Dear Artist, In The Dreamway, the wise bag-lady says, “Children in the dreamway are closely studied for the lessons they give.” Recently, on a school tour of my studio, an eight-year-old pointed out that I’d be better off if I…
Dear Artist, After that last letter about the staying power of landscape painting, I was overwhelmed with the variety and volume of responses. We chose to publish a small but representative sample. These letters were full of variety, intelligence, and…
Dear Artist, Over the past while, Magdalena Demianowicz, a student in the Arts and Letters program at Vieux-Montreal in Quebec, has been sending me some valuable questions: “I read in your biography and saw by the paintings you do, that…
Dear Artist, I give thanks for those who mentored me, to those who had faith. My parents and a few good teachers are at the very top. A long time ago I had a mentor by the name of Lawren…
Dear Artist, It’s a matter of getting an olive into your martini from across the bar. According to the handbook for “extreme bartending,” this sort of performance excites clients, alleviates boredom, speeds consumption, and sells liquor. Recently, while witnessing an…
Dear Artist, Every so often someone lets me know that times are bad for artists. I’ve been receiving this message for years. The carriers of the bad news warn me in recession and depression — as well as in times…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Audrey Sebastian of Carol Stream, Illinois wrote, “I have been using a digital camera for documentation and posting work on my website. It’s hit or miss at best. I’m trying to be consistent with my images. I…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Isabel Belfort wrote, “I’m trying to make paintings that use the works of dead artists. The paintings do not look like the originals. For instance I change the position of the person and alter the dress and…
Dear Artist, On Halloween, Tatjana Mirkov-Popovicki wrote, “I always knew that my life was an escape from the tribe, but I’ve never figured out that it strongly relates to my life as an artist. Now I would like to know…