Dear Artist, During the last while there have been a few emails from artists with concerns about their names. Some don’t like their names at all, others are worried about the ranking of their names on Google. Recent research has…
Dear Artist, In this remote cabin the cellphone never vibrates and my only companion is a solitary cabin-mouse on a regular route, checking and rechecking points of interest, sometimes deviating off the track to inquire of something new. While painting,…
Dear Artist, Mobile easels include everything that goes by land, sea or air. My friend Toni Onley used to paint from the cockpit of his amphibian Lake Buccaneer. Floating studios permit the marvel of drifting — silent, Zen-like contemplation and…
Dear Artist, After my last letter about fishing for art, the studio computer was bombarded with emails from readers wanting to know more. While I’m flattered that my systems might be of value to some, there are many roads to…
Dear Artist, New light is being shone on the nature of creativity, and it’s coming from a surprising source: animals. If you accept the idea that we are all fellow travellers on this planet, right down to the simplest amoeba,…
Dear Artist, These days artists are receiving emails like this: “We like to do business with you. We are skilled painters in Shenzhen, China. There are lots of talent painters working together in our studio. We can paint oil painting…
Dear Artist, Inspiration and motivation — how do you find it, where does it come from, how do you maintain it? Rankled by time and money considerations to say nothing of non-supportive others, some folks find it a tough order.…
Dear Artist, A two-day workshop last weekend refreshed my memory of how artists often go the recipe route. Some, not all, asked regularly and took detailed notes of colours used by the beleaguered demo-doer. Some noses came awfully close to…
Dear Artist, In the recently published Against Happiness, popular writer Eric Wilson disparages our current love affair with putting on a happy face. With our “feel good” culture and the widespread use of happy drugs, everybody’s trying to be cheerful…