Brush Bias

So, yesterday was one of those "aha" days. Another way to put it would be to say it was a "duh!!!" day. I'm a pastelist at heart, but I also love to do larger works and to get out the paint and brushes for this. My goal is to get the oil paintings to look as close as I can come to the pastels. But one problem arises, I can't get the edges to do exactly what I'd like them to do in oil. I want that soft ethereal look I can get with the pastels. I can come close, but I'm not always satisfied with the results. Yesterday I looked through my selection of brushes and for whatever reason decide to go into my closet and dig out a synthetic brush. You see, I ALWAYS use a bristle brush for oil painting, because that's what I think you are SUPPOSED to use. I had a bias against using any other kind of brush and it held me back from getting the results I wanted. I was able to do some things with that synthetic brush that really pleased me and made my painting stronger. I wonder what other notions I have that hold me back? What other biases do I keep in other aspects of my life?; thought processes like, "I've always done it that way, so that's the way I'm doing it now", or "That's the way it is supposed to be done", or worse.

I realize that there are lots times we have to get out of our own way, especially when it comes to making art. I think we are often pretty good at questioning others; yesterday reminded me that it's important to turn a critical eye on our own actions, thoughts, methods and challenge the biases we may be operating under.

Why Do People Buy Art?

None of us need to own art to survive. It's not like food, or shelter or even insurance or a car, but even in a poor economy, there are people that want to buy art and continue to do so. Art feeds the soul, beautifies our surroundings, and enriches our experience of life. 

Why do most people buy art? That's the question that you have to ask yourself as an artist when you are in the game of selling your work. You hope to have some people on your team that are asking themselves the same questions, but you have to be sure that you're not letting other people do all the thinking for you.

I think that there are four primary reasons people buy art:

1. status - these are collectors. They may truly appreciate, even love art, but they want to impress
2. decor - these are the people that want to fill a spot on the wall with something beautiful
3. artists that want to look at your work- these are people who know your work, admire it and want to be like you.
4. Investors-people who view your work as an investment. They are also collectors but may have a different viewpoint than the status-seekers.

Let me say that I'm certainly not making a judgment about whether one type of buyer is more worthy than another. All art buying is good art buying. Only that it is useful to know determine the motivations of a buyer to assist you in giving them what they need.

Contrary to, popular belief, the work does not sell itself. You have to identify what kind of potential buyer a person is. Once you've done this you can begin to talk about the work in ways that will make sense to that buyer. For instance, someone who is only interested in filling the space over the couch, probably doesn't care very much about the story behind the piece, but they may be very interested in seeing your portfolio that has photos of your paintings in various interior spaces or learning about the durability of the surface of your painting. It's all about framing the conversation around what your patron needs from the purchase.

An artist who is a potential buyer wants the story, the mystery and the process. They want to hear about the kind of paint you use and how you are a master at using it. They are in awe of the work and your lifestyle and they want it too. They want a little piece of you.

Someone interested in status may be a competitive buyer and wants the price reassuringly high, but still may want to feel like they made a smart buy. They probably would like to see your list of accolades and resume. They may even want to visit your studio or be reassured by a dazzling gallery. They want to easily understand the work, so when their friends ask them about their new acquisition, they can intelligently speak to it. "This artist's work is about the water" or "This artist's work is about using a blow torch on metal". It can mean different things to different people, but patrons want the words to explain the work and you have to give those words to them.

Folks who buy art for an investment are usually in the upper echelans of art buyers. They buy from galleries or directly from established artist they have a relationship with, but you never know when a discerning patron could look at your work and feel that you will be an up and coming artist, an artist to "watch".

You've got to quickly make a determination about what kind of buyer is interested and have all the tools available to help you answer their questions, remove their reservations and then make them feel wonderful about the purchase they're about to make! You've got to give them more than something they like, but rather something they love, whatever their reason for buying.

If a gallery can't do that for you, then you should to do it for yourself. Studio shows, festivals, house parties, internet sales and alternative venues like wineries, or restaurants are all great ways to experience selling your own work. I've learned so much about why people buy art, from selling my work and get instant feedback from the buying public. You don't get that from a gallery.


Lastly, I don't believe that selling your work is somehow contrary to making the art, that it somehow taints and commercializes it. The fact of the matter is, if you want to be a working artist, if you want to make more art, you have to sell it. Being a good doctor and getting paid for it, doesn't diminish your status as a doctor, nor should getting paid for being a good artist, diminish your status as an artist.

Best of luck!!

Pastel Workshop-Loosen-up!!

Just finished our "Loosen-up" workshop and as usual found it as much a learning experience as a teaching one. It was a small group this time which was lovely; giving us a little more elbow room in the studio and a bit more time one on one.

I had a student, Amanda Houston, who is an amazing pastelist surely taking my class just to get in the groove. She came late this morning with what has to be the greatest excuse for being late that I've ever heard: "I was castrating a calf." Now, how many people do you know can say that? Turns out she and her husband raise grass feed cattle and a bull calf has to be castrated within a certain time frame. Never knew that and not sure I really wanted to, but I do now.

 

It poured rain all day as we worked in our warm studio space. Nice to be able to have a place to work this time of year that's warm and dry. I have to admit, I'm a bit of a fair weather plein air painter.

My students were a pretty serious bunch though, working hard to take in the new concepts presented and integrating them into their work. Each student trying to find the path to nourish their desire to make art, following their own silvery stream, trickling here, meandering there. I very much hope I was a help in clearing the path for each one.

I had a great weekend. Hope my students did too. Thanks for coming!

