Act One Gallery


Act One Gallery for the Arts is a location where art can be enjoyed at one centralized place. We specialize in the cultivation of creating something daring and intriguing for all artists to enjoy. Whether you’re a long time artist, paint as a hobby, or new to the craft a gallery for the arts can be enjoyed by all. Our amazing designers also create costumes for plays and props.

We offer a new variety of entertainment and switch out our individual pieces and exhibits on the regular. Come back often to see what amazing and talented pieces of art that we have up on our showcases.

Information About Art and Tips For Artists


How to Protect your Home art Studio

Many artists have an art studio in the home or in structures on the same property. Some love to do art as a hobby and gradually it becomes a business for many people. Many people work from home as the fulfillment of a dream or out of necessity to have an art studio in the home. A painter or even sculptor studio is rarely a pristine environment. Spills and spatters do happen so it can be a messy place. Having sturdy flooring that is resistant to some stains is the best choice of flooring. An art studio is an amazing place of colourful artwork, prized possessions, expensive paintings, sculptures, expensive easels, paintbrushes, and many other items which are found in an art studio. Here are some ways to protect your art studio at home.

  • Protect your flooring with cardboard 

Before you start painting or do any other type of art in a studio it is essential to protect your flooring at all times. Place cardboard on the flooring where you are situated to do your artwork. Keep the cardboard in place with painter’s tape. You can also put carpet tacks to keep the cardboard in place and to stop anyone from tripping over the corners. To increase the strength of the cardboard you can also paint over it with house paint.

  • Cover the flooring with a leak-proof canvas drop cloth   

Canvas drop cloths are excellent for covering flooring especially carpets in the home. Unlike plastic, they are easy to spread out and you don’t need to use tape to stick them down. Place them down where they are needed all drips and splatters won’t soak through the canvas.

  • Install a home alarm system and CCTV   

Install an affordable and effective alarm system for protecting any of your prized art pieces. A security and CCTV system will give your home complete protection and deter any thieves while you are away or at home. The motion sensors will be triggered if someone tried to enter your home and the CCTV will provide you with a clear video of who may have tried or even entered your home.

  • Have a security vault installed in the home   

Whether you simply want to keep important documents protected, or you may have some prized artwork collections that you want to keep locked up, safe, and secured from demanding environments and any thieves. Protect what you hold most dear by having a security vault installed in the home. Your paintings and any other art collections can be stored in the vault and be safeguarded against fire, thieves, and flooding.

  • Secure locks on the door of the art studio   

If you have many collectors’ items and prized art collections in the home it is important to keep them locked up and secured at all times. When leaving your art studio to go out and about you may need to lock up your art room to ensure any thieves may not enter this particular room. If your prized paintings or any artwork gets stolen you could be out thousands in the long term. Consider getting set up with a bolt lock or an easy large lock with a key to lock the door more easily and simpler.

  • Add window locks  

Locks on the windows are an easy and efficient way to provide security measures to the windows of your home. Window locks are readily available in many stores some include deadbolts, sash locks, keyed locks, and flip locks. To increase your home security solid locks are necessary.

    • FlipLocks   

This type of lock is the least expensive lock, you can install them easily however it is easy to break them.

    • SashLocks   

Sash window locks are the most recommended locks by experts for the best security measures for your home. Sash locks can be used on casement, single hung, and double-hung windows. This type of lock must be fitted to the upper levels of the windows. You will not be able to enter through an unsecured window with sash locks.

    • Deadbolts   

This type of window lock is a hefty and an excellent lock for the window and they offer the convenience if you want to add extra home security. They are adaptable with side-sliding windows, double-hung windows, and narrow sash windows and they are easy to install.

    • Keyed Locks   

Keyed locks are extremely solid locks and they are the most expensive type of lock but extremely effective for securing any window.

  • Get a guard dog   

Consider welcoming a dog into your home it is a great way of deterring and putting off thieves from entering your property. Dogs are loyal, intelligent, alert and are a great security option to keep your home secure and protected at all times. With a dog around your home, you are sure to keep the house safe at all times. A barking dog is also a great deterrent for burglars.

