Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Studio Time and What's REALLY Important
Permission?? With REAL passion one doesn’t need permission. One grabs every opportunity and paints.
The point I am making is that if you REALLY want to do anything…you will. It’s what gets done that was important to you at the moment…really. And that’s fine and good.
However don’t whine about not doing other things. Learn to move those desired things up to the top to where you can get them accomplished.
In examining New Years resolutions I tried “somethings” new this year:
First, I thought about the idea of resolutions or changes back in the summer of 2007 and then I started to fine hone them over the year.
Second, I wrote them into a set of goals. There is a fine balancing act with goals. One needs to make them attainable without setting the bar too low. Also, once you set a goal (and it is MOST important to write them down and acknowledge them daily) you MUST let go of the outcome.
If one focus’ on the goal too much then the nerves of failure can easily become a self fulfilling prophecy.
Most importantly to me is that I needed to make the goals a gradual thing over the weeks. I didn’t just wake up on the 2nd of January and say: TAH DAH!!!
I put those goals down in increments that would help me incorporate them into a daily/weekly/monthly routine.
So far so good…….dang that feels good to say three weeks into the year.
Getting into the studio should be something that happens everyday that you plan. And I have just found out that it doesn’t need to be an 8 hour day to make a difference.
I have planned to paint 3 hours a day on 5 days a week. That still gives me time to do the marketing and also research reference materials for images…..it’s all about the business of art.
If you don’t treat your art as a professional why would anyone else treat your art any differently?
Eugene Delacroix:We work not only to produce but to give value to time.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Investing in Art now
As a full time painter (in pastels) I am always thinking of ways to get art out the door. And it seems to me that now is a great time to invest in smaller format original art.
At Daily Painters New Mexico (http://www.dailypaintersnewmexico.com/) there is a group of us that get, at least, a painting a week posted on our website. These paintings range from 4x6 to 10x10 inches and are less than $500 unframed.
All of us are in brick and morter galleries. Many of us have had museum shows. I am invited back to Cowgirl Up! at the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg (http://www.cowgirlupart.com/) the last weekend of March this year.
We paint a painting a week as part of the discipline and rhythm of the artistic life....a commitment to our art.
This also gives the investor another chance to purchase art from painters in their mid-career.
I am reminded of an investor (note I am not mentioning collectors here....many collectors just buy because they HAVE to have a certain painter or painting) who used to enjoy buying/speculating on artists BEFORE they were famous.
This guy had educated himself in art and had confidence in his taste and ability to find good artists and didn't really care if other folks approved of his selections.
When he asked his niece what she would like for her wedding present she pointed to one of the paintings. It turned out to be a very early Jamie Wyeth. Good choice all around.
Here's to good taste, moderation, and creative work all around, Nance
Labels: art buying, art investing, original art, paintings
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]