The aggressive artist

So, am I understanding correctly in that an artist shouldn’t do shows?

Good Morning Robert,

This may well be not only one of your more timely letters as per recent internet discussions on various Art sites and an Artist’s maturation trajectory but also one of the finest written in my mind. The whole thing gets at the core of being an Artist in a time of rampant media screeds about everything from the most profound to the most profane.

I find one statement so worthy it has already added itself to those quotes I find unforgettable: ” Simply put, creative folks need to succumb to the love of process. This spiritual transformation softens poverty and eventually buys success”.

I read it again Marti after reading your comment and could not find that which suggested one should not do shows – maybe you could help out with that part (if you read these submissions).

AMEN!!!! this has worked for me for thirty years, I have been able to keep my self respect and my love for the creation of art. Believe me, if you do high quality work, collectors will come. An artist needs to keep faith and belief in what they are doing.

There is an old phrase that in order to be successful in catching fish you have to use bait that the fish like, not what you like. This, I think applies to those who want to make a living with their art. You paint what your customer wants not what you like to paint. That is what commercial art is all about. With that said, if you do want to sell a few pieces you cannot sit in a studio and not eventually come out of the closet. You have to put your product out to the public. If your work does not sell (like Van Gogh) or not be accepted; then maybe your descendents will profit.

Art does not sell itself, it must be sold. There may be a few rare exceptions but art rarely sells itself.

Very well stated, Robert, and so very true. If you love your process it will show in the final work.

There is a balance in trying to sell your work. Without being redundant, your work has to be good and well done. You have to sell it when the opportunities arise. I see being “aggressive” as like a salesman who storms over to you the minute you enter the store. Nothing turns me off sooner than this approach and I never buy. People can smell desperation and don’t want to be bullied. If you are pushy and agressive, you might as well sell shoes and not art. You can catch more flys with honey. Take this time to paint well, learn more, make better work. I have to believe the times will change and get better. When they do, I will to be ready with great work to sell to those who can afford to buy it.

Good article Robert. Looks like everyone has their own opinion about it though. Gene Martin seems to think you said art sells itself. I didn’t read it that way. You just said the artist isn’t always the one who should be selling it. The other side of this is that a great salesperson, as they say, can sell anything, so there are people who can sell mediocre or even bad art because they are good salespeople. I’m sticking with what Robert says; “Quality is always in style”.

No one is going to see your art if you don’t get it out there in some manner. Passively expecting someone to seek out a reclusive artist is a movie script, not the competitive world of art.

Another aspect that should be recognized is there is a culture in art. With some work, it doesn’t matter if a patron meets the artist or not. They can go to a gallery or see your art Online, buy it, and enjoy the piece.

With others (portraiture) meeting the artist, nay, even liking him or her is crucial. A person commissioning such a work will simply not invite an artist to their home (the usual venue), and spend hours with the artist if they are uncomfortable with them.

Marketing is too aggressive if the artist is known more as a celebrity than being known for the work itself – that would be the ultimate kiss of death. We’ve already discussed art as a lonely pursuit. If you spend more time marketing and networking than creating, you’re doing too much.

Moderation in all things, including marketing.

BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO, Robert

I just wanted to add two cents to the discussion. It is not so much whether you market your work or not, but how you do it. There are so many options for artists, but most artists follow a traditional trajectory. Using your creativity for how you get the work seen can be very useful. For instance, do you use the full “real estate” on your business card? Does it say artist on it? When you send out announcements, does it ensure that the viewer will go to your show because it looks too darn interesting? Do you only use email to market your work? It is now special to get an invite in the mail. More expensive sure, but I don’t know anyone who puts an email on their fridge.

Just like there are many kinds of places for an artist to show work, (such as public sites as well as galleries) there are many ways to get the word out so to speak.

So, use creativity in all aspects of your life, not just the artwork you make.

www.gyst-ink.com or www.gyst-ink.com/blog

I have taken several Art Marketing classes and seminars. And in the end, I must quote Bill Wyland, of whale and dolphin fame, “Oh! You get someone else to sell your art!

And Sue Viders, “The artist is the worst person to try to sell their own art.”

