Worcester Wares

If you haven't been down to Worcester Wares located in the back of the DCU Center (the Centrum for all of us over the age of 35) in Worcester Massachusetts, then you're missing something really great!!

It showcases artwork, prints, mugs, bags and other things with a Worcester theme to them. I am currently selling postcard prints of my work there. Jessica Walsh is a really nice person and very enthusiastic about all things Woo.

She even allowed me to record this little plug for both her store and for my own work.

So if you're in the area, please go check it out. Then you can go get yourself a drink and a bite to eat at the Citizen across the street.

Worcester Magazine: The Fuzz Club

Beards! Love 'em or loathe 'em they're still beards. I've always been one of those people who grows them for the Winter and shaves them off in the Spring. I'm also lucky Syd likes me either way.

On a lark I suggested to Worcester Magazine editor Doreen Manning about doing a Beards of Worcester issue. The idea was finding different artists, musicians and so forth from around about the Woo who sported the old face fur.

Wasn't I surprised when she thought the idea was great and I found myself on Monday morning down at Worcester Magazine having my picture taken.

And they thought of a much better title for the issue than I could have imagined.

And the result was an issue that was a lot of fun to be a part of and some really great portraits of artsy folks such as Scott Holloway, Kevin McKeon (dressed in his hot dog costume), Shane Hall and Milo just to name a few.

Newspapers don't always HAVE TO BE posting something depressing. They can be fun too. Besides, this is considered a magazine. So, they're articles can be a bit more diverse and enjoyable than the usual "Welcome Wagon Runs Over Newcomer" type stories.

Much like Womag's End of the Year Comic Issue. More on that later.

The issue hits newsstands around the metropolis today. But if you're not able to pick up a copy, you may also read it online:
Worcester Magazine

New England Bloody Roots Music Festival at Ralph's

Helen Sheldon Beaumont, chair of the Worcester Arts Council as well as the lead singer of Guns of Navarone and Petticoat Junction has invited me to take part in New England Bloody Roots Music Festival which will be taking place this coming Saturday at Ralph's Diner 148 Grove Street in Worcester MA.

Helen has been a huge supporter of my work over the past several years through various shows and events around the metrop so I am more than happy to take part when she sent out the call for artists.

So here's the deal. I will be selling my books, art and prints from 12Noon till 6PM. During that time some of your favorite local musicians and bands will be taking the stage starting at noontime and playing long into the wee hours of the morning.

I will also be taking the opportunity to promote and sell my latest collaboration with local poet Susurrus Din.

So come on down and meet us at Ralph's and get your copy signed!!

My Yearly stART on the Street Blog

I'm pretty gobsmacked (I think that's probably the best way I can put it) that stART on the Street is nearly upon us once again. It just seemed like this whole year has really gone into hyperdrive or someone hit the Improbability Drive because here we are in September with stART less than FIVE DAYS AWAY!!

Then again, I suppose I've had enough going on this year that made the whole thing fly by.

But here we are. Another year and another stART!! It the show I look forward to most every year as far as the art shows and festivals go in Worcester. And there are quite a few really great shows either taking place or starting up in the area that people should take part in.

But I still have a soft spot for stART. I've been doing the Fall show since they started hosting it on Park Ave in 2006. I think it was 2006 at least. And it seems like every year the people involved in putting stART together always go far beyond what they do the previous year. And every year the show just seems to get better not only with making the show a great deal of fun for the general public.

But also how user friendly and helpful they have been to all the vendors (including myself) who take part in the show every year. If something doesn't work with arrival procedures and set up the year before, they go out of their way to make it as organized and pain-free as possible the following year.

If you're a young artist who is really looking to get his work out to a larger audience I highly encourage you to take part in as many local shows like stART or Indie Art Market at Beatnik's as possible.

I mean, even if it's a Craft Fair at your local Church don't look down your nose at that. It's exposure for your work that as a young artist you can use to your advantage.

Don't get me wrong. Personal websites, Facebook, Twitter and web blogs are all fine and dandy with getting your work out there. It's a marketing tool so use it for all it's worth.

However, the only way you will ever get people to really care and interested in your work they need to get to know the face behind the art. And these shows are your best bet at doing so.

The only way you are going to build a fanbase (at the loss of a better word) is to get out there and become your own advocate. As much as you are an artist you must also consider yourself a small business as well. This way you show there is a pulse behind the art. You are selling both your art and yourself to the people.

And don't sell yourself short. The worst thing you do is give people the impression that you think your work is not that great. At the same time, I suppose don't get an over-inflated ego over your work.

