Dear Artist, When virtually unknown painter Agnes Pelton turned 50, she moved from an abandoned windmill on Long Island, New York to Cathedral City, California. To support herself, she painted competent desert landscapes of smoke trees and the local San…
Dear Artist, This morning, Rita E. Acuna of Philadelphia, PA, wrote, “I think I would have preferred not to be gifted with creativity. I had found a true soulmate. He was a pilot, a man of high intellect, who wrote…
Dear Artist, Each of these exercises should take no more than 30 minutes. You will need Phthalo Blue (Green Shade), Phthalo Green (Blue Shade), Hansa Yellow Medium, and Quinacridone Magenta, plus a mixing white such as Zinc White. Day 1.…
Dear Artist, You’ll be glad to know this letter has nothing to do with not talking about your art. It has to do with the business of painting people with their mouths closed. While a toothy smile may suggest desirable…
Dear Artist, On the internet, there are three kinds of artwork images: Photography, which has to be printed or projected to exist materially and so can be done by anyone if it’s of high enough resolution; painting, drawing and other…
Dear Artist, Having spent the afternoon in the Picasso show at the Seattle Art Museum, I’m laptopping you from a quiet café near First and Spring. Right now I’m digesting those Picassos along with a nice set of Samish Bay…
Dear Artist, A subscriber wrote, “I found at the beginning of the pandemic that I had the most productive period I have had in years. Now, nothing. I am not sure what is going on. I am eating more and…
Dear Artist, After noting the tendency of kindergarten kids to keep pushing paint until their images were destroyed, Susan Marx of Orange, N.J., wrote, “You raise an important question. How do you know when to stop? If the best result…
Dear Artist, In 2003, when Anne Truitt was 82, she wrote a letter to her daughter: “Something strange is happening to me. Certain ways in which I have made my work ever since 1961 have simply — very simply, silently…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Candy Crawford Day wrote, “Is it better for an artist to go it alone or is camaraderie advisable? Lately, I’ve lost a mentor who greatly influenced my work. Other influences don’t seem to have my best interests…