Dear Artist, Lori Deal of San Jose, California wrote, “I bought an acrylic painting on Craigslist. It’s a jazz musician playing a saxophone but it smells badly of cigarette smoke. You can smell it when sitting a few feet away.…
Dear Artist, The complaints are so widespread as to suggest there may be an epidemic. While many mention the word “obsession,” the malaise takes many different forms. Here’s one from yesterday’s email: “I’m compulsively watching art instruction DVDs in place…
Dear Artist, Last week Shirley Peters of Putney, NSW, Australia wrote, “My show is happening at the moment. My dilemma is that the gallery owner is using the email addresses I gave him to send invites for his next show.…
Dear Artist, In 1984, Edward O. Wilson introduced the “Biophilia hypothesis.” His idea was that there’s an instinctive bond between humans and other living systems — animals, plants, etc. Leaning on the earlier work of Erich Fromm, Wilson defined Biophilia…
Dear Artist, A fellow painter told me her whole approach was intuitive. “Bob, it’s not that your ideas aren’t intelligent,” she told me, “but I just don’t need to know all that stuff.” After telling me once again she paints…
Dear Artist, From time to time many of us are called on to critique the work of others. In the classic formula, the “critter” stands beside a well-lit easel as the paintings of a roomful of “crittees” are brought forward…
Dear Artist, I was at my easel in a secluded corner of a quiet garden. Near sunset a thrush serenaded from a thicket and a rhododendron dropped petals at my feet. These days I get emails on my phone –…
Dear Artist, Recently, Doug Payne of Waddington’s Art Auctioneers in Toronto, Ontario wrote, “A painting came into our auction house and I’m not sure if this was an early work (dated ’62) or it’s not a painting by you. I’ve…
Dear Artist, Recently, Michele Sinkez of Hebron, Connecticut wrote, “I overheard a collector say that white mats are a poor choice because they distract from the art. He said that deep-toned or neutral mats are best. Are colored and oversized…
Dear Artist, Yesterday, Gale Courtney of Manson, WA, USA wrote, “I am not happy trying to mix greens and want to know the secret! Your twice-weekly letters make me scurry out to my studio and begin to paint — except for…