Robert,

Charles Peck pretty much said it all for me. When I got to the part about “loving the process” I felt that all was right with my world. And, your *PS* totally rocks! Thanks for expressing so well exactly what I wanted to hear.

Thank you. In what seems like an ever growing avalanche of art marketing info and art business coaches and art sales seminars, this was a breath of fresh air and just what I felt like reading today.

It is a numbers game. The more your work gets in front of people, the more opportunity you have. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with how good the art is, as much as we would like to believe that. You must hone your craft simply because you love it, not because it will sell art.

I agree completely. I have had the privilege of watching another artists’ journey run along side of mine, they are marketing savvy and have a bright bubbly disposition and thoroughly enjoy marketing /selling their work directly to the public (and they do a great job of it). We have very different ideas on quality but work in the same medium/subject matter. Initially they seemed to be doing better than me with sales etc (which made me doubt my approach) but this has all changed over time. My approach, after several years is starting to pay off for me. Quality has always been my priority even if my time ended up being charged out at $1 an hour (I looked upon the process as study rather than chargeable time), I had a feeling in time it would turn around to my advantage. I have improved constantly and am proud of what I have accomplished, my prices continue to climb, and I leave the majority of the marketing up to the galleries I work with, they should be earning their commission after all. A GREAT gallery knows it is in their best interests to increase my profile and demand for my work, that is what they are being paid to do, I am their client too, if they don’t deliver I may be better off looking for a new gallery to represent me. I play to my strengths, which is not marketing or direct selling, I am slightly off centre, and a somewhat reclusive type. I feel rather uncomfortable selling myself and my work, so will leave it up to the experts. In hindsight I feel I have made the right decisions for myself, one of those rare occasions. And Robert’s letter sums up my views perfectly in relation to MY journey and what I have seen happen around me over the years. Some great advice Robert!!.

I agree that if you focus on constantly improving your art using your own vision rather that making art for the sake of selling it that it will help to sell your work. But how can you find the people who want your work created your way if you don’t leave the studio? Good art doesn’t just sell itself, you need to find the correct market for your work through networking and research, just like anything else that you would want to sell. It’s great if you can sell your art magically through word of mouth, but most people need to work to make the connects that will help them do this. You don’t need to me an infomercial pitchman to do this and you don’t need to “sell out” either, but you do need to spend time selling in order to make any money. I find it somewhat demeaning to think that if you actively work to sell your art that you must be not in it “for the art.” What good is your vision if all it does is sit in your studio while you continuously create more work, that sits in your studio? An integral part of making art is finding the audience for it. Michelangelo sold his work. Do you think that he compromised himself to do it? I’m not saying that I’m at his level, but it’s hard to finance an art career without finding patrons.

I once had a gallery owner tell me, “I’m a gallery owner and I sell art. You’re an artist and you make art. I have found that most artists do not enjoy being salespeople.” You would not believe how much of a weight that took off my shoulders. Unless an artist really loves selling their work I’d say the best idea is to let someone do it who knows what they’re doing.

Yeah, but Rick, something tells me that that gallery owner did not just show up at your studio door ! Unless, of course, you are very very lucky. I constantly strive to do better and better work, but also have to be out there working to sell it or to find someone to sell it.

There’s no such thing as an undiscovered genius.

What drivel. No matter how good your art, if it sits in your studio or garage, no one will see it. You will not be ‘discovered’ simply because your work is good.

Getting someone else to sell your art for you? What a great idea, except that gallery owners want to see a proven sales record before they will even look at you. In other words, you have to be able to sell your work yourself before anyone is going to be willing to sell it for you. Furthermore, there are a lot more eager artists than there are galleries or agents, or buyers for that matter. I don’t care how good you are, it’s not that easy.

Please stop saying that if your work is good enough, you will make it. Because you are really saying to a lot of us out there is that if you’re not making it then your work is not good. And that is an observation that, while it may be true in a lot of cases, is far too generalized and without basis in fact, to be worth making. There are a lot of very talented artists out there, actors, musicians, painters, etc. who will never experience any real success because they just didn’t have the right breaks, and because supply exceeds demand. It’s that simple. And all we can really do is strive to improve our work all the time and show it any chance we get, and maybe we will achieve some measure of success…. and then, maybe not.