But you can give the impression that you enjoy what you do. Just because a few people may not like your work doesn't mean everyone hates it. The best advice I was ever given as a young artist was by a fellow local artist Don Cadoret who told me "There's an audience for everyone".

And doing a show like stART on the Street is a good way of finding that audience and getting people to know you a bit better. From there you can not only build a fanbase but also build a list of clients who might take an interest in regularly buying your work and maybe contacting you for commissions.

You'll never know until you take a chance.

And as I say every year, if you have one or two bad shows don't write the event off as a waste of time. If you make back on what you spent for the table that's a good... um... stART.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Keep trying and don't give up. The only way you're going to be able to make a name for yourself is getting out there and promoting yourself through these events. Many of my fellow artists who happen to work in comics and illustrations like Derek Ring, Alison Cowell, Veronica Fish, Brian Nelson and Bob Noberini have done these shows in the past and have had some very successful shows.

So, if you're new to the event and happen to walk by my table, stop by and chat. I hope to see you all there.

stART on the Street: Spring Edition this Sunday May 22nd Noon till 5pm!!

This is the second year of stART on the Street: Spring Edition which will be taking place on North Main Street, between Belmont Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

I took part in the inaugural show last year and I had a great time. I've always had fun at any of stART's shows and there's always an amazing turn-out.

I think it was a good idea on their part to have the Spring show on Main Street as opposed to Park Avenue like the late Summer/early Fall show. Mainly because it gives both shows their own identity. And I think it also exposes people to some of the great businesses that are located on Main Street like the Armsby Abbey, Jak's Pub and the Theatre Cafe.

The advice I give to all new vendors and artists each year who might happen to read this blog is NOT to get too high or low about how much you make. If you make back on what you paid for the table it's a start. However, DON'T write off the show just because you had one bad turn-out. The only way you're ever going to build a clientele and make connections is to constantly promote yourself.

You won't do yourself any favors or make yourself look professional by throwing a temper tantrum and ripping the city and everyone involved in the show to shreds just because you had a bad show.

Burning bridges is not a good habit to get in. It just comes back to haunt you in the long run.

Another thing. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS SENT TO YOU!! I'm serious!! Last year the site was clearly mapped out for drop off and pick up. stART had set up arrows pointing in the direction the cars were supposed to drive to pick up a the end of the day. And the rules were simple. You wait in your car and someone will signal you forward to enter the festival area so you can pick up your stuff.

And yet there were some people who decided to go around the line and drive to the front. Much to the irritation to the people trying to direct traffic!!

stART always sends you along a map with the route you are supposed to drive. Read it carefully. There's also explicit directions below the map about arrival, parking, packing up and picking everything up.

Read the directions carefully or you will have a very angry volunteer screaming at you.

Honestly, last year pick up and departure was probably the smoothest I could remember with stART.

Then again, I don't bring a lot to pack up. So, after numerous shows I've turned setting up and breaking down into an art form.

But if you're doing stART on the Street for the very first time, just have a good time. It's a great opportunity to meet different artists and crafters as well as get your name out there. There's a reason why they've won an award for their event.

For more info about the event, click on the image above.

More photo's taken at Strychine opening

More photo's of Saturday's show taken by J Fatima Martins who wrote that really great article with the last photo taken by Scott Holloway.

It should be mentioned J Fatima Martins cannot be blamed for the typo in the title. She didn't do the title she only wrote the article. Which my name WAS spelled right in.

More Photo's from Strychnine and Spaghetti Strand Slipknots

A few pictures taken by local artist Scott Holloway at last night's opening:





Saying I had a great time last night at the opening of Strychnine and Spaghetti Strand Slipknots would be an understatement. I was thrilled and overwhelmed with the turnout and I thank everyone who came out to check out the show. Both old friends and new. You know who you are and you know how appreciative I am for you all coming out!!

And the crew at Out of the Dark World is top-notch!! They did an amazing job putting this show together. And I was very thrilled and impressed to find out that Narragansett Beer donated the drinks that night. So, everyone who showed up seemed to have a great time drinking both Narragansett and the new Schlitz with the classic 1960's formula I brought for the night's festivities.

Both Narragansett and Schlitz is proving that the Grandpa Beers are making a comeback. You have to understand that I use that term with the greatest affection because they were the beers both my Grandfathers would have drank during the day.

And they are two beers I really enjoy along with Sam Adams.

