I was out yesterday at a craft fair as a patron. I don’t get to do that very often. When I do, I find myself watching people. Probably because that is what you do from the vendor’s chair: people-watch, I mean. There was this elderly lady getting up from the lunch table and her daughter helped her zip up her coat. At that moment I […]
I am a bed maker
I am a bed maker. I wasn’t always, actually; I never used to do it. Make my bed, I mean. Why should you? You are just going to mess it up again. It will only be made for a few hours, what is the point? I started doing it when I re-acquainted myself with a friend, Leah. She was going through a time of change […]
Saying No, Defining boundaries.
People in your life think it’s romantic to know an artist. They are impressed by what you do, or they love your work but they don’t always understand what professional means. Heck, they don’t understand that any creative work takes time, financial resources and energy from the creator. Maybe it is because our grandmothers used to make so much for us when we were growing […]
Make it easy for everyone
I swore I wouldn’t do it to myself again. I wouldn’t book so many shows this year, I was going to make good choices and make my months less complicated. Enter October… I am hanging 40 pieces in the gallery at Spokane Art School (that opened Friday); Hanging 12 at William-Grant in Kendall Yards, Spokane (that opened Saturday), Doing the Oldfield Art Show in Puyallup […]
Leaving the nest
I have finished my residency and my ever-enduring spouse helped me schlep all my supplies and equipment back home. Being an artist is difficult, but I am always amazed when artists don’t have the support of their spouse. He makes a huge difference to me and helps to keep me going. It was with a catch in my chest that I bid the school […]
Keep it pure.
I’ve talked about business, failure, challenge and destruction. I have spoken about supporting others and looking for support, being the person you want to find in the world but this is about keeping it pure. Being an artist is hard. I have said it before, it takes endurance. You will get mad, frustrated, hurt and shockingly insulted so why on earth make it harder on […]
Keep a clean backtrail and work the path you are on.
It never hurts to pay attention to the relationships you are in even if they are coming to an end. Partnerships change over time and they don’t always work out. It isn’t that they fail that matters, it is how you leave them that is important. We all have long memories in this business, and we all travel great distances. Nothing goes farther than a […]
Personal Investment vs. Professional: learning to let go
Why do you create art? Who do you create it for? I create art because I will be loony if I don’t. The thought now of giving it up makes me hyperventilate, seriously. I have said it before, it is the act of creating that is important to me. Once it is done, I need to start something else. I have found my stopping point; […]
The only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask.
Many would argue with the above statement – they have teenagers who will work hard to find the dumbest question possible. For the rest of us, what do I mean? There are times in our lives where we have missed the application boat by a few hours, wanted to be in another spot in a show, wished we had signed up for 20’ instead of […]
The Rest of the Story….
I’m thinking on an artist named Heade. When I was in college, I had a seminar class on art history. The instructor opened one class with a story about an antique collector. The shopper bought a painting at an estate sale for a very minimal amount. $20 maybe? She purchased it for the frame because the painting was so dirty, she couldn’t even tell what […]