No need for the drivel comment! At no point does Robert say to all you genius’s out there, stay in your studio, chuck your finished work in the garage and wait for a dealer gallery to knock at the door, he even mentions some subtle marketing ploys such as online portfolios/websites to help you get noticed. While reading Robert’s letter common sense told me that an email to the odd gallery to introduce yourself would be required. If your art is REALLY good and has a point of difference, galleries won’t ask for a “proven sales record” they know when they are onto a good thing when they see it. Circumstance may dictate the size of an artists’ success, but if you are that good, the odds of your talent being recognized will probably be very high indeed.

Income seems to be the bottom line for most. Did you know the average income for painters in America and Canada together is somewhere around 20K! Robert gave us the figures a few months back but I don’t remember the article date.

How many of us who respond to letters such as these would be willing to come on line as anonymous and disclose honestly there annual net income from painting as a way of showing your success rate?

Quality art is great, but it has to be marketed in order to sell. Wishing for someone to discover it or stumble upon sitting in your studio doesn’t make any sense to me. I’m in a couple of galleries, have a web presence, and blog. In my opinion, you have to market your work.

It’s interesting how people interpret Robert’s letter differently according to their own take on things. Robert is responding to the question, should I market and sell my work more aggressively (my take of course). His answer being NO. Where people get the idea he said don’t market your work at all I am not sure.

I used to push myself with marketing, competitions,galleries, etc. I ended up burning out and losing the joy to create. Now I’m painting mostly for myself these days and am enjoying painting again.

If your art is good enough, market it!! Most artists don’t know what good is. They wonder why marketing is not working for them. Do you think Richard Schmid would be refused by many?

thanks you

Marketing comes in many forms. Each of us must at least look into finding what ‘might’ work for us. For some, staying in the studio would be fine if you have enough people stopping in to visit and view… that would be “your market”. For others, living on a mountain top with no one to visit means you need to go into the city (or at least the town) and find a ‘market’ (or think rather: ‘audience’) so they can see what you are up to (that is, if you want to sell in the first place!)! I used to shun the work of marketing, thinking it would be too much work, or, it would spoil the ‘charm’ of my reveries into the creative time. Now I see it as just good sense. Do a little at a time. “Don’t dive into the pool before you know how to swim” so to speak. I started with joining a small, local painting group. They have a few simple shows a year; nothing fancy, but fun, communal, and visible. From there, since that was painless, I moved on a little further. I have a long ways to go and – wonder of wonders – I’m enjoying the process of marketing my art! Slow and easy and the work is not overwhelming. One only needs to find what works for them. Your friends and family, and other viewers WILL promote you, if your work is worthy.

I find that my ability to show and sell my work increases in a direct balance to how hungry I am. . I love to work, create and eat. So my Art goes on, For those that hunger for it.

“love the process”… to me he means enjoying the complete loop of the creation of the art AND it’s being placed with a new owner. And somewhere in there is the constant learning and improving our work… and maybe learning more and improving getting it out to market, and enjoying that, even if it’s the gallery doing the ‘sales’. You know, it’s the whole process.

This may well be not only one of your more timely letters as per internet discussions and an Artist’s maturation but one of the finest written in my mind. The whole thing gets at the core of being an Artist in a time of rampant media screeds about everything from the most profound to the most profane.

I find one statement so worthy it has already added itself to those quotes so good they are unforgettable for me: ” Simply put, creative folks need to succumb to the love of process. This spiritual transformation softens poverty and eventually buys success”.

Either I missed your point or I understand it and totally disagree. I could give you plenty of examples of the mundane, redundant and trite “art” that sells like mad. I know one painter who cranks out dozens of pictures in a single session, each one a formulaic “happy accident” watercolor that involves masking off the horizon, doing a saturated wash on what will be the sky, flipping the picture and doing a heavy wash on what will be the water, and either using gouache or a resist to make a small white sail on the horizon. She has several galleries who foist these things on the buyers who are looking for something to hang on the wall near the dining table.

