Browsing: Letters
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Let’s get physical
Dear Artist, It’s easy for some of us to forget to put our whole bodies into our jobs. Some of us sit on our bottoms for hours — it’s no wonder some of them are quite flat. We lean into…
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Blue Moose
Dear Artist, Ted Harrison is well known for his colourful and childlike paintings of the Yukon. Coming from a background in teaching and academic painting he started painting afresh in mid life. Purple skies, red dogs, yellow snow and blue…
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Unresolved tension
Dear Artist, It’s good to know there’s a difference of opinion. A little while ago I wrote about the value of yoga and meditation. A dozen artists wrote to say they couldn’t be less interested in the subject. They told…
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Love made visible
Dear Artist, In the last letter I wrote about our tools for artistic growth. Letters bloomed in my inbox and my messy studio became a testing ground for working methods. I had that warm glow that comes with feelings of…
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Pick up your tool
Dear Artist, A friend of a friend phoned this morning and said, “Don’t waste my time Bob — what’s your all-time best tip?” I had to put down my brush for that one. I used to think it was “Keep…
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Raising creative kids
Dear Artist, In the art of parenting we all begin as amateurs. By the time we turn pro, it’s generally too late. Carol and I managed three out of the box: a filmmaker, a musician, and a painter. All are…
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External validation
Dear Artist, An artist who wishes anonymity asks, “What of artists who get hooked on external validation? What do you think of artists who constantly seek some sort of approval from their peers, in clubs, even online?” At the risk…
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Orphan art
Dear Artist, Dave Louis of Coventry, UK writes, “I’ve been an artist for 25 years. It’s only now (age 43) that I have the true vision and conviction in what and how I want to paint. I am highly self-critical…
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Passing storm
Dear Artist, Late yesterday afternoon and then again all last night a terrific storm passed through this island. Helpless boats tramped at their moorings and became swamped. The Alexander Mackenzie bashed heavily against the skimpy dock. Fortunately I was able…