Yes or No to a Second Story Sign?

If you have visited my gallery, you already know I'm not a downtown storefront. My entrance is on the Mill Street rather than the Main Street side of the building and I'm on the second floor. I absolutely love my space and have not found anything nicer in all of downtown, so moving would be a tough, plus more expensive, choice.

The front of my building. The second story Mischief and Laughs sign is where my sign would go. My gallery is upstairs, directly above the engraving shop. I share a Mill St. entry with the coffee shop.

Many visitors have suggested I put a sign on the front of the building. I wasn't sure it would help.

Now, however, my neighbor Cara, who runs a photography studio in the 1,000 square foot space next door to mine (interested? it will be available and would be another great studio space), will be relocating with her family to Cincinnatti, Ohio at the end of the summer. She won't be needing her signs or the hanger when she moves and would be happy to sell it to me. I am looking into the costs of recovering her circular sign or replacing it. Then I will have a sign for the gallery on Main Street. But will it make a difference?

I just purchased a sandwich board to set outside on Main Street when I'm open for people walking on the street to see. Today is the first day it's been out so I don't know if having it there will attract more people to visit.

Here's what I'm trying to determine. Will having a sign on the second story of the building increase traffic? Is it money well spent or would I do better to spend that money on advertising?

It's the Little Things

When I engage creatively, I get totally immersed. Even though I have a studio log, I completely forget to record the colors I'm mixing and my thoughts/ideas at the end of a painting session. Oh so frustrating when I try to go back and recreate a color. Yesterday I just took out my journal & painted some samples of some new color mixes and how I got them, then added some notes listing the brushes I used and liked best. I think the secret will be to always keep it open and available. Do you keep records of your process? What works best for you?

.

Painting in Progress

After the go-wild first stage of getting lots of shapes, colors and marks onto the surface, my childlike spontaneity and playfulness shift to quieter evaluation and deliberation. I can feel my connection growing to the piece, seeing shapes and relationships suggesting ideas for its meaning.

.

I notice how much dark green there is and consider how I will vary that to provide more contrast and interest. I look at the scale and relationships of the shapes and where and how to edit back or cover up. I consider what additional colors, shapes and marks I might add for visual interest. I wonder whether I will keep the large shape quite so large or even the same shape and color. Glazes could help tone down and unify the bright lavenders with the light yellows.

Then I open the image in Photoshop with this reflective attitude and I use the brush tool to edit and revise. By the end I have three or four printed design and color variations with handwritten notes and arrows showing possible revisions. I've only just started doing this recently and I'm liking how it helps clarify what isn't working yet.