Another painter I know does faux-Pollocks. The list goes on and on, as I’m sure you’re well aware: paintings loaded with gimmicks, paintings of the same subject matter that’s been painted literally millions of times (watercolor florals, rusted vehicles in weed-strewn lots; portraits of wizened old men; uninspired views of yet another canal in Venice…..). Until you get to the top end of the retail art market, quality isn’t what sells, at least not the kind of quality that implies the work of a creative artist. Quality might never go out of style, but if there’s quality at the average galleries that clog any mid-to-large sized city it’s well hidden and lonely.

I’m fortunate in having never sought to sell my paintings, despite occasional urging from other artists I know. I’m not a genius, of course, but I hope I’ll remain “undiscovered”. I’ve given enough of my work as gifts to those who admire the paintings to prove that it’s not some silly attachment to my work that keeps me off the market. It’s probably something akin to not wanting to feel I’ve whored myself if I were to ever sell a picture for significantly less than its value to me.

I am volunteering to look after the demos for the South Delta Artists Guild and I am aggressive enough to ask you if you are able to do a demo or any sort of presentation for the Guild during the coming months starting from September. The address is the Longhouse, 56 Ave. in Tsawwassen. The Guild has about 160 members and meets at the first Mondays of the month except Holiday Mondays; therefore September falls in the 14th of the Month. The time for demo will be after its meeting between 8 pm to whatever time. The honorarium is $100. Post demo workshop can be arranged.

First you talk about how the artist doesn’t need to do marketing, just paint good paintings and success will come to your door – But then in the last paragraph, you say that an artist needs someone who should be a dealer! If the artist doesn’t have this “someone” – then the artist must market themselves.

Most artists work hard to be the best artist they can be – they might sell some paintings but cannot make enough to live off their art by itself. If all they do is paint in their room and produce wonderful art but no marketing is done – then nothing gets sold. They MUST market themselves because they don’t have a long list of galleries or dealers to market for them. They Must market themselves because no matter how good of an artist they are, if no one sees their art then nothing gets sold. The world will not come to their door to discover them. And we all know mediocre artists who are great at marketing their work and are able to make a good living. So usually I agree with you but on this post, I feel you are way off the mark.

On the subject of the “aggressive artist” I am mostly in agreement when it comes to the actual sale of the work – if the quality and individuality are there the work should sell itself. The artist need not step in unless asked to!

What you did not address however, is how aggressive should an artist be when it comes to showing his or her work to potential dealers. Is it enough to just send the CD or what have you and wait patiently for a reply? Lets say the introverted artist is not a shmoozer and has no network other than peers and a handful of collectors. Is an expensive agent or a vanity gallery the answer? How forceful should one be when dealing with gallery support staff who often shield their boss from the onslaught of artists who have the next best thing?

Please address these questions as they apply to the “aggressive artist”.

I find I take, painfully I might add, exception to parts of what you had to say about “aggressive” marketing – to paraphrase, quality sells.

I can count numerous artists in the Vancouver area who sell well and produce, shall we say, less than stellar works.

They are “aggressive” marketers and it baffles me they sell as much as they do considering the product. My definition of aggressive is that they are very active in promoting their work. Not aggressive as in, “now that your husband isn’t here, what would possibly keep you from purchasing this remarkable time share”

This is not to dispute that quality is always in style. But if you are an artist and think that quality is enough, think again. I do not dispute your “mysterious” approach. Often the best way to sell something, is to not sell it. But that’s another letter.

I couldn’t agree more that an artist should concentrate on doing the very best work she can. But that dealer doesn’t just materialize. We have to go out of our studios and show our work to dealers, and that takes some assertion (not aggression). I had to work hard marketing to get into the position I am now, which is being represented by good galleries and only having to present to them the fresh bread from the oven. But I only did this marketing after I worked several years to be able to present paintings I knew were good. Galleries come to me now. It can happen!

The cost of aggressive selling: this seems like it could be an addendum to your article. I’ve watched in several towns that I’ve lived in, where a local artist had seemingly great success because we could see his work all over the place. But then I’ve also noticed that they must have spent a mint to produce all the product and frame it or print it or make t-shirts or . .

So nobody knows their bottom line and assumes they’ve been a big success.

