New Year Thoughts

My plan is full speed ahead on my art career. I will take direct action to not starve.
I will be an advocate for visual artists, some one has to do it. no whining from me.I will help others when asked. I will not tolerate any dis respect for my chosen profession. I am glad Thomas Kincade is rich. I won't abide art illiterate people.
My plan is to serve my art gift everyday of 2012. I won't sell art to anyone I don't like.

Real Artists Don't Starve!!!!!

i originated this slogan many years ago to remind my self, to do what ever it takes, to have an art life. I love being an artist , I made up my mind long ago, to do what ever I needed to do, to support myself as an artist. I have developed a whole bag of cool art career tricks that work. I will continue to develop more cool art tricks.
REAL ARTISTS DON'T STARVE!

Some Money Beats No Money

I know of an artist who, just quit a regular source of income.
A regular income is a good thing for an artist to have.I found myself in a similar
situation three years ago. I lost a considerable amount of regular income, my AIR
art gig was shut down at short notice. I always had a an escape plan.
I SAVED MONEY FOR JUST SUCH AN EVENT.
I was unsettled for awhile.
To supplement some of the dough I lost,I devised a plan, to get some art money.
I planned on paper some possible ways to get paid by art.
Long story short , I did many art jobs to have some money and not,zero money.
So far, so good.

Dumb Mistake

One time I took some one to an artist's open house. The artist is a very successful artist. Being around him, one can learn a lot. The person I took with me was ready to leave shortly after our arrival. My dumb mistake was, I drove my car to the studio, I should have had the person I took, drive their car.I took the person back to my house
so they could retrieve their car. Sad part was, this person was an artist. They could have learned a lot. I won't make that mistake again.
I always travel solo to art events these days.

Encouragement

I come from a family where, creativity was encouraged.I used to get empty match boxes from my mother, I would make a non working camera out of them.
As an adult ,I now have several cameras. I think of how my whole family is a creative family.

Now IS The Time

Now is the time for the Denver visual art community, to contact the Denver Post, and ask for interviews with the working class artists in the city.
There are some great stories to be told, about our art lives.
Music gets covered all the time. Solidarity is needed. People need to know that visual artists, are faring well during this economic time. I have interviewed several
artists who, are banking on a steady basis.

Less is more

This blog is simple , because I want it that way.
No razzel dazzel here, just simple ideas.
Simplicity on purpose.
Pass it on.
Tell somebody please.

I am Grateful on this Xmas Day

I am very grateful on this Christmas day. I have been able to heat and eat
from mt art effort. I have been able to pass on some of my good fortune.
I have some great colleagues , I have learned a lot from all of them.
My plan is to always be cognizant of how fortunate I am, and to pass it on.
My 2012 is going to be BOFFO!!!!!!!

More Dumb Art Gallery Tricks

I went in to the KINCADE gallery yesterday. The worker running the place didn't EVEN
acknowledge me. That's why he was working in the place and I'm not.
Too bad, he missed a good opportunity. I will be posting more DAGT.
Stay Tuned.

Dumb Art Gallery Tricks

Gallery fails to pay on time,fails to mention in writing time payment plans,
puts artist's work on the floor,art directs the artist,fails to have enough money to stay in business,gallery closes doesn't notify the artists,gallery has too many artists,won't keep website up dated, lets audience dictate what art they show.
There will be more of these tricks posted in the future.

Thomas Kincade

As quiet as it's kept, TK is a solid impressionist painter in the classical sense.
The artist tried to show and sell his classical work, to the public early in his career. Needless to say,people didn't respond to that art.
The rest as they say is history.
You can't make people like what they don't like.
Kincade is banking big still these days.

Living Artfully Is The Best Revenge

I am gloating a bit here, but I gotta.
As the end of the year looms, I think of all the negative
art situations I have gotten past. I must say I am feeling
accomplished.I have found it's how one reacts to situations that
establish character. I grew up in house where character was very important.
Visual artists face a lot of rejection these days, think of Van Goth
multiplied by thousands of times, when he was alive.
I am glad I have been able to get my revenge by staying the course.
I am living artfully.ON PURPOSE!!!!!

Real Mail Really Works!

I enjoy sending snail mail to some of my friends and colleagues.
I can picture their faces, when they get the letters.
I treat my letters like works of art, I draw on the envelopes and the letters.
I consider my mail part of my art form.

Hanging On

I have been good at hanging on art life wise.
I have had doubts all of my art life. I am old enough to say this.
I am glad that, I've made it this far. I haven't worked to the point of overwork, just steadily. I think being diligent is better than working too hard.
I try to pace my self through tasks. So far it's worked. I figure my art life is a marathon and not a sprint. I get to hang in and hang on.

The Oil and Steel Business

Since it's the party time of the year, I attend a few.
I get asked what I do? I love the question. I get to give my favorite answer.
I say " I am in the oil and steel business."
I walk away for awhile then come back and let the person in on the real me.
I tell them I am an artist, I make oil paintings and welded metal sculpture.
I wrote the oil business thing for fun. I like it.

Change Your Zone

I took a walk about yesterday. I went to visit an artist I know, who gallery sits on one day of the week. I always learn new stuff when I change my zone in the art world.
I am an information sponge.I learned a lot of new stuff to add to my skill set. I'll detail it in some later posts. Gotta go to Facebook now. Stand by.

Posting A Bunch!!!!!

I have been posting a bunch, I now have a laptop, I can blