Dear Artist, Something I’ve learned from the sending and receiving of letters is the defiant individuality and uniqueness of creative people. Beginners and seasoned professionals — each and every one of us are sovereign units. Intuitively, we tend to guard…
Dear Artist, At my easel this morning I realized that the way I’m working right now contradicts the way I was doing it a couple of weeks ago. Even in the literature it seems that eminent instructors and much-published writers…
Dear Artist, Leonardo da Vinci claimed only that he wished to work miracles. Behind that lofty goal there were a few principles. They are as valuable today as they were in 1500. Here they are as I understand them: Curiositia:…
Dear Artist, A friend is building a sailboat in his studio. It’s a big one — the bowsprit protrudes ten feet into his yard. He’s been at it for thirty years — as long as I’ve known him. He’s also…
Dear Artist, Benjamin Franklin said, “Keep your shop and your shop will keep you.” So it is with us artists — when we step into our studios we are open for the business of our imaginations. Here’s three ideas about…
Dear Artist, In the jargon of the critic or art historian “serious artist” is often equated with “important.” I’ve always taken it to mean something else — someone who takes his or her work seriously. If you accept this latter…
Dear Artist, We paint to learn and to give joy to our hands. We stand on one another’s shoulders. I think both amateurs and professionals ought to act like professionals. If you copy a camel from the National Geographic don’t…