Browsing: Letters
5
Delicate mentoring
Dear Artist, Several recent emails have talked about mentoring. There are different approaches and I’ve tried a few of them. They range from “Show me, ’cause I’m going to be tough on you” to “Whatever you do is good, dear.…
17
Your highly creative year
Dear Artist, Ten years ago, I was scrapping along in New York City, showing my paintings and writing and recording in two bands, one of which was in France. While on a trip home to visit my parents, my Dad…
12
Nom de brush
Dear Artist, On Sunday Elaine Caulton wrote, “I have tried to find out what the ramifications would be if I chose to paint under a ‘nom de brush.’ I could sign paintings with whatever name I chose, but where does…
19
The autotelic personality
Dear Artist, Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi found that certain types of people are better than others at achieving and staying in flow. Flow is that feeling of immersion that can happen when we’re engrossed in an activity. According to research, the…
25
Times are bad
Dear Artist, Every so often someone lets me know that times are bad for artists. I’ve been receiving this message for years. The carriers of the bad news warn me in recession and depression — as well as in times…
12
Do I need an online selling platform?
Dear Artist, This morning I received another invitation to list my work on a high end home furnishings, art and decor selling platform. The email boasts that the site receives 4.5 million U.S. visitors per month, has 30,000 registered designers…
4
Finding form
Dear Artist, Among the more valuable skills is the ability to render forms. To get them right painters of other times laboured over spheres, cones and blocks. While it’s not always expected in today’s art, form-finding is well worth revisiting.…
8
Under the influence
Dear Artist, In the Spring when I was 12, I accompanied my father on a trip to Brittany, to find a house our family could rent for the summer. In Pont Aven, on Brittany’s south shore, he would paint and…
3
A noble dependency
Dear Artist, Recent studies of teenagers’ use of cellphones and other electronic devices have revealed some interesting results. Apparently, if you deprive kids of social networking for a week or so, a high percentage become significantly depressed. They also lose…