Browsing: Letters
27
Artists’ Requiem
Dear Artist, Over the past months there have been a few letters from artists with remarks about the situation in the Middle East. My first instinct was to leave the political stuff out of these letters and our Painter’s Keys…
25
Solving problems
Dear Artist, According to decades-long research, there are two types of problem-solving. “Fluid intelligence” is the arena of the young, relying on analysis and innovation. It peaks in our mid-40s. The skills we acquire with age involve the ability to…
17
Nothing much here right now
Dear Artist, I always thought it was just my problem. Every time anyone — friend, art dealer or family member — wanted to take a look around my studio, I felt I needed to apologize and tell them, “Nothing much…
9
Addressing boo-boos
Dear Artist, I apologize for the confusion I caused by illustrating Tuesday’s letter with the compositional genius of the woodcuts of Walter J. Phillips. Of course, artists of all stripes make compositional boo-boos. Walter J. Phillips just isn’t one of them,…
23
Six compositional boo-boos
Dear Artist, Last night, while on jury duty, my fellow juror and I agreed the most common fault seen among entries was in composition. Well drawn, well rendered and well coloured — all came to naught when the composition had…
26
Productive envy
Dear Artist, Recently, Margaret Atwood suggested that writers probably envy no more than other people. “It’s just that they write about it more, because they’re writers,” she said. “Fairy tales are full of envy.” I posted the interview on our…
10
Trust your steps
Dear Artist, Walking briskly, pushing the blood to your extremities, alone and with minimal distraction along the path, concentrating the mind on the thighs’ movements, you trigger imagination and focus. In other words, brisk walking is a form of creative…
6
Discounting your art
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Tony Max wrote, “I have dozens of galleries handling my work. How do you prevent dealers from giving significant discounts when they sell your consigned work, thus depreciating it in the eyes of your other dealers and…