PLUS the time they spend marketing these things, or the money they’ve spent on their own one-person gallery. I’ve always been impressed at the level of confidence these people show in their own work. But does it really pay off?

I think your point about being in the studio, lurking about as an artist, really hit a spot of real truth there. The cache to being an artist has been noted by a few of my friends, and I’ve done better at selling my craft when I’ve been in a visible studio or doing plein air work than when secreted away in my home studio.

There is a guy in Asheville who goes out every Friday nite and does his spray-paint artwork right on the corner of main street where people have to walk by him to get to the restaurants. He makes money at it. Can’t say much for the product but it’s not my taste.

You are second to none in your immense success over decades however I must ask you.

Where have you been in recent years? Don’t you know that you cannot be successful anymore unless you Tweet, Facebook, send newsletters and blog. Oh, I almost forgot the most important being, ” have conversations ”

You said, ”better to be in the background, maybe even a mysterious figure, and let yourself be discovered ”.

You have just turned most current advice on selling and marketing on it’s collective head. What do I do now?

I really concur with this letter about “the Aggressive Artist”..I have NEVER been a Gallery kind of artist, although I have made my living as a painter for over 30 years..first as a street painter in Europe, and now as a “normal” painter in Mexico. One thing that is VERY clear is what you write that “Quality is always in style”..I plan to go to Europe (Barcelona) with 4 of my latest original paintings rolled up in a tube, and I will almost certainly sell them for a fair price ($thousands each) by just showing them around..word spreads by doing that, and the “buyer” appears almost immediately WHEN the work is good..I don’t mean to brag, but it IS as simple as that.

With the most you write I totally agree, however……. I run my own business called “Contrast”, teaching adults in art mainly. Naturally selling my paintings is another matter and I agree with you if your paintings aren’t good enough they simply won’t sell. You have to practice every day when you can being an artist so keeping that part of the brain active to improve yourself on and on.

The other part, is promoting my art everyday to the right people and making loyal friends this way, who have good contacts all over the world (Galleries).

This way we artists can help each other advising about for instance good advises concerning good Galleries at fair prices.

A little promoting won’t hurt is my opinion, but if you’re not good enough than you can forget about selling paintings. And this I would like to add: “Every famous person who starts painting sells, like for instance Tony Curtis did.” If a famous football player starts to paint he sells for incredible prices, no matter what the quality of his painting is.

This is what I call “Injustice”..

The Fable of the Starving Artist

What if I told you that the life of a struggling artist is a myth?

What if I told you that can actually live a successful financial life as an artist?

What if I told you that you can THRIVE as an artist, even in this economy?

Romance and intrigue are associated with the life of an artist. We’ve always been told that a successful artist must struggle. While most of us are not addicted to absinthe or prone to licking brushes covered with lead paint like our earless colleague Van Gogh, there is something satisfying about being a part of the rebellious mystique of those who make their living as artists. Though Van Gogh never sold a painting in his lifetime, I suspect you don’t want to repeat his miserable existence.

I know artists who believe that living the life of a starving artist is part of their DNA, and that it’s required to be a true artist. But Sargent, Velasquez, Rubens, Monet, Van Dyke, Gainsborough, Picasso were not only great artists, they were well off financially from the sale of their artwork, as hundreds of others have been. What about you?

The Dirty Little Secret

What I am about to say may offend you, but… the best art is not always the most successful seller. I know artists whose work I personally do not care for who are getting rich. And though the art path need not be all about financial success, I think we all hope we can sell enough art to pay our bills and put some fat on the bones. The dirty little secret is that these artists are great marketers. What about you?

Selling While You Sleep

I write about art marketing on my blog, and I have coached many artists to success. Though there are numerous elements to art-marketing excellence, one of the most important aspects is to find a way to have others selling your work while you sleep. Most artists are not good at selling, so you need a sales agent. And one of the best sales agents you can have is a good gallery relationship, because galleries have existing customers. Imagine if you had five galleries pushing your artwork while you’re sleeping…. or painting! It’s an ideal arrangement. You need not be a starving artist.

