Dear Artist, Lately I’ve become aware that some of my friends are losing their marbles. Their ability to concentrate has gone up the spout. They’re so overwhelmed with distractions and daily impedimenta that I hardly recognize them anymore. Too busy…
Dear Artist, Last week Molly VanZant of Lexington, Kentucky wrote, “I’m an artist at the beginning of my journey toward a well-made watercolour. Recently, I took down some paintings stashed on the top of my cupboard and ruthlessly consigned about…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Jeanette Obbink of Burlington, Ontario wrote, “Is it helpful to talk through a problem in a painting — as in out loud, with or without suggestions from others — fellow artists or not? I like to ramble.…
Dear Artist, “The way to be happy,” said Winston Churchill, “is to find something that requires the kind of perfection that’s impossible to achieve and spend the rest of your life trying to achieve it.” I’ve always liked that idea…
Dear Artist, I recently had the pleasure and responsibility of jurying an international show. The first stage was online in the jurors’ homes using a simple system where entries were presented by enlargeable thumbnails. A move of the cursor enlarged…
Dear Artist, This morning, a reader (who asked to remain anonymous) posed several tough questions: “Why,” he asked, “do so many artists think they’re hot stuff when they’re not? How does this self-delusion occur? As an art instructor I’m daily…
Dear Artist, Last night, Catherine Stock of Rignac, France wrote, “I wonder if you could write a letter on how to elevate one’s work beyond the “So what?” level. That’s where I’m stuck. I can draw and paint pretty well,…
Dear Artist, A remarkable old black and white photograph of Henry Miller, taken when he was living in Big Sur, California, shows a small room, almost a shack, fairly tidy, with books and a few of the simple staples of…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Michael Fuerst of Urbana, Illinois wrote, “We all receive written material and invitations to art lectures. A lot of this material seems to be gibberish. Can you explain the purpose of it? One invitation to a lecture…
Dear Artist, Recently, I attended a pleasant dinner with one of my more successful art dealers. As most artists know, galleries are going through a fair amount of rationalization these days. We noted several prominent galleries of our acquaintance that…