Should artist enclosure cards read like a story in People Magazine?

by Loretta Fontaine

 had artist enclosure cards printed five years ago. But, at my last wholesale show I didn’t even put them out — they were so outdated they had my old business name on them! I promised the galleries I’d be printing new artist cards to send with their orders.

Illustration by Dave Fontaine

On the last day of the wholesale show, I participated in a panel discussion sponsored by the Arts Business Institute. I was one of three artists on one side; two gallery owners were on the other. Gallery owner Nancy Markoe broached the topic of artist cards. She emphasized their importance and told the audience they should “read like a story in People magazine.”

When I got home and started to rewrite my promised artist cards, I was stumped. Stumped for hours. Why? I kept thinking of People magazine.

When we write about ourselves we often fall into inadvertent clichés. How we are “inspired by nature,” and how “I hope you enjoy this work as much as I enjoyed creating it.” These quotes are fine, but an interviewer from People magazine would delve deeper. He or she would find a quirky example of how nature inspired, or dig deeper into why one creates. The challenge handed down is this: Can you communicate your personality effectively in a few paragraphs?

Still stumped, I posted my dilemma on an online chat board. That day, posts appeared with inspired examples. Pamela Corwin offered hers: “Paper Scissors Rock clocks and magnets are reproductions of original paintings by Northwest Artist Pamela Corwin and are created in her studio in Olympia, Washington. Pamela works in acrylics and watercolors, sometimes adding elements of collage to her work. She has been in business for 25 years and her work has been featured on several national television shows and magazines. In 1996 Pamela was commissioned to paint an egg for the White House Easter tree and designed the Pike Place Market Festival Poster in 2000.”

Also on her card is her photograph and this charming quote: “For as long as I can remember I have painted, sketched and made things out of anything on hand. As a child, I drew on rocks, napkins, my jewelry boxes and painted on the lamp and clock next to my bed (much to my mother’s dismay, I am sure). Art has always been the way I lose myself, calm myself, it is meditative for me. It comes more from a drive than a desire. I don’t know how not to do it. It’s as much what keeps me alive as food and oxygen.”

Corwin, ironically, was one of the artists on the panel discussion. Reading her text was all I needed to break my writer’s block. It made me think back to my childhood. It made me remember why I feel driven to create.

With a renewed energy I wrote: “Loretta Fontaine’s parents knew they had an artistic child when, at age 4, she entered a Mickey Mouse coloring contest with the outlines not just colored, but filled with stripes and polka dots. She went on to make her own sandals out of cardboard at 6, and a dress of duct tape for a college formal. Of course, she had to not only sew her wedding dress, but also bake the wedding cake! After receiving a Master’s degree in Architecture, Fontaine didn’t last long in an office. ‘I was envious of the people working with the real materials — laying the concrete block and nailing the wood,’ she recalls, ‘I missed working with my hands.’ She left to start Loretta Fontaine Jewelry, creating artistic pieces mixing sterling silver, 18K and 22K gold with her own original miniature photography. ‘Taking a sketch and transforming it into a beautiful piece of jewelry is a thrill,’ she says, ‘it’s truly a dream job!’ Loretta Fontaine’s work has been featured in six books and in national exhibitions. She lives in Albany, N.Y., with her husband and three cute kids.”

I had the cards printed up with a photograph of myself at work, jewelry care instructions, and a space for the gallery to add their sticker. Am I happy with the text? Yes and no. I feel I gave it my best shot, and compared to my old card, it’s much more interesting. But, I still cringe a bit when I read the words I wrote. I’ve come to realize that although it’s important, it’s tough to convey your personality unto a piece of paper. And until People magazine sends a reporter my way, it’s something I’ll have to do myself!