How to Get a Gallery

There are about 6,500 art galleries in America that sell original work. Most want to avoid artist solicitations, which they find annoying. Though they have good intentions, galleries lose things artists have sent, delete e-mails, and tend to be in the market for artists only at certain times of the year. So the key is overcoming the solicitation problem — which is why I invented Artist Advocate magazine. The magazine highlights a select few artists and is put in front of 6,500 galleries, most of whom look forward to browsing it for new artists (and keep it for future reference). Many artists have signed one, two, three or more galleries, art publishers and art licensing deals from their listing. Some listings have resulted in being discovered by other art magazines for features.

The Important Fall Issue

The next issue of Artist Advocate is our fall issue. Fall is a time when many galleries are seeking new artists as they plan for the coming year and complete their active summer months. This is an ideal time to place your artwork in front of galleries. The issue space booking deadline is August 5, and the issue mails on September 4. We will create your listing for you.

Now is the time to start building your sales network and securing your first gallery (or additional galleries). Artists are reporting record sales now because they had the foresight to increase the number of galleries representing their artwork to help them get though this economy.

I am 70, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, a passionate woman with a lifetime of exciting and incredible experience. I graduated from the University of California at the age of 50, with a BA in Psychology. I was far from the exceptional student, I struggled with statistics, and mathematical concepts and studied into the night hours to earn credit for those subjects. Money for graduate school was nowhere to be found, and rightly so, I concluded with the question; why should a University waste money on a mediocre student already in her 50’s with so many bright young students to choose from?

Today I continue to seek a niche for myself, a place to enrich with my presence. Lack of Money is the mountain I must continue to climb, the lack of money and my age has slowed me down to a crawl. But, the passion to influence and to be part of the change that needs to take place in the hearts of men and women; if there is to be any hope for a better future.

You mention the old political concept, ‘of wining,dining, and aggressive selling’. Is this not the central concept of Politics? The Lost World, the place where dinosaurs still roam and still make Law and Policy. Lost in the fog of

‘Bread and Circuses’, the well greased machinery of Politicians and Lobbyists continue to rule the land. Barak and Michele have unknowingly moved into the “Wonderland of Alice”, where nothing is what it seems, and seeming is all there is.

I am a child of the 40s’ and 50’s, when morals and virtues abounded. Even dysfunctional families knew that the Truth was out there, maybe just on the other side of their front door. There were men and women who were trustworthy, honest, and dependable. We knew the difference between right and wrong action, and the populace as a whole, believed that the American government belonged to the people. The American Dream was a reality; hard work resulted in a comfortable home, education, and purpose. Families enjoyed time together, they visited around the kitchen table, sang songs on trips to the river for a picnic, and talked to parents or other family members about the various problems presented to them as teenagers, and then as adults they continued to share their lives.

Technology the great convenience, instant pudding, a hundred new kitchen appliances, communication at our fingertips, texting, the language of the day. Our whole life in our pocket or a bag constructed to keep all of our new communication toys and magnetized credit cards separate. Heaven forbid we get the digital camera too near the bank card, it might demagnetize our cards and then where would we be? This new world of the twenty first century, everything is changing exponentially, within a few weeks we can purchase a new phone, a new camera, a new laptop, a new Ipod. Of course each needs it own new charger.

As the Universe continues to expand like a huge balloon; culture expands like a huge balloon also. The Universe has no boundaries, so we are told, it can continue to expand Infinitely. Culture unfortunately does have boundaries and it may explode at some point in time, leaving an unrecognizable field of debris.

Robert, as you know, and if you have time, and have read what I have written; it is nothing new. I would love to have an opportunity to attend a university and earn a graduate degree in Communication. It would be the dream of a lifetime to associate with writers, commentators, and authors, and to practice what I consider the most important aspect of humankind, language, information, philosophy, history, dialogue. There is no doubt that the spoken and written words as well as the symbols in caves and tombs, have more to do with Mankind’s advances and progress than the apposible thumb. My curiosity’s boundless; raising four sons, reading to them, taking them to museums, and theatre, planted a lifetime seed of learning in me. I try to learn something new each day, and education is a love of mine.