My next workshops are:
February  13-14, How to Start/How to Finish, West Linn, OR: Two of the most difficult things about painting will be explored. Strategies for getting past creative blocks and procrastination will be a focus as well as how to make those final assessments and adjustments to bring a piece to completion. Marla is a great creative coach and skilled at helping you take your painting to the next level. Bring pieces in progress for critique and start some new work. Cost $250. 
March 26-28, Eight A Day Meditations and Variations, LaConner WA: Let Marla be your guide in meditations and variations for three days. Move past resistance and hesitation. Finding freedom in the mileage gained by working on multiple pieces of the same composition. Over the course of this three day workshop we'll use the fundamentals of painting as the foundation and jumping off point. We'll explore the lessons that can be gleaned from delving deeply into a theme and repeating it. Some mixed media techniques will be employed to foster a playful approach. This is a fast paced and fun exploration of what painting means to you! For registration and pricing information, call Robyn at LaConner Workshops; 360-416-6556 ext. 5.

Love to have you join me!

Finding Your Happy Place

I've been pondering quite a bit about what it is that drives us to create and how we sustain that drive. Perhaps the drive sustains something in us and keeps us going back. Maybe it's a chicken before the egg sort of thing. I don't really know. I do know that energy follows attention, so if we put our attention to the work all good things will follow. Creativity takes so many amazing forms from the inspired painting to an eloquent piece of music to the perfect equation. I think creativity takes on some pretty amazing but also seemingly ordinary forms like a great Christmas light display. Don't you think people really get into these kinds of things and break out that hidden creative side? The way some people dress or decorate their homes, is really just the artist itching to bust out.

I think that people want that in their lives. It's so enriching and makes your heart swell. It's finding your happy place! Gotta find your happy place. As adults, we kinda frown on it, 'cause it's kinda thought of as the crazy side. But really it's the authentic side of us. It's the side that lets us dance to our favorite song even if it's a stupid song, put on those silly earrings, go for a joyride. I dance to the stupid songs every day. I keep myself happy and warm. I live large in my own little world.

I think people diminish or dismiss the ways that they are creative. How many friends do you have that you think of as really creative, but they won't admit to it? How many people do we "artists" know who say stuff like, "I can't draw a straight line with a ruler"? Isn't this just the stupidest thing to say? Of course you can't, everyone needs a ruler, that doesn't mean you can't make art. Everyone, and I mean everyone can make art.

When you're dancing you can't hate. You have to be in the moment or it won't happen. Making a painting or a song, or writing a story, it's the same. Maybe that's why we do it; to take us to the moment free from the possibility of discord.

Wouldn't it be a wonderful, beautiful thing if we had a day that everyone let the creative bust out?

What did you do today??

Did you make something? Did you write something, paint something, sew something?? I hope you did. If you did, you made this world a better place.

Cheers!

Working on Painting/Working on Business

I have many students and artist friends ask me how I balance my time between painting and business. Unfortunately, the truth is that I don't. Being a full time artist really means that you are a jack of all trades. You need to be an artist, a marketing & advertising whiz, a graphic designer, photographer, an accountant, a salesman, a framer and a motivational trainer, just to name a few. Wow, that's more hats than I thought! The point is that with so many roles to play, sometimes it's fine to have a plan, but staying flexible is key. There are so many times that I'll start the day counting on getting to the easel, but I'll get a call from a gallery wanting some images sent or I'll remember that I have a show application to complete, then that leads to doing some photography of pieces in the studio... I get off track.

Really for me, the key to getting time in the studio is being able to make the most of short periods of time. If I've got 15 minutes, can I get something accomplished in that amount of time? People think that you need time to be "creative" and sure it would be wonderful if I could focus on just painting every day; have that time to let things ruminate and percolate. My life isn't like that, so for me part of being creative means being prepared and being able to work in short periods of time. I always have at least 3 or 4 pieces going at any given time that I'm interested in pursuing. Then, at the end of the day, even if it wasn't a productive one, I set something up for the next day. That might mean an under-painting or a sketch. It could mean just mixing oil paint. Getting a jump on the next day, so I'm not starting the next morning with that lonely blank piece of paper.

Of course, everyday life often gets in the way of things.  Like they say, "the best laid plans...." On the days I have to get to the dentist or get a kid to the dentist, it's hard to stay on course. I'm a person easily distracted by these concerns and could let them take up more of my day mentally than they actually take up in real time. These are great days that I do the website work, make phone calls or do photography. When a day is already disjointed, I do the small things. I keep lists of the things that need doing. Then there are those stupid days that I just get in the way of myself. I'm way too crazy worrying about something, or lazy or too fat or too whatever to get myself to the damn easel. Eric Maisel calls this the need to "master the disinclination to work" in his book .

One of the most important things about studio time for me, is not to be discouraged by the days when the work is not going well. It's really easy to stay focused when things are going swimmingly. Not so much when it's a struggle. I have days that are completely free and I spend the whole day uninterrupted in the studio, but nothing very good is happening. I used to be really frustrated by these days, but have come to realize that these days are part of the process and a necessary part. Just keep going.

So here in a nutshell is how I try to juggle all the balls:

1. Have painting projects in the works all the time so I have something that I'm excited about in  progress.
2. Have a list of small tasks that can be done when I have just a few minutes or I just can't make    painting happen.
3. Keep pretty current on computer skills, so I can most easily accomplish the business side. When I don't know how to do something, I ask for help and don't spend hours and hours slogging through something.
   
4. Do the nasty stuff first and that's with painting and business.
   
5. Give myself some slack.
6. I'm a little stingy with my time,(its the only way I can get stuff done).
   
7. Make it fun and make my studio and office a place I want to be.