NPR interview

Last year about this time my NPR interview was aired nationally. At the end of each year , I take stock and list my art career milestones. The NPR interview is one of my special milestones. It can be found by Google.

Surviving The Great Recession

Well the new year will soon be here and the best part is, I am still being an artist.
I count my blessings that I have been able to get throught the great recession as an artist.
I have been able to heat and eat up to this point in time. Being an artist requires stamina and resourcefulness. I intend to keep going as long as I can.

Lots of art in Denver

I just took a look at an exhibition of small works at Gallery 1261 in Denver.
The art was well done and many several sales were made. This city has an abundance of very capable artists. The one thing we don't have ,is decent newspaper coverage that lets new people to art know about our fine art community.
Just an observation.

People Are Buying Art In Denver

Over the past two weekends, I attended art shows in artist's studios. The latest one was this past Saturday. The artists that hosted the event was Mike Untiedt and Dix Baines. I am happy to report that the artists sold about 40 works. The paintings were priced at about $100-$375. It looks like people are loosening their purse strings in Denver.

Happy Birthday To Me

I had to make this entry. To day is my birthday, 71 years old, time sure creeps up on one.
Well, I can say I am still a non-starving artist.
I am still working, glad to be doing so.

Non support for black visual artists

Oprah is leaving her regular show soon. Good riddence I say!!!!!
Oprah sponsored an art exhibition in Chicago in 2000. I attended and was very excited. I thought the event would contine through the years, NOT!!!!
The art was made by artists who happen to be black, an under appreciated segment to of art America. Silly me, here was some one who could help black visual artists, and they just quit. DANG!!!!

Oprah has done some good things, it's too bad the visual arts wasn't one of them.

Recession Proof Artists

Last weekend artist Ramon Kelley had a studio party. I attended.
The party was informal and fun. The best part for me was to see a lady write several checks and not flinch. I had the chance to ask her if pen had cooled off?
The lady laughed and said yes , she also told me she was a friend of Ramon and his sons, by the way they are fine artists also.Ramon Kelley is a brand name artist in these parts and that has made him recession proof. He continues to build a collector base and has done so over the many years I have known him. I do have some examples of his work on my walls. Each time I look at them , I think of my own way to continue being recession proof too.

Living Visual Artists At The White House

I noticed that there seems to be a great emphasis on the performing arts atthe White House.
The visual artist seem to get pushed into the background often. I am aware that the Obamas have selected some paintings to be shown in the White House.
It would be nice to feature a special exhibition of works by contemporary living artists.
Music doesn't need much support. Painters and sculptors need more support from the present administration in my opinion. In the present economy visual artists need champions, the could use the dollars.

Re Invention

I am now in a period of of reinventing my self as an artist again. My artist in residence gig played out. I had a good run for 14 years. I don't know what I will do yet. I do have more time to make art, so I will work on that.
This economy is not very conducive for selling.

People are holding on to their money ,waiting to see how things are going to shake out.

I'll get by.

New Adjustment

As of today, my artist in residence gig is done. I had a good run for fourteen years.
I saved money to have a soft landing. I paid off my bills so I could get by.
I have not pushed sales of my work for quite awhile.
The recession took it's toll on my list of buyers.
My plan is to live frugally. I do have a decent inventory of work to sell.
I'll post more info later.

Signs Of Life

I surf the web to find out if artists are selling their work with any frequency. From what I can tell there seems to be some selling going on. I do believe half of what I read about sales in these times. I do believe the daily painters are selling the works that are under one hundred dollars with some regularity. It must be a chore to paint the work, photograph it and upload the image on the web. It would be for me, but there are a lot of artists who are doing it. So in this time any sale is a good one. I'll have to survey some of the art festivals in the area this year to get some idea about art sales. It will be informative.

The Tradeoff

There's a trade off to have any kind of art life/career. One can read about artists in magazines and think how great it would be in their shoes. The problem with that kind of thinking is, while it looks good, it has it's downsides . Often those artists who lives seem to be terrific, have the same relative concerns as the rest of the art world. Art careers require a great deal of maintenance, the more successful the artist is, the more maintenance is required. The artist James Rosenquist recently lost his studio as a result of a wildfire in Florida. I don't know any one who would trade places with Mr. Rosenqiust. Those big studios that are shown in art magazines require a constant influx of cash, an artist has to be selling a lot of art to get that to happen. The trade off comes into play when one decides to be an artist, that's just the way it is.

