Art on the Rocks at Fieldstone Center, Conyers

Posted: 8:51 PM May 11, 2011 - Rockdale Citizen
The new Art on the Rocks Gallery at Fieldstone Center shop combines art gallery, antiques, and thrift store.
Sandy Poynter-Harvill sits on one of the chairs painted by local artist Maxine Cook, amidst other art work by Cook, at her recently opened business, Second Chances Antiques and Collectibles and Art on the Rocks Gallery, located at 990 Green St. in buildings that formerly housed the Fieldstone Center rock business.
Reporter: From staff reports

The Grand opening for Art on the Rocks was Friday, May 13 celebrated with wine and cheese. The setting for the art gallery is a former rock business that has been turned into an art gallery and second hand shop. It is a beautiful setting with several rock fireplaces and rock wall fountain. They also provide classes in various artistic skills. This is an awesome new venue for artists of various disciplines to display and sell their arts.

Art on the Rocks is located at 990 Green St SW, Conyers, GA 30012.

Mamadou Diakite - African Artist

Join us in welcoming an exciting new artist to our family today - Mamadou Diakite, Diakart Studio, Decatur, GA. We are delighted to add his unique artwork and style to our Portfolio!!

Here is a snapshot of Mamadou's biography from www.africanart.com
Born Jan. 1, 1956, in Yako, Burkina Faso, West Africa, to parents from the republic of Mali, Mamadou Diakite was interested in art, particularly in drawing, from a very early age. After attending the center for agricultural training in Samanko, Mali between 1973 and 1977, Mr. Diakite found his genuine vocation: painting.

A self-taught artist, Mamadou Diakite moved along this new path with great enthusiasm, settling in the Ivory Coast in 1978 to further his artistic knowledge; there, he developed new techniques in different media, including modeling, paste collages, and the use of sand.

Following a long period of research and experimentation, he created his unique style: a three-dimensional art combining painting, modeling, pasting, and sanding. Mr. Diakite's specialty is created witn raw and hand-worked materials from Africa, such as wood dust, natural sand, pieces of hand-woven cloth, traditional necklaces, and decorated calabash fragments.

Little by little, Mamadou Diakite and his new style became known and appreciated by the public and art experts of West Africa. In Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, and Ivory Coast, his early art was honored in numerous exhibitions. His early exhibits included:

1984, cup of Africa nations, Ivory hotel, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
1985, exhibition 85, chamber of industry of Ivory Coast, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
1987, Festimask, mask festival, Yamoussokro, Ivory Coast (here, Mr. Diakite was elected general secretary of the Ivory Coast artisans National Union)

In 1990, Mr. Diakite returned to Burkina Faso and became a member of the Intl. Assn. of Plastic Arts for UNESCO, Ouagadougou. Following a period of intense creative activity, he was exalted in national and intl. Exhibitions.

At his exhibition in the French Cultural Center of Cotonou, Benin, Mr. Diakite's art was noticed by the American consul who helped him obtain a visa to promote his work in the U.S. In 1993, Mr. Diakite embarked upon the journey to Washington DC. His work has been shown at the Alliance Francaise, the Smithsonian International Festival, among others. Currently he resides in Maryland and is one of the area's best known African plastic artists. In 1997, he created the African Fine Art Foundation, a non-profit organization that will promote African artists and education of African art forms.

Mamadou will continue to display his work throughout the world and develop new projects, and welcomes visitors at his studio.

How to Market your Artwork

How to Market Your Artwork -- 5 Smart and Simple Tips From Award-Winning Artocracy.org

5 tips: How to market your artwork:

1. Get to know the galleries and art dealers in your local town and in your state's largest city. Frequently attend galleries, gallery openings and events. When looking for gallery representation, make sure the work a particular gallery shows relates to your work. A gallery that features landscape paintings will not likely be interested in your conceptual video pieces.

2. Arrange shows at unusual venues, such as libraries, department stores, boutiques, restaurants, banks, hair salons, spas, etc. These venues are often interested in highlighting and supporting local artists, and often appreciate beautiful, free décor.

3. Start a blog about your work. Update the blog with images, thoughts, videos, and content about your work. Make sure you comment on recent art events and how they relate to your work.

4. Create a portfolio of Digital Art Multiples that can be sold in an online marketplace, such as Proudly Made in Georgia. This will introduce people to your work and content in an affordable and accessible manner. It is much easier to approach art dealers when you have an existing client base and track record of art sales.

5. Get a job working in the arts to open doors to meeting the art "players," learn about work presentation and how to talk to art dealers. Jobs can be found in non-profit art spaces, museums, galleries, academic art departments, graphic design firms, art galleries, and Web design firms.

www.ProudlyMadeinGeorgia.com

New PMIGA Artist

We've added another New PMIGA artist this week.  Mossy Creek Soaps in Warner Robins, GA offers great choices in soaps, candles & gifts. She also has some lovely gifts at affordable prices for your Christmas list. .www.pmiga.com/MossyCreek.htm
Mossy Creek is an actual Creek than runs through the middle of the county through Houston Lake and the then on to Mossy Lake. To us it signifies coming home, We cross the bridge over Mossy Creek daily and thought it would fitting to adopt the name “Mossy Creek Soap”.This is our home, we welcome you to enjoy our handcrafted soap from a region with a rich history.The Whole Family enjoys making soap.
We make handcrafted, quality soap and bath products with fresh ingredients that you may have in your own kitchen. Not in large factory overseas with foreign workers who you do not know or chemicals you don't understand. Locally owned and operated in Kathleen, Georgia, we take pride in providing handcrafted soap that takes well over a month to cure. Our Handmade soaps are made completely from scratch, made with oils such as olive, sunflower, coconut, shea and cocoa butter which are far butter for you and the environment with no detergents or phosphates. Once you have tried homemade you won't go back to store bought again.

Nov. added some great new artists - PMIGa

We've added some great new artists in Nov! Check out Full Moon Bonsai! (http://www.proudlymadeingeorgia.com/FMBonsai.htm) How cool is that? 
Or take a look at Great Eggspectations.  Can you believe these are all carved out of eggshells!?!  (http://www.proudlymadeingeorgia.com/greateggs.htm)  Ad there's
Butterfly Kisses (http://www.proudlymadeingeorgia.com/butterfly.htm) for cool
Quality Handmade Dog Halters, Embroidered Handmade Pocket bags and my new indoor pet huts called Booda Huts, Pet Christmas Stockings, pet ornaments and more!.Check it out!