Jun 02 2011
Did you notice I stopped the series “Thoughtful Thursdays”? That’s because I ran out of thoughts. There is a song by Don Henley called “You Might Not Be Drinking Enough” ; in my mind the word “drinking” has become “Thinking” because it seems to fit. If I’m not thinking, what am I doing?? Let’s just [...]
Apr 14 2011
#14 in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays” Becoming a professional artist takes more than talent, training and desire. It requires a plan, because one’s art can be the best in the world, but if it isn’t seen, it can’t be purchased. The traditional method of “making it” in the art world is through galleries. An artist [...]
Apr 07 2011
#13 in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays” Reasons to Learn to Draw Drawing is a skill that can be both taught and learned. If you compare it to typing, this makes sense: some people top out at 25 words per minute and others can become as fast as 90 words per minute. All are indisputably typing. [...]
Mar 31 2011
#12 in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays” Commissions are one of the most necessary pieces of the art career patchwork quilt. Not every artist is willing to draw or paint to a customer’s specifications. Some believe it is too commercial or compromising. Of course it is commercial – this is how I earn my living! Compromising [...]
Mar 24 2011
#11 in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays” Several months ago, I showed a few of my paintings to a gallery owner. For the first time in my five year and three weeks painting career, I was told that my paintings don’t have enough detail, that they look as if done plein air. That is French for [...]
Mar 17 2011
Tenth in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays” One of the most visible ways of selling art in a place like Tulare County is the ubiquitous arts and craft fair. There was a time when these were rare events, and one of the best was and still is our very own Redbud Festival. The Redbud had an [...]
Mar 10 2011
Eighth in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays” (yes a bit out of order – why WordPress didn’t publish this as scheduled is a mystery to me. Why I didn’t notice is perhaps because I was doing other things – I need people for this!) Two of the most common ways to earn a living in art [...]
Mar 03 2011
Ninth in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays” What is a co-op? If the hyphen is eliminated, it could be mistaken for a pen of poultry! In this context, “co-op” is an abbreviation of the word “cooperative” and means a joint venture or collaborative effort. In an area of few galleries and other places for selling artwork, [...]
Feb 17 2011
Seventh in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays” A simple way of categorizing artists is to divide the approaches to art into 3 varieties: those who make art for fun, those who make art as a secondary occupation, and those who earn a living from their art. Those who make art for fun undoubtedly have it the [...]
Feb 10 2011
Sixth in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays” When teaching people how to draw, sometimes it is difficult to articulate my thoughts. A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes a thousand words still can’t explain the picture. Often, I can’t find the right word, so I will make one up. The funny part is that [...]
