Dear Artist, The other day I was talking to my friend Jack Monk. Jack’s an irascible guy who is always devising new and creative ways to hold himself up. His latest is doing Mylar overlays on the problematic parts of his…
Dear Artist, After my recent letter about the art market returning to happy times, I received a lot of personal emails. Some were from folks who said I was a spoiled brat and out of touch with the misery of…
Dear Artist, Trudging around in the Bugaboos, I’m thinking how rules are meant to be broken. Having said that, a few rules for acrylic and oil painters are well worth following. My only reason for backing up my helicopter and…
Dear Artist, Choreographer Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit describes her morning routine of rising early and going through the same morning rituals; same coffee, same bun. She puts on the same leotards, goes down the same elevator to the same…
Dear Artist, On questions of economics, painters are seldom consulted. Curiously, my inbox has been bleeding queries like, “Why am I so poor?” “Do I need to worry about my galleries going broke? And, “Are happy times here again?” With…
Dear Artist, As occasional workshop givers, my daughter Sara and I find there are a few artists we can’t help. Some of these folks may be accomplished professionals with developed careers, but most are in some way simply “blocked.” There’s…
Dear Artist, Every day we look at jpegs of some readers’ paintings and know that they might do better if they were not so stubborn. In some cases it seems the art and the ego have gone into lockstep. If…
Dear Artist, After my recent letter about talking on the phone while painting, several emails came in from folks mentioning possible pathological conditions. Anonymous wrote, “When I’ve been painting for long periods in the studio, especially when I’m really concentrating…
Dear Artist, Recently, Ben Novak of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada wrote, “Are traced or projected photos an acceptable way to draw? When proportions and perspectives are too perfect, when shadows are perfect and contrasting as in bright sunlight, when stop motion…
Dear Artist, Among the responses to my recent “Distractions” letter, more than 150 artists named the telephone as a major excuse for not working. Marcie wrote, “The phone is my biggest distraction. Intending to go to the studio or outdoors…