But I had an amazing time last night. And it was just nice to chat with everyone. Either about a story behind one of my pieces or any advice they wanted to know about publishing. Honestly, I'm not a fountain of knowledge when it comes to that. I'm very blessed to have a brilliant publisher who knows a lot more about it than I do.

But the best advice I could ever give any young artist or writer is just submit your work to as many places as humanly possible.

It doesn't matter if you get rejected. Don't take it to heart. Just learn from it and perhaps ween a few things from any criticism they may give you. And try again. Just take a chance. You'll never know if you try.

But if you missed the show last night, Strychnine and Spaghetti Strand Slipknots: Artwork from the Arsenic Pen of Bret M. Herholz will be running until June 30th. Stop on by Dark World Gallery on 179 Grafton St. Worcester, MA during business hours Tuesday through Saturday 10AM-7PM!!

Copies of Diary of the Black Widow, The Adventures of Polly and Handgraves: A Sinister Aura and Sherlock Holmes: The Painful Predicament of Alice Faulkner are still available for purchase at the gallery. All signed.

Interview in Worcester Magazine

I did a great interview in Worcester Magazine for J Fatima Martins about a week or so back to coincide with my upcoming show Strychnine and Spaghetti Strand Slipknots: Artwork from the Arsenic Pen of Bret M. Herholz which is taking place at Dark World Gallery starting tomorrow and running till June 30th.

But it was great going down to Ms. Martin's place and conduct a very comfortable and layed-back interview in her condo renovated from an old school house. I had suggested doing the interview there since she wanted me to at some point do an illustration of her in the style of Castle Anthrax from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. So, I thought it would be an opportune time not only to do the interview but to take a couple of pictures of the place as well.

The interview is in the current issue of Worcester Magazine, so if you are out and about the Woo today, be sure to pick up a copy!!

You can also click on the image above to read the article on Womag's website.

A Survival Guide to stART on the Street ;-)

Okay! I admit the title's a bit over dramatic. Just because stART is such a great event and a pleasure to take part in.

This whole thing started out because a couple friends of mine are taking part in stART on the Street for the very first time and asked some advice. I thought I would post an edited version of that on the blog for anyone who is also taking part in the event for the first time and is a little nervous:

1.) Bring plenty of money to make change. Lots of $1's and $5's in particular. I've found I go through those the most when I'm making change.

2.) You might want to consider selling your books without change. This will make the whole process of making change so much easier. You can go two ways with that. If your book sells for $12.95 you can sell it for $13 adding the signature as extra. Or you can sell it at a discount price just for the event. Kind of a Catch 22 because you're not getting as much for them but you might end up selling more of them.

3.)People love original artwork and prints. For the past year or so I've been selling pen and ink sketches on E-Bay for about $9.99! I had gotten the idea from Andy Fish who had gotten it from one of his students. The idea behind it is giving people the opportunity to own original artwork and not have to mortgage their first born doing so. I've had a lot of pieces that just never caught any interest in the auctions so I decided to sell them at the show and they sold!! Usually I've sold them at a discounted price from what I have sold through E-Bay. If you live around and about ole Woo-Town there's a place on Park Avenue called PIP right across the street from Peppercorns that does excellent work. You can tell them Bret recommended them to you because you were told they do excellent work on prints.

I usually make 10 prints total and sell them for about $5 a piece. Since PIP's is very affordable, you can easily make your profit back on the printing cost :-)

3.) Always be upbeat and courteous without looking like a used car salesman :-)

DON'T IGNORE PEOPLE WHO COME OVER TO LOOK AT YOUR WORK. You have to remember that the only way to make people interested in your work is to make them interested in you. Be engaging but at the same time you don't have to look like you're visiting the dentist office ;-)

The thing I constantly think every time someone meets me at a show is even if they don't particularly care for my work I want them to say "I met Bret Herholz at this show and he was really nice". Just because they may not care that much for your work, they might know someone who would be interested.

NEVER BE RUDE! Just because someone might not like your work or might say something that sounds very insulting DON'T BE INSULTING BACK!! Mainly because what you could see as an insult might not be an insult.

And if they are being insulting it's not going to help your work to be the same way. Because these people could turn around and start saying nasty things about you and spreading rumors about what a jerk you are.

Which may be completely false. But some people are just shallow enough to base their entire attitude about you on one bad comment you make or one appearance.

It's one of those being slow to anger and water off a duck's back sort of things.

4.)Don't be discouraged if you don't make the mega millions. Each year I've looked at it if I make back just as much or more than I did on the table then it's a good day.

