I like words, and I really enjoy the efforts of talented writers. I can recall my 11th grade teacher Mrs. Evangeline Hart, reading her favorite pieces of literature to our English class. You could tell she loved the words so much that they were alive to her, and as a result they came alive for us…. Read More
Each morning when we wake, we put our legs over the side of our bed, plant our feet on the floor, and prepare to take our first steps. We do not worry about having all the skills necessary to navigate into the next room. We simply start. We do not spend time contemplating what might happen… Read More
I just saw a blurb on Facebook that was titled Stupid Things People Say to Artists. Irreverent in tone, it actually related to posts I wrote earlier this year – Questions to Ask an Artist (April 2019), and Continuing the Dialog (May 2019). Yes, over the years I have actually had people say such things to… Read More
How do you unearth YOUR narrative? Many individuals really don’t give the development of their creative identity much thought. The default position is that an artist simply sits in front of something and to the best of their ability – they faithfully copy it – whether still life, landscape, portrait, or figure. You can be assured… Read More
How do you get inspired to do your artwork? I mean, is there a routine you go through? Do you have to clean your desk or work table? Maybe you get your proper tools out and all in order, or maybe you meditate or do some sort of physical exercise first? I like to pull out… Read More
My last blog post addressed the desire of many collectors to engage in fruitful dialog with artists whose work they admire, find interesting, and even might want to collect. Recognizing that the opportunity to participate in meaningful conversation about art can benefit both the audience member as well as the artist, you might ask “so what… Read More
A friend confided in me that because she lacks art training, she often feels tongue-tied when talking to artists – yet she loves art and wants to collect it with a sense of intention. She asked me what questions I’d enjoy answering. I thought her interest in creating meaningful dialog was terrific, and so I spent… Read More
Have you ever seen a charm bracelet? Maybe you had one as a kid, as I did. It had miniature representations of all the various things that interested or represented me & my youthful life. Maybe instead – you had a set of baseball cards representing all your various baseball heroes. The entities that were present… Read More
Too often artists produce marks that are not particularly expressive. There is a sameness about them. Perhaps the artist has been thinking of something else and just moving along without really being connected to what they are drawing or painting. Perhaps the artist is fond of a particular tool and uses it to make the same… Read More
The new year is beginning. It is a perfect time to try something new in your art practice. Are there some new things you would like to explore? If that is too broad of a question, ask yourself what assumptions you are making that might not be true? Could you work in a different way by… Read More
