Browsing: Letters
17
Things to go and come
Dear Artist, I don’t think our daily newspapers are going to be with us much longer. Right now we get two of them. They’re delivered a few minutes apart in the early morning by two separate guys in gas guzzlers…
15
The art of Joan
Dear Artist, When Joan Didion was little, she wanted to be an actress. One day when she was upset about something, her mother told her to write down her feelings. When she was 15, as a way of figuring out…
18
Who you know
Dear Artist, Recent studies of more than 5,000 people by social scientists Dr. Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler show that happiness is contagious. The happy people you know are party to your own happiness. Moreover, the happy people you do…
14
The tertiary easel
Dear Artist, Growing up, my Dad would tell us about the importance of the secondary easel. This is an easel in the corner of your studio, or a wall in your home, where you can catch nearly finished work out…
10
The karma of art
Dear Artist, Yesterday, John Dinan of Cross, Mayo, Ireland wrote, “I earn my living from my paintings so, like any skilled worker, I’m entitled to some reward for my labour. But I have a problem. Every so often I ask…
11
Art under pressure
Dear Artist, “Never underestimate the power of a little pressure,” my Dad would say. Professionally, it’s the antithesis of the trope of infinite hours to luxuriate in slow creative germination. Rather than asking if your output is better with or…
31
Out in the cold
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Richard Woods of Sparks, Nevada wrote, “I’m just heading out painting at a location where snow is a good possibility. The forecast calls for a high of 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Painting in cold weather is a pain…