  • Protect your home art studio by Having Security bars and grills fitted  

Window bars and metal grills are a very effective way of giving your home that extra security measure against thieves. If your window becomes broken, the grill or bars will stop any thieve from gaining access to your home through the window. The idea of having bars or grills present on the windows is not the most attractive idea for many people, however, If the bars or grill is suitable for your home, then there are many companies who specialise in these types of products which they can customise to your style of home and some can be decorative.

Tips For Selecting A Wedding Photographer Professional

Your big day is approaching, and you are probably worried whether all your plans will fall into place and the day of your dreams will pass just the way you wanted it to. Weddings involve several things, and it is advisable to get people to help you out with some things. One area that you should not gamble with is when you have to choose the person who will capture all the amazing moments. After the marriage day, the best memories you can keep on that day will be the pictures and videos captured and they need to be well taken.

 

When looking for a wedding photographer professional, you will evidently come across several options and choose the best one can be an overwhelming thing for you. How do you pick the right one? Read on and check out some of the tips;

Establish Your Needs 

 

Do not make the mistake of heading out to look for a wedding photographer without having an idea of what you expect from them. People have different preferences and do not expect this individual to immediately know what you expect based on what they have done before. Have your needs spelled out clearly so that you can effectively gauge the options you come across and determine if they are suitable for you? One thing you need to establish is the style and theme of your big day. It helps to do a little research on the styles of photography available so that you know what to settle for.

One of them is the documentary style which is spontaneous and contains a mix of the people invited, decor, action and natural shots that capture the emotion and real moments of the day. Most of the pictures captured under this style do not include ones where people are facing the camera. The second style to consider is the portrait one, and with this, a professional can offer the traditional photos including the ones where the bride, groom and family members pose among others. The other style is the fine art one, and this is based on the creativity and artistic skill of the expert. Even though the original shots are taken based on the prevalent conditions, the expert may go ahead and add some aesthetic features to make the pictures fit the desired theme.

Set A Budget 

 

While the amount of money one is willing to spend has a huge say in the options they get, it counts a lot in selecting a wedding photographer professional. The advantage of doing it is that it reduces your options and narrows your list to the potential experts that you can afford. Before setting a specific amount, try and conduct some research to establish the optimal amount spent on typical wedding packages. This way, you won’t set a budget that is either too high or too low as doing either has consequences. Most experts will quote the price based on packages and try to understand what you get from a package before selecting it. Weigh the description of the packages you have on offer and what you expect so that you are not forced to compromise some of the things you so much desired on your big day.

Experience 

It is vital to look into the number of years a wedding photographer professional has been working before hiring them. This is an essential factor since you do not want your wedding to be the training ground for an amateur photographer trying to garner experience. You only get one chance to hold this event, unless you get divorced and marry again, and it is prudent that the memories are captured perfectly during that moment. Keep in mind that the new entries are not automatically wrong for you as some of them could be equally good and even better than the seasoned experts. However, going for such is a taking a gamble with your life-defining moments, and it is not advisable. Furthermore, most of these amateur photographs may not have done enough work for you to analyse and ascertain whether they are good enough or not.

Reviews and Recommendations 

 

All wedding photographer professionals are going to have their strength and weaknesses. It is simple to know one’s strengths which may include taking amazing shots. The hard part is trying to get what their weaknesses are and navigating around them effectively. One way of knowing them is engaging with the expert you have in mind well and analysing what they have to say and their past experiences, but if they are deceptive and understand these weaknesses, you might never discover them. The best way of knowing these flaws is through the opinions and experiences of people who have dealt with them before. Reviews and recommendations are vital when selecting an expert, and luckily, you can find most of them on the internet. If the photographer is based in your area, you could ask around for people who might have hired them before and hear what they have to say about them. Doing this will shed light onto the side of the expert that they do not want you to know and let you decide if you are willing to live with that or not.

Go, Professional 

 

Photography is a skill that people need to learn, but if you have been taking pictures since you were young and probably owned a camera, you could be capable of taking top-notch pictures today. The photographers available today are a blend of the professionals and those enthusiasts who are just in it for the thrill. Ensure you hire an expert and leave all the weekend warriors trying to get a few bucks out of the picture. The best way of confirming that you have a pro at hand is by looking at their portfolio and how they handle their dealings. Do they have a well-set website? What about a dedicated call number? Do they have a portfolio of their work? If you get any sign that you are dealing with someone exercising their hobby, look on to your next option a non-professional individual might not commit to the job as expected.

