Dear Artist, I recently found myself at a gathering of women, all new to me; mostly artists, plus an architect, a curator, a language specialist. The room buzzed with chatter; each person butterflying about with a baby-eyes joy. I landed…
Dear Artist, Last week Molly VanZant of Lexington, Kentucky wrote, “I’m an artist at the beginning of my journey toward a well-made watercolour. Recently, I took down some paintings stashed on the top of my cupboard and ruthlessly consigned about…
Dear Artist, Professor of Educational Psychology at University of Connecticut, James C. Kaufman, recently offered some advice on raising creative kids. His biggest tip to parents is to resist the urge to offer rewards. “Rewards and praise may actually dissuade…
Dear Artist, Today it’s raining in Chadds Ford, PA. Big drops fall from the ancient sycamores. Off in foggy Brandywine Valley, the witch hazel and pignut hickory still hold their muted colours. Great black trunks narrow down to sharp and…
Dear Artist, A subscriber wrote, “How do I progress from the work I am currently doing? I feel like I’ve been working on the same few problems for years and want to “level up” in ideas, if for no other…
Dear Artist, All my life I’ve been trying to figure out ways to improve my painting. That includes study of the work of those I consider masters, trying to get the hang of their ideas, techniques and processes, and, on…
Dear Artist, When I left California for Vancouver in May, I had a solo show scheduled to open in the Fall and made a plan to work on it at my Mum’s house. In my 30th year of painting professionally,…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Jonathan Kwegyir Aggrey of Ghana wrote, “In my society there is no single word for ‘art.’ We have no distinction between ‘art’ and ‘craft.’ All are creative activities requiring skills and a sense of aesthetics. The aesthetic…
Dear Artist, After our mother tongue, colour is, perhaps, our second language. Unlike words, though, colour enters only through the eyes and, as a result, is subject to our perception by way of temporal conditions like light, atmosphere, distance, the…
Dear Artist, If your intention is to make unique, somewhat abstracted works with a distinctive style and a unique personality, you may not be able to go directly there. Indeed, some accomplished artists insist that you can’t reach a significant…