The Business of Art

I am popping in to say hello and let you know what has been on my plate.

I've gone back to Edmonds CC and am taking the EDGE Program. It is a professional developement course for artists. How cool is that? It's alot of fun and a tremendous amount of info to absorb. I worry that my mind is not up to the task but the little rational person that sits on my shoulder says "no problem". Thank Goodness!!

I've decided that if I am going to keep making art I might as well do it and mean it. I am excited about what we have learned so far.

Did you know that no one looks down on an artist without a degree? I heard alot of "phews" in the classroom when that tidbit was offered.

Did you know that the days of just hanging out, wearing black, and looking tortured are over for artists? Well, it seems that to make it in art now you have to have business savvy and a nice professional portfolio. That means that you shouldn't be tossing out those little articles done on you like they aren't important.

You should be photographing and cataloging all of your work so you can access it at a moments notice. Yikes!!

You need to know when and where your shows were. I need to do some unearthing of all of this info.

You need to keep your books up. Noooooo!!! I hate bookwork. It is my necessary treat to have a bookkeeper. I don't own a credit card but I hate dealing with money. There was a time when I was good at it but that time is long gone. I think it left when I sold my first painting.

Now the BIGGIE. You need a professional portfolio.

When I hear that I want to roll up like a pill bug and disappear under the desk. Slowly but surely I will meet this requirement.

If you can't get into the EDGE Program for some reason, I think there are templates on Windows for resumes, bio and stuff. It is well worth the research to find out what qualifies as a well written Artist Statement. Every word counts. I thought I had a pretty good one but it is changing.

In the meantime, for the last couple weeks, I have been sporting a splint on my left hand. The other day, while trying to turn my office into a serious work environment and not a playhouse, I somehow managed to get my right hand between a dropping tabletop and something else. I don't know what. ... Pretty sure that my hand was broken I quickly showered , put on clean underwear and went to the doctor. (Hey, I know the rules!) The doc stitched me up, x-rayed and bandaged me. Thankfully, there was no break. The bleeding was bad because I nicked an artery. The stitches come out next week.

Time on the computer is crazy tough when your fingers don't work and they are so fat they hit a few keys at a time. I can't tell you how badly I wanted to do a painting with my teeth or toes. If I do, I'll post it but don't hold your breath. I was afraid it would seem like I was making fun of someone.

For now, I sign off wishing you the most beautiful of Autumn. I can see the wind blowing the golden yellow leaves off the maple tree right outside my office. It is a sight to behold!

Do you ever?

This bit of the show is being taken down in the morning from Local Color in Seattle. Now, on to business.

Okay. We are almost all artists here. I have a very serious question for you all to answer. I find myself as fickle about paintings as I was about boys when I was young and thin.

Do you ever get so sick of your own work that you want to erase it? Are you no longer willing to show a piece because you've seen it so much? Do you see every flaw that only an artist can see?

In the beginning do you love it, dance with it, stare at it and think sweet nothings about it? Later on, do find yourself thinking "I cannot stand this piece any longer. I simply do not care for it". "It bores me"? Does the bloom go off the rose?

It doesn't matter why ,but it can be as simple as you don't like the colors anymore or you feel like you have grown in your art and the old stuff seems young, childish.

If this happens to you and your relationship with your art, what do you do? How do you process it? Do you toss it, repaint it, or go back on and alter it? Or, , do you just suck it up and put it out there for the world to see and hopefully purchase?

Some hints as to how to deal with this would be appreciated. Is it odd? Is this just me and my short attention span at work? How can I change my thoughts as they relate to the art I make?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. My DL thinks I am nuts.

Show Success

The show went well Saturday night. It's a real treat to get out and see friends in a social setting right smack dab in the middle of the city of Seattle.

I included this 18" X 24" black and white encaustic piece in the show. The photo is dark. I don't know why. I took it outside. Could it be that even when the sun is out we don't get enough of the northwest light to shoot a photo.

I have seen that on Seth's Altered Page Blog alot of people would like to try encaustic and don't know where to start. I am toying with the idea of doing some short "how to's" here so people can dip thier toes into it. I just got a new camera so it's a possibility. Give me some time to figure out how.

Thanks to all of you who took time from your busy weekend to spend time with us at the show. It was much appreciated.

Last minute heads up.

This black and white encaustic is one of the pieces I am showing at

Local Color in The Pike Place Market for the month of September. I did all black and white pieces for this show. I needed to get the black and white out of my systen so I can get back to color. I am feeling a little aprehensive about showing all black and white paintings but the deed is done.

The opening reception is tonight. If you have a few minutes, come join us and enjoy some wine and snacks. I am showing with my friend Karon Leigh in this cool little coffee shop/art gallery. This gallery is right smack in the middle of the market on the brick road.

Award time

Yay!! My first award. Shayla has gifted me the "I heart you blog award". How cool is that? She found my blog through Seth at The Altered Page. Thanks Shayla.

My task now is to pass this award on to others.

I think what I will do is to pass along blogs that I adore by people that I know personally and enjoy spending time with.

I never miss Courtney at her Quiet Girl Gallery blog. I love her heart, soul, and artwork. I also love her Healing Nest blog.

I took a class from Mary Beth Shaw at Artfest last year. It was a great class. For those of you going this year I highly reccomend it if you are into abstracts at all.

Meredith is a superb artist and mentor to many.

Gwen is another healer whose blog I enjoy. She is in the group I meet up with about monthly to talk artfest and work on whatever we are doing at the moment. I am always listening to people instead of working.

Celeste is new to the area. I met her right after she moved to Washington. She is also a new mama.

My good friend Karon and I work together when we can. She teaches printing at her studio but is moving to Arizona soon. We will be showing together at Local Color for the month of September. It's a very cool coffeeshop and gallery in the heart of the Pike Place Market of Seattle. I am right now procrastinating rather than finishing up paintings for that show.

Nudes., Love 'em or leave 'em?

My posts have been all over the place lately so I thought I'd share a painting with you. After all, this is an art blog. This is a small , 11X14" encaustic piece. I hope it does not turn any of you off to see a nude. I love doing them and have nowhere really to show them other than the odd figure show.

It suprises me how many venues do not allow nudes because they don't want to scare off customers. I can't imagine anything prettier than a well done, tasteful figure painting. The problem is where we draw the line on "tasteful". I've seen many pieces that in my estimation go beyond the tasteful. Each and every one of us has a different line.

What do you think? Should I leave them off the blog? I really want to know.

Finger on The Pulse

Seth over at The Altered Page has done a great job of compiling answers to art questions from about 80 artists. Go over and check it out. It's fun to get into the minds of the aritsts you watch and some you don't know.
It's also nice to see that others have the same thoughts racing through thier heads.