Don't let a slow day your first time out discourage you from doing another stART show. It can be a mixed bag. I've had certain shows that were a complete bomb and then I've had shows that I've made a killing. So, never judge your experience on one show.

5.) Network! Have plenty of business cards printed up and use this opportunity to make connections with other artists and crafters at the show. It's always good to expand your social circle in the art community.

AND FINALLY...

6.) HAVE FUN!! stART is a great time!! Just have a blast chatting with the people and the other artists and crafters. stART on the Street has been a huge help to me for getting my work out there and I hope you both have a lot of success selling your books and artwork at the show. And I hope it's the first of many for you.

Incidentally, if you're given the opportunity to sneak off for a bite to eat, head on over to the Armsby Abbey for some food or a pint. Just be sure to check the chalkboard on how much alcohol by volume is in the beer your ordering. You don't want to be completely tanked when you go back to your table ;-)

Woo-Town & Me :-)

It was a phrase I've been using for the past few years. When mentioning any events either on my blog here, my blog or Myspace, on Facebook or whenever I'm doing something for either stART on the Street, ARTSWorcester or a class I'm teaching at the Worcester Art Museum, I would refer to Worcester as Woo-Town.

Nobody else was at the time although I did get a few of my friends to start calling it Woo-Town. So, you can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe I am the author of that nickname for the grey slate Metropolis we all know and love as Worcester Massachusetts.

You can look up my blog on Myspace and I believe there are post going a couple years back where I refer to Worcester as Woo-Town. And I don't remember hearing it called that before me. If you wish to refute me on that, please send along your evidence.

But getting to the point, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I was flipping through Worcester Magazine yesterday and I saw a section of it referred to as Woo-Town.

Needless to say if I have started a trend and people are starting to refer to Worcester as Woo-Town, then I am very pleased to be a part of it. Even if I can't make a cent off the phrase, there is something somewhat satisfying about being part of something in a small way.

Womag Billboard

I just found out yesterday my cover for Alice Faulkner was featured in Worcester Magazine's Billboard. Click on the link below to check out the short blurb they have online about it:

And be sure NOT to miss the latest installment of Zanzo Moxie by Veronica Hebard in this issue of Worcester Magazine. Collect 'em all!!

My very first computer class!!

Well, today I'm embarking on a new chapter in my six years at WAM (correct, I've been at WAM now for six years now). I will be teaching my first computer class this afternoon. Poster Power.

Kind of an lackluster beginning but whatever. It almost didn't come to pass because most of the computer classes were cancelled this week. Yesterday would have actually been the landmark day but to be honest with you I didn't think the class would go through because how many 14 to 16 year olds do you know that have any interest in Poster Power or going green?

I certainly didn't.

I probably would have done this six years or even a year ago because of lack of confidence. But working with Photoshop on more of a regular basis and having some very knowledgeable friends when it comes to Photoshop has helped me in my own continuing education.

Some of the stuff I kind of wish I either learned or listened to in college. Especially things like creating speech balloons which I'm actually finding myself enjoying more and more.

After this, I will actually be doing my first full fledged Computer Comics class in the Spring. I'm really excited about that. Even though they DO have Comic Life at the Museum, I will give them a small demonstration how to create a speech balloon on their own. But it is nice to have that option where they can create a comic using a program.

But I will be certain to all how it goes. But after yesterdays Chaos and Creation Class (i.e. Poster Power for 5 to 7 year olds), I'm actually looking forward to today's class.

stART at the Station

If you happend to miss out on stART at the Station today, you missed out on a really great time!! Great job to everyone who made stART at the Station possible today!! It was great to do the show again at Union Station this year. It's such a great place and has a really great atmosphere for an art event.

And thank you everyone who stopped by to say hi!! It was really great to see a few familiar faces and meet a few new faces as well!!

If you happened to miss Pop Euphoria's opening tonight...

Be sure to check it out before the show ends January 17th 2009 during ARTSWorcester's regular hours!! Congratulations to Veronica, Andy, Raffy, Tom Grady, Jamie Buckmaster, Mike Briggs and EVERYONE involved in the show!! It's such a great collection of pop art both from the Worcester area and beyond!! AND the actual cowel Adam West wore in the Batman series is there on display. How cool is that???

ARTSWorcester is located on 660 Main Street at the Aurora, Worcester, MA 01610

stART at the Station is TOMORROW!!

Hosted By: stART On The Street
When: Sunday Dec 07, 2008
at 12:00 PM
Where: Union Station
2 Washington Square
Worcester, Massachusetts|22 01608
United States