Behind The Rock…Working for T Barny Sculpture

No business can survive long without some sort of support team. This is especially true if you are an artist. But finding the right people to support your art is a challenge. T Barny has had 8 different managers in the last 30 years (9 if you count the support his wife has given him for 35 years!).

The current manager, Wendy Dayton, started as our tech consultant and became the office/marketing manager just over a year ago. Wendy represents what makes a successful art manager. She is a jewelry maker and photographer, and she has worked in a wide variety of businesses from camera stores to corporate America. She says that the combination of understanding the artistic struggle as an artist herself with the logical thinking and organizing it takes to be a technology guru is what makes her successful as T Barny’s manager. It doesn’t hurt that she also loves rocks!

“In high school I took a two week winter break course in lost wax casting and I was hooked. Thirty years later, I took another course and I realized I like the stones and gems created by mother earth as much as I like jewelry making. My interest is really how to create unique settings which make the stones look great.”

So what is it like working for T Barny? Wendy says she loves the environment. “What a great work setting to be at T Barny’s studio. I get two dogs as work companions and a phenomenal team of people. My desk is in T Barny’s living room which makes the work place very personal; from getting fresh bread and extra lasagna to take home to observing marital spats.”

Life on the T Barny Team can also include a hair dying night before International Sculpture Day

When asked what was unexpected or challenging about working for an artist she said that while the job does involve typical office work it is a lot more creative than she thought. “Facebook posts, emails, even letters to galleries and collectors all have to be creative. I design invites, newsletters, portfolios and even some logo and photography editing.”

Of course there are also challenges. “Like any artist, T Barny just wants to be in his studio. But, the marketing of T Barny means there is a balancing act. I need his input and approval on various items and getting his attention while he is working with a diamond chain saw can be problematic”