I do not know why I started writing this letter to you, except to look at the reality of “wining, dining, and aggressive selling”. When I allow myself to observe the world today, as it grows smaller, fuller, busier; everywhere I look, there is someone selling something. Today, even information is disguised; I find that I have to register to participate in the information. That is not always a negative thing, but usually it is. If the Internet becomes a series of offers to buy, I suppose I will go back to the library for my information. God forbid that Libraries start charging an entrance fee. So far I have enjoyed the opportunity to search ancient history, all history, with the convenience of my home laptop. That is the most valuable gift of the Internet, access to information about any subject that I can think of. My Dream is the opportunity to study Journalism at any University, to learn to write wonderful, interesting articles and books, to acquire new friends, who are curious and enthusiastic about life, history, and philosophy.

I agree that a beautiful painting will sell more on it’s own merits than by talking a potential buyer into purchasing it. In many ways marketing does give the artist a goal to work towards even if that means getting them to walk into a gallery with their painting. Many artists are shy and retiring not seeing the beauty in their work that would enrich other’s lives. It takes courage to walk into a gallery and ask for your work to be sold. I find that there is so much time needed to actually paint a picture that the marketing can fall behind. I need concentration to work towards being the best painter I can be and there is still so much to learn. I have noticed an improvement in my painting during the last ten years and this is down to working to improve my craft, not by marketing my work. I do have a smart website and gallery representation but I know there is still room for a lot of improvement in my painting so I am heading off to my studio to get on with it.

My wishful side say yes, good art will shine by itself.

But then I think of Vincent. Was his tragic failure to sell, his being ahead of his times? And there were other artists that did not sell and that today are recognized. Some of the known artists today have agents with good contacts and economic mediums to promote their work.

I met Salvador Dali in New York while I interviewed him for a newspaper in Peru. When I mentioned to him that a friend of mine would like to buy one of his works, he told me that it would have to be through his agent.

Odd Nerdrum has an agent in New York, Romero Britto had an agent, I am not sure if he still does.

And me, I am still trying … Still Crazy After all this Years. Refusing to paint in only one subject in order to be accepted by art critics and gallery owners. The reason that this two groups want this, is so they can seem intelligent connoisseurs of artists when they identify them to their possible clients.

You can’t begin to know how sweet your words were. Some of us paint because we love to. Just checked out “Plein Air Easton” and the list of artists could just as well be a country club roster.

It’s tough to stay focused on growing and seeing and feeling when there is all this pressure to “market” your stuff. Can’t we just enjoy it and put it in the basement? All my sales have come from strange sources such as the air conditioning guy remarking that I could paint horses. He was my first commissioned work. Gal from ebay came to pick up a dog crate and bought a work off the easel in my studio.

I always save your letter for my quiet time and relax with a cup of coffee. I savor every sentence and think about them.

Don’t always agree with stuff but sure do appreciate that you are there and willing to be there.

So what is art anyway?

and Did I get into the show?

Is it canvass wrapped around

a wooden rectangle

painted trees from a certain angle,

a crowded dusty city scene

or memories from

a shadowy dream?

Is the paint stroked on

or is it scrubbed?

Is it nameless

or can it be dubbed?

where is it in this vast world of art?

if you want to know

just click on the cart.

And when she’s done

that’s when she’s just begun.

And when she’s done

that’s when she’s done in.

Does her art get thrown

in the veritable dust bin?

Is she special?

Did she say anything new?

Or is it the same age old stew

of potted plants in a still life?

Or does the bowl of fruit

represent the artist’s strife?

She goes on line

to dig in the mine,

to find her place in a very long line.

Everyone wants to get in

to the inter net.

It’s a place to be, and yet

it’s a very iffy bet.

It’s a mind game.

but it’s her game

and she’s lame

because she won’t follow the rules

and let herself be measured by fools.

Is it dough?

I don’t know.

Did I get into the show?

Who makes the rules of the game?

Who decides she’s a Name?

Who is the ruler

of an artists success?

who says what good is?

It’s anyone’s guess.

It’s late in the game

for her to ask this stuff.

It’s a lame game

in scene that’s so rough

asking: “hey baby are you in style?”

“Maybe baby, just for a while.”

But she still wants to know

Did I get into the show?