Happy holidays!

Since the topic is big plans, it just seemed fitting to show an example of one of the smallest projects we have worked on.

2013 was a challenging year. There were several things that did not materialize as planned and there were several large projects that we were proud to participate in.

We have several exciting plans for 2014. It is a bit premature to announce anything yet, but the wheels are in motion already and we are very optimistic and excited for the new year.

This business is only as good as the customers and we have the best customers.

Case in point; the busier we get, the less attention web administration seems to get. But it is too important to ignore for very long. This morning I was determined to bring the Video/News section of this web site current (go check it out). This involves the painful task of writing press releases, proofing them and then re-writing them. I know it isn't as bad as breaking rocks for a living, but it is still a job that I do not look forward to.

At some point you need to include testimonials to add some credibility to the releases. And this is when I am reminded how good my customers are.

Thank you Jeff Marcus. You have been a steadfast supporter for many years and we appreciate it. Now go support Jeff at his web site White Light Photography. This is good stuff.

The end of June signals the end of the first half of the year. Last year was a good year and so far this year is ahead of last year. The business mix has changed over the years and we have been fortunate to be well positioned to leverage the change.

Red Wing Digital has been a significant time and money investment up until this point. There are still a few issues that need to be worked out, but the product inventory is now in place and the details regarding product design have been finalized. The orders have been increasing at a nice and realistic rate. Packaging and shipping issues are being addressed now and we are always looking for more production space.

This is our 10th year of business and we have been tracking business patterns since the very beginning. Invariable the second half is quite a bit busier than the first half, for a number of reasons.

The bottom line is that we owe everything to our loyal customers. Thanks again.

This business is project driven. Which means we become involved in projects, they begin and then they finish. Some projects have longer life cycles than others and all projects are unique.

The most current project is a series of family portraits. The Human Resource department at Treasure Island Casino has contracted with us to provide family portraits (photos taken, printed and framed) for all of their 1,500 employees who want to participate. At first this might seem like a church directory project in which the goal is to be as efficient as possible and creativity is not a factor.

But it isn't, and here is why.

Each family has their own story to tell. There was the guy who was extremely body conscious, but without hesitation pulled up his shirt to show me his gastric bypass scar. Or the young family who had a little boy with serious skin graft scars all over his body from a bad burn accident and watching this little guy busy running around trying to keep up with his older siblings as much as he could. Or the married couple who have been married for 55 years and who still enjoyed ribbing each other with wisecracks. This photo is a young mom who had just found out she is pregnant. Her joy is obvious and she is so excited that she is exaggerating her pregnant belly.

The other aspect was the challenge of using a very spartan set consisting only of a white vinyl backdrop and a simple bench and still making every image unique. It was easy to fall into patterns of using a common pose that would always work. The challenge was to slowly add to the repertoire of winning poses by experimenting.

This project was not especially welcomed at first because the hours are long and crazy (the casino operates on a 24 hour basis), but after two weeks of photography I am really sorry to see it end. The casino employees are fun and genuinely fond of each other. The demographics are at the lower end of the income scale, so it has been especially well-received perk by the employees.

This has been a lot of fun.

Tentative arrangements have been made to host an art exhibit later this year that will feature the work of contemporary cartoon artists. Britt Aamodt is a friend and her book will be released at about the same time as the exhibit, which is driving this exhibit. Her book will be available at the Minnesota Historical Society Press and can be found at this link. The intention is to invite several artists, exhibit some large format cartoons, have a cartooning Q&A and a book signing in an event spread out over three venues (Best of Times Bookstore, The Sheldon Theatre mezzanine gallery and at our gallery).

You might be asking yourself if cartooning is a legitimate art medium. It is and I would suggest you keep the comment to yourself, lest you become the parodied target of an offended cartoonist.

Therein lies the beauty of cartooning. It can either lampoon or glamorize their subjects. It can be humorous or it can be brutally and uncomfortably frank. It can address real life or it can fabricate an entirely new universe with it's own laws of physics. In other words, cartoon art defies definition.

This exhibit promises to be a lot of fun. I grew up reading the comics and I still read the comics. I love the comics.

This is completely consistent with past exhibits, including the Brown & Bigelow Pin-up exhibit in 2007, the Cream of Wheat original advertising art in 2008 and the original pulp magazine cover art in 2009 (see the illustration trend going here?). Details as they unfold.

July in Minnesota means the first hay cutting of the season. In a normal year, most farms will have two cuttings and then leave some winter ground cover for the critters. The first cutting will have the most yield, but it isn't until the second cutting that the break-even point is reached.

For a farmer, the first hay cutting is an opportunity to reflect on the business (year-to-date), and also project the business going forward for the rest of the year. Stretching this metaphor to a near-absurdist level, it isn't that much different in the art industry.

Business is up and the industry is cautiously optimistic. The nature of the business has changed and the types of projects have also changed. Anticipating what those changes will be and responding to those changes are some of the biggest challenges a small business owner will face.

We will continue to evolve, but we will also continue to provide the things we enjoy most about being in this business.

A new web based product is under development and should be available before the end of the year (the evolving thing). There are also discussions taking place regarding an original art exhibit in the November/December timeframe (the enjoyment thing).

And of course, thank you for your patronage. Art is good.