Artist Story: Gabriella Boros

Gabriella Boros, Destiny Desire, 2007

About 6 years ago, I went into Gallery Mornea with a portfolio of post-baby paintings. Bert Menco had seen my work and he encouraged me to approach the Gallery. So, after years of serious motherhood to the (almost) total exclusion of art-making, I grabbed the kid, the stroller, and the portfolio and marched right in to my appointment. My reluctance was met with complete acceptance. In fact, I was included in a group show a few months later as a result of this.

Subsequently, I started sending out sheets of slides, and later CDs, to galleries. I was stunned at the high rate of rejection! There were no acceptances for years to come. It was only two years later, that I had a solo show at Schopf Gallery, thanks to Lynn Schuberth, the director there at the time. Lynn is a straight shooter and gave me some great advice. One of her most important ideas was to send out the work on a continual schedule. I send out a CD almost weekly. I have come to understand that this is part of an impersonal business transaction which is necessarily separate from the deeply emotional process I put into the work.

Lynn was also instrumental in guiding me to where I should be sending the work. She insists that my work is not commercial and would be of no interest to a standard gallery which maintains a bottom line. My work is for a rare breed of collector who appreciates the narratives that I create. In a sense, the work pigeon-holes itself because I will not create art devoid of sociological, political or religious meaning. This less-commercial stuff is a hard sell, yet, the places that do exhibit the work generally offer more challenging, off-beat art. This really is a freedom for a conceptually-based artist like myself. I don’t have to take into consideration the profitability of a piece. I have subsequently sent my works to universities or art-center-type galleries. Would I like to be represented by a commercial gallery? Yes! It would be a terrific ego boost. But I would chafe at having a gallerist direct the work in any way. Telling me what sells and what doesn’t would paralyze my creativity. My ultimate goal is not fame or fortune, but visibility and viability.

Critical to gaining visibility after some absence, is building up one’s body of work. Entering the studio after any absence is exactly like entering the gym after an absence. You have to slowly build up to getting the flow back. I tend to plunge in and start sketching, then without much thought, follow it up with splashing the paint on a surface. You forget how to do all the things you used to know and it is intimidating. The fear of failure can hold back many artists. I know of many moms who are scared of re-entering the studio because of a certain regression that happens after a recess from creativity. My expectations are tempered after these absences. Some of the work will be good…some will have to be shelved. Either way, my advice is don’t delay returning to the studio. If it’s very difficult, start with small works that you can finish in under an hour. If you can have four sketches or drawings finished in a week, or a month, you are better off doing this than trying to finish a large piece in three months. The brain needs the encouragement of finished work, in order to keep producing.

In truth, I have always produced artwork, during pregnancies, illnesses and while I was working full-time. I always set up a separate studio space where I could devote myself to creating art. In my single days, I rented out cheap spaces in some of the worst parts of the city. Once inside the space, I could shut out the gunshots, etc., and create my own environment. Once I met my husband, the spaces were carved out of my office space, the back room of our condo, and finally, in a magnificent gesture of love, my husband built me a studio in our suburban home. The secondary issue is how much time you can devote to art-making. While raising infants and toddlers, I was happy with two hours every two weeks. Today when they are both in school full-time, I can devote the better part of everyday to making art.

I now have three bodies of work that can be shown at any time. I have almost a hundred oil paintings which I completed shortly before my first pregnancy; I have 13 pieces of acrylic on paper which are a more cinematographic approach to narrative; and I have 11 works on wood panel which refer back to a more traditional /symbolic narrative. In addition, I have hundreds of pen and ink drawings in various states from finished through rough sketch.

My goal is to have at least one solo show per year. In addition, I am in about three or four group shows. Group shows can come about in many ways and there is safety in numbers. Two shows in which I was invited to participate were from personal connections with the artists. This is the benefit of staying connected with the arts community. Keep an open mind about these opportunities, many venues which seem unlikely to draw a crowd could draw just the right collector for your work!

Finally, it is important to generate buzz. Send out the press release and postcards to everyone that would have an interest in art. Try to get as much press as possible about your exhibits. Email your announcement and follow it up with a postcard. Remember to send a personal line or two to the receiver.

Discouragement is an artist’s number one enemy! This can only be combatted by perseverance and setting realistic goals. By keeping your goals realistic and sticking to a game plan, you can reasonably build up your career in the arts. If you can manage not to put your work off, doing a little each week, and simultaneously manage the marketing, you can reap the rewards soon enough.

After receiving her BFA from the University of Michigan, School of Art, Gabriella Boros ran a business in design and marketing to support her art for eleven years. She has since devoted herself to painting fulltime. Her solo show in 2006 at Schopf Gallery in Chicago displayed her oil paintings which were completed in 1990-96. Last year, a solo show at the University of Illinois displayed 11 acrylic works on paper which describe a two-year investigation into a cinematographic style of narration. In 2007, Gabriella curated a drawing show for twelve artists which was an exploration of the artist thinking on paper.