 

Some vital tips for selecting the best photographer for your marriage day have been mentioned. Take your time and look at the options at stake seriously before making the final choice so that you do not end up regretting later on.

Why Buy From A Greeting Cards Company

Buying cards is something that is often seen as being older and more passé. However, what you need to realize is this is a great way to brighten up someone’s day and even just drop a little note to people saying that you are thinking of them or wishing them a good day. A common problem is people have turned more to the e-cards and this is not really a personal way to send out the cards to people. Since this is the case, you should know more about why you need to buy from a greeting cards company, rather than turning to the electronic cards that have been so popular in recent years. If you are looking to buy birthday cards online, there are many great sites to choose from.

Allows For A Personal Touch

 

This aspect of the greeting cards company cards is never going to be lost. The aspect that will not be lost is the fact that when you buy the cards you will be giving the people a personal touch to what you are giving them. Now, the personal touch can really come out if you take some time to design your own card and work with the greeting card company to get these products. However, just going to the store and picking out a card is a great touch as well.

The way the personal touch comes in by going to the store is you are able to browse through the cards at the store and pick out the one you know the recipient will like. This way you are going to have a chance to get a great looking card that you will love, but you know the person you are sending the note out to will enjoy as well. Not to mention, you will find the personal touch can come from the selection of the items based off of the occasion as well.

Means You Took Time To Shop

Often when you are buying from a greeting cards company it means you took time out of your day to go to the store and spent time looking for the cards. This can even mean browsing for the card online, but it still means you had to take the time out of your day to get the item and have it made to your standard. Often, this will allow people to have a deeper feeling about the card than what they thought they would have and this makes you feel better about what you are doing as well. So you do not have to be concerned about the people not feeling like they were loved or cared about because the card and the card selection takes time to get and fill out, proving that you do love and care for the other people.

Has A Deeper Meaning For People

Electronic cards are a great option for people, but you need to realize these tend to have an empty feel to them. How many of these electronic cards have people sent out and they never get opened because people consider them part of the junk mail or have been sent out and opened and read one time, but then the card expires or it is not really meant for the people? This action actually happens more often than what people think and that is because the recipient does not get a deep connection to the cards that are being sent out and this means that people are not getting the feel for the card and not really seeing it as being sent from someone who really does care. Check out this article about Ecards Vs Paper cards!

Gives People An Item They Can Keep For Years To Come

Keepsakes are a great item and often are an item that people have a tendency to cherish for one reason or another. When people get a card they have a tendency to hold onto the card for a longer period of time and this definitely holds true if the card is coming from a loved one or a good friend. So the paper card gives people the keepsake they want to have and know they can hold onto it and cherish it. If people have any doubts they just need to look at their own mother and the number of cards she has from them when they were children.

Often the cards that were given to the mother from children are hung onto and once the mother has passed away and the kids are going through the belongings of the parents they will find the items in the box. Usually, these boxes are going to be filled with the other keepsakes that their mum felt very valuable to her and kept close to her heart. Just seeing that alone will be enough for most people to see the value of the traditional card verses and electronically sent a card.

Can Be Hand Signed By You

Hand signing of a card may seem like it is a little bit old-fashioned and dated, but it is definitely something that people are going to enjoy. Having a hand-signed note or letter is an invaluable way to remember people with and if the item is going to a kid getting something that is hand-signed by a friend or family member can often take and really impress the kids more than anything else. It also allows the kids and even the adults at times to get a special feel for the items they are getting in the mail.

Being able to buy a greeting card is a good thing. However, what people will find is when they are looking for a card they may be tempted to get an electronic card and send it for the ease of sending. This is often something that people do not want to do and that is why people should know more about why they need to buy from a greeting cards company instead of buying from any of the other sources of getting a card sent. Then people will not mind taking the time out of their day to find the perfect card to send out to people. Here is an app that lets you send handwritten cards from your phone!

