Dear Artist, Over the past 400 years, if you happened to be good at making giant sculptures of generals on horseback pointing or waving swords, Argentina had a job for you. This country has the highest percentage by population of…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Pat Weekley of Clovis, New Mexico wrote, “I’ve been a member of our art league in this conservative community for years. Our last art auction was held in a beautiful ‘arty’ situation — we had perfect weather,…
Dear Artist, When Dick and Shirley got divorced, Dick married Flo and Shirley married Dick’s best friend, Mel. The two couples got along famously. At Christmas, for example, they always cut down and decorated the Christmas tree as one happy…
Dear Artist, Huffington Post art critic Mat Gleason thinks the art business is stuck in 1966. “Artists have traditionally consigned artwork to galleries,” says Gleason. “When the artwork sells, the gallery and the artist split the sale 50/50. When the…
Dear Artist, Like many artists, I’ve gone through periods of writing down fleeting thoughts in a little journal. Some of the entries are pretty personal — which I’ll tell you about later. Right now we have a worldwide viral epidemic…
Dear Artist, During the past year, Canada’s Leader of the Opposition Jack Layton, died of cancer at the age of 61. In his final message Jack said, “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism…
Dear Artist, Living in a tent city in a public park in the middle of winter had its benefits. Besides the persistent action in the next tent, one got to learn the relative warmth of sleeping bags, use of ear…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Edward Vincent of Sydney, Australia wrote, “You often mention ‘contemplating’ a work in progress. I’ve found discussing a painting issue ‘out loud’ in private to be productive. Thoughts alone seem to be much easier to muddle up…
Dear Artist, Clausism is one of our most endearing and unique superstitions. Even when people stop believing in the Jolly Old Guy with the nighttime chimney-work, they tend to carry on his regimen of giving and receiving. Remarkably harmless to…
Dear Artist, Current research is now telling us that something other than high IQ and putting in lots of time makes for talent. New theories are ventured weekly, it seems, including such ideas as individual physiological differences like having the…