Dear Artist, Several artists visited my studio today. They were picking up their paintings that I’ve been using for a small research project. With each friend I came around to asking a similar question: “What’s firing you up these days?”…
Dear Artist, There’s more good news again this morning. Psychologists from the University of Toronto and Harvard University have identified one of the biological bases of creativity. The study seems to show that the brains of creative people appear to…
Dear Artist, On Tuesday, Caroll McDonald wrote, “Right now I’m painting old structures, especially deserted homes — all with the same dark palette. There is difficulty with one — it looks like it’s in a cemetery. Do these works take…
Dear Artist, On Saturday, I was looking for something to paint when I noticed a commotion near at hand in the bush. A bear, I thought. Then the hook of a walking-cane stuck out. “What are you doing in there?”…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, after some friends had left my studio, I realized that I’d been bumbling around and lacing the atmosphere with some odd words and phrases. While gathering up the empty glasses, I also reminded myself that, as individualists,…
Dear Artist, At exam time in university I used to notice a curious burst of wild creativity. Due to the pressure — when I ought to be buckling down and attending to study — my mind somehow overflowed with inviting…
Dear Artist, Recently, there’s been a lot of publicity about the benefits of a short, brisk walk. Apart from it being a matter of life and breath, there are immediate benefits to digestion, continence and muscle tone. The chances of…
Dear Artist, This morning I was cruising my collection of old art magazines. In The Artist (Britain) from March, 1938, in “Readers Queries Answered” there was some fun stuff: (A.L.J., Huddersfield) — I have been studying art for six months,…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, hanging over the shoulder of a friend, I watched him put in the sky, then the barn, then the grass in front. “That’s logical, isn’t it?” he asked, not requiring an answer. I agreed. He’s not the…