What Is An Art Gallery?

While it seems like a relatively simple question to answer, is it? How many different types of art galleries are there and what our their purpose? We hope to use this blog to narrow down these questions and assist you in gaining a better understanding.

Institutional Art Galleries
Any type of art gallery that is found within the walls or funded by the local councils, state government, or a university is known as an Institutional Art Gallery. These are sometimes private collections as well. For the most part, the gallery holds a variety of names, even going so far as sometimes to be known as a museum.

The larger of these types of galleries are very well staffed and are taken care of by professional curators. They even receiving funding that isn’t dependent on the sale of the art. They often charge an entry fee for the visitors and make you exit through a gift shop.

Independent Art Dealers
These types of galleries focus on the sole purpose of selling art. Any exhibits that they have does not happen to change unless items are sold or they rotate their current selections. These art galleries require a bit more effort to get your art into as they are usually reliant by the artist’s relationship within the industry.

Commercial Art Galleries
These collections of art often feature an exhibit from different artists represented by a particular gallery. A commercial gallery will have one or two rooms of stock on display directly from the work of the artists within their set group. They are often smaller than institutional galleries and are only run by one or two staff members.

ARI’s (Artist Run Initiatives)
ARI galleries are exactly what it says, galleries that are hosted by artists! Groups of artists work together to share the cost of a rental space. They work together to create an area where they can showcase and display their art for potential buyers.

Studio Art Galleries
These types of art galleries happen to contribute to the work of a single artist within a given space. Art warehouses that are the home to multiple artists sometimes take the opportunity to host multiple events of single-focused artist exhibits.

False Assumptions Artists Make About Galleries

In our current reality is easy to judge something at face value. When talking about visiting an art gallery, we get a particular bias in our mind of what it’s going to be like from what we see on the movies and TV. While galleries often get a bad rap for being snooty and uptight, this couldn’t be further from the truth!

Follow along as we debunk some common misconceptions. While not all of them are positive, it does help to set the record straight.

Idea #1 – To have your art in a gallery, an artist needs to pay.
The Truth: This isn’t always the case! Some art galleries may seem above your level but in reality what gets your art in faster is who you know. Galleries provide different artists with spaces within their exhibit in exchange for simply… their art. An empty gallery isn’t making any money.

Idea #2 – Galleries have buyers ready to purchase any art that an artist has to offer.
The Truth: We really, really wish this was the case. Unfortunately, it’s more towards the opposite end of the spectrum. Art galleries have to convince their clients even to show up and that the artists that they show off are worth adding to a personal collection.

Idea #3 – Art galleries are loaded and filled to the brim with money.
The Truth: Again, we wish. It would make our jobs a whole lot easier.

Idea #4 – Getting your art showcased in a gallery will instantly boost your fame and career.
The Truth: There are no shortcuts to any kind of hard work. Getting your work into an art gallery is only the first step in a battle of many. Becoming a successful and well-known artist involves work, lots of it, over a gradual period as you slowly build up your fanbase. While there are instances of some artists going viral, nobody wants to be left in the shadow of their own fifteen minutes of fame.

Idea #5 – Galleries do not have barely any expenses to run.
The Truth: There are a lot of small bills that quickly add up when running an art gallery. These include having insurance, renting the building, setting up alarm systems, general safety and security, advertising, transportation, shipping- the list goes on!

Idea #6 – An art gallery can always sell the art of any artist that they try to take on.
The Truth: Not quiet! Other facts like the personal taste of the buyers, trends, and the health of the current economy are just a handful of some of the other factors that can take place and ruin a sale.


Contact Us


Looking to have your piece featured at the Act One Gallery For the Arts? We’re always looking for new submissions to add to our gallery. Please contact us at the information below and let us know about your piece. Please provide a picture along with some background information about the submission and yourself as an artist.

If you have questions about ticket pricing, gallery times, or any feedback you can get through to us at this information as well. We ask that you allow us around 48 hours to get back to your questions. Thanks!

Act One Gallery

1330 Cooks Mine Road, Twin Lakes, New Mexico, USA, 86515

Want to Get Your Art Into A Gallery? Contact Us Now!