Dear Artist, Ever since I was a kid I’ve been interested in the nature of creative thinking. Where does it come from? Can it be learned? Can it be taught? I’ve been curious about my own periods of creative intuition…
Dear Artist, Those of us who sometimes mentor and instruct students are familiar with trying to get people to really look at things. Recently, after a few days walking around in a subject-rich environment, I was agog with new possibilities.…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Roger Asselin of St. Petersburg, Florida wrote, “I always see ‘Original art only’ as a prerequisite to entering art shows. A definition is seldom forthcoming. Is this like one of those rooms you are not supposed to…
Dear Artist, On Saturday, Nader Khaghani of Gilroy, California wrote, “In your book The Painter’s Keys, you suggest untempered Masonite as a support. It’s now getting hard to find and the edges tend to break down. I’m considering switching from…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Marsha Chatman wrote, “I’d like to know what value or prestige is given to works done on paper compared to oil on canvas. Here in Italy, art on paper seems to be a second-class citizen and considered…
Dear Artist, Yesterday’s inbox included the short and sweet: “I’ve been painting seriously for the last fifteen years, and I now have trouble deciding what to paint. How do I decide?” The email was signed “Diane W. Reitz, BFA.” Thanks,…
Dear Artist, What’s good for the heart is good for the brain. As you walk, three main types of thought appear: Practical. Creative. Observational. Practical, like “It’s a long time since the studio curtains were laundered,” sets up mundane priorities…
Dear Artist, After my last two letters on the value of various triggers that might motivate art viewers, many artists enthused on the value of colour. Colour, they insisted, is the most effective way to caress the emotional brain. The…
Dear Artist, After my last letter, “Grabbing the heart,” about people making their minds up in the blink of an eye, artists wrote to add their own take on “unusually satisfying pattern.” Many also wanted to know some of the…
Dear Artist, Recently I had an opportunity to watch people buying my paintings. It was a solo show where people were coming in and interacting in a friendly, social environment. By watching people’s faces, I noticed something I hadn’t quite…