NYT surveys economy and artists

The NYT is asking artists to tell how the economy has affected their lives.
Google NYT artsbeat , look for Attention Artists.. The entries are very informative to read.
I was hoping the media would do this. The entries give examples of how artists
are coping with the recession. I found this by chance.

Artist Income

I recently read a letter from an artist who said he makes 70k-100k a year. Considering the fact that the income is from art, that's pretty good. Paying one' s way with art is quite a feat in my opinion. Art is something that people can move to the bottom of their needs or wants list. To make five or six figures in art is very special, especially in this economic time.

Posting Frequency

I don't post to my blogs unless I have a thought that I need to get off my mind. I do admire those who have a lot to say blog wise. I wonder how some bloggers who are artists have the time to make art and blog also. I tend to wait until something strikes me, then I post my thought. It's always enlightening to see what other people have on their minds. Blog on , I say.

See People In Person

Last week I was informed , that one of my art colleagues deceased. The lady was a vivacious and creative person. I was so out done because, I drive by her home often, I had intended to stop and say hello. She informed me by phone that she had been given three to six months to live. DANG! DANG! DANG!. I had her business card on my writing stand, my plan was to send her a thank you note for a phone call she made to me in December or January. I can 't remember the exact month. We did have a long talk on the phone. I feel sad that I didn't get one more visit with my colleague. This event makes me more aware, that people need to be in touch in person. I will work on doing just that .

Thoughts On The Daily Painters

I was just thinking about The Daily Painters. When I was early in my art career, I painted all the time, I was kind of driven. I made all kinds of paintings subject wise. As I got more experienced, I tried to do more complex subjects. Some passed my edit and some didn't. This brings me to the Daily Painters, I don't know how they do a painting every day without feeling pressured. I respect an artist's ability to make art all the time.I really do. I have discovered that, I don't have that drive. I tend to work on a series of small pictures , maybe eight to ten works. I assess my efforts, take a break then start up again. My hats off to the daily painters. Just some observations.

Got Cash

I got some cash for a painting yesterday. I made the work some time back. I hadn't offered it for sale before now.
The buyer of the painting is a colleague in education. So I gave him the colleague price. I am not precious about my paintings.
I get what I can for them and I can always make another painting. In this economic time, money is money.

Well Off People

People who have financial means, do not always have any interest in works of art.
This statement is not new to artists.
Often people with good incomes do not have original art in their homes.
I had to be on the record with this information, blogs are a good way to get
some ideas off of one's brain.
Another ending thought, most of my collectors are average income people.
May they keep coming.

Rude Gallery Visitor

I was in an art galllery yesterday and a man comes in , sits down and yaks on his cellphone for a good twenty minutes.

It's a good thing the gallery did not have a business transaction going on at the time.
The guy was in considerate of the business.

I had to post this. it's toobad jammerrs are illegal.

Career Action

The only way an artist gets somewhere in their art life,
is to do something. The nuts and bolts stuff needed to run a successful art career is basic. Action can get an artist
some traction. The art is the product, selling the art takes action.
Art business skills need to be worked on constantly. Action really matters. Action prevents starving.

A good book

I recently read Seven Days In The Art World. The author is Sarah Thorton. The book is a real page turner , and shows that the blue chip art word is a very fascinating place. I highly recommend this book .

The Trade Magazine Stories

I always wonder when I read about artists in the art magazines, how well they are doing?
I know that selling one's art is not always easy. The magazines seem to give the impression that painters and sculptors are
raking in the money. On my side of things, it's mostly uphill to support my art habit, I do it with a great deal of constant effort.
It just seems that the magazines give a false impression about many artists and their financial success.
I happen to know several artists and I know the struggle to pay all bills with art sales ain't easy.
The magazines report big money being paid for works by, lets say, some blue collar artists. My thought is, it's not what you make but what you get to keep on the money side.
There is one art publication that always shows wonderful art studios that artists have built.
My first thought is, I wonder if those artists have paid for those studios?
Often the trade magazines don't mention the business part of an artists career. Making money as an artist is not a crime.
Bills have too be paid.
Just an observation about some of the magazines.

Recession Is a Lesson

I think that the recesson is a good lesson on how to have the nerve to survive as an
artist. The USA Artists website mentions that 96% of the public tolerates artists.
26% values artists.
This my editing of the information on the site. Close enough.
The recession is just a reminder that artists have to hustle for their success, everyday. Real artists will survive the recession of 2009, just fine.
The lesson is to have an art life no matter what happens.