Dayjobs, realjobs
February 16, 2010
She was about as far from my mental image of a wildlife painter as you can get, the classic nerd-in-glasses. Her work called to mind tramping up mountains, crampons in one hand, paintbrush in the other. Where else were you going to see the mountain goats she painted?
“Bighorn sheep,” she corrected idly, “Although I suppose they’re pretty closely related.” Her work glowed with life but was only a cherished hobby. In real life, she designs quality control processes for embedded operating systems.
In other words, world-class nerd. And she set me to thinking about people who only get in bed with their art at night, when they get home from work.
Juried competitions
November 15, 2009
You know all those stupid, persnickety, idiotic, officious entry rules that show organizers dream up just to ruin an artist’s day? And those smug, supercilious (and expensive) suggestions they make regarding your need for better photography, displays, artist statements, etc…?
Uhm… They’re pretty much on target. After pulling together a (very small) juried competition for a local exhibit, I take back everything I’ve ever, ever said about that stuff.
Well, 90 percent of it, anyway. I’ve only walked maybe five feet in a show organizer’s shoes but as usual it’s an invaluable perspective-changer. [Read more]
The art of evolution
October 25, 2009
What’s the right level of evolution for an artist? (And I know, I know, it depends on the artist. Bear with me.)
I was invited to preview an opening for an artist I’ve admired for maybe 20 years. I eagerly slurped in the entire virtual show…and midway through it hit me: The work hadn’t demonstrably changed in 20 years.
I could put any image, from any time in this artist’s career, in the current show and it would fit right in. Be indistinguishable from the others, in fact. And I started wondering why.
Open sesame
October 10, 2009
Day 1 of Portland Open Studios draws to a close and I’m hanging out in my usual space, tired and content. Did some selling, did lots of talking, introduced a bunch of people to pate de verre and actually got some stuff done, art-wise.
Undo-it-yourself
October 8, 2009
Paul hesitated. “Do you really need the stands for these pieces?” he asked, “I think they’d be more effective if I shot them on the table…”
So he laid a pate de verre panel down on the sweep instead of the neat metal stand I’d brought. He adjusted the lights, climbed up on a stool to take the shot, and transformed the entire piece. [Read more]
Picasso and the business of art
August 5, 2009
The trick to being a successful artist, apparently, is not to spend too much time doing art.
Scratch the successful artist and I suspect you’ll find a businessman who wishes he/she could get in more studio time. I’ve talked to perhaps 70 successful, full-time artists in the last few months and what continually astonishes me is how much time they spend on business and marketing, and how little time they actually spend in the studio.
Given that, it’s surprising how few art schools spend much time teaching artists how to do this business stuff. Maybe they figure students will absorb a business sense osmotically, after the bankruptcy hearings. I’ve looked into MFAs at some of the best institutes in the nation…and the number of classes they offer to help artists manage the business of art is appallingly low.