did three or
four thumbnail sketches and submitted them, and then I was notified
I was selected. It was quite a privilege.
That’s been such a neat project all the way
through. Yeah, and it’s been fun for me because I did something
similar in San Antonio. I was asked the City of San Antonio to be
the official artist for the Texas Folklife Festival (in 2005). I
designed the poster, and that went on hats and T-Shirts. I was very
honored to be selected for that.
On your web site you talk about how you’ve
really worked to develop the business side of being an artist.
The business side of being an artist is really
the most important side to keep you going. They didn’t teach me
anything about marketing in school, so when I got my second degree
and I came back to Texas, I was like, “How do you get into
galleries; how do you do this”” So I just started frantically
painting. I think I did 15 paintings in a month. I had my first show
two months after being home. |
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What did you learn about the business of
art?
I learned I have to keep a routine like
everybody else. Get up at 6 and exercise, get marketing on the
computer in the morning, then take some time and go out and paint
(in a garage studio). And then one day a week I travel.
When I started out, I think I must have
contacted 500 galleries, sending my portfolio, business cards,
traveling all over. That was a very good year. I made more money
my first year of doing this than I have any year since. Also, the
economy was different. But I was working seven days a week and
then traveling. I think I flew to about 15 places and drove all
over Texas.
I understand you started out with the pop
art style. When did you start doing abstract works?
Probably about three or four years ago. It
was interesting, because I never liked abstract art. My gallery
owner in San Antonio has said to me, it is the hardest thing for
an artist to be simple – and to be abstract is to be simple. At
first I said, “Give me a break; that’s just a few stripes.” But
through trial and error I found my style.
I’m not an artist who gets stuck in a style
and refuses to change up. My work is constantly evolving. A lot of
galleries tend to be snobby if you don’t stick to one style, but
the wonderful galleries I work with like the fact that I change it
up. This is also one of the reasons that I’ve been able to be a
full-time artist at age 29. When I get a commission, some people
like the pop art, some people like landscapes, some people like
wood relief – I do it all. The only thing I don’t do is realism.
Any advice for aspiring artists?
Persistence is the key. Galleries aren’t
going to chase you. You have to be persistent and call them, send
them your portfolio, write to them. And I think the most important
thing people have to remember is that your work is never going to
be good enough – you’re always going to feel like it could be
better. But you just take a chance and believe your work is good
enough to show to the public. I think I’ve had, over the last five
years, about 100 rejection letters. If I took to my bed every time
I got a rejection letter, I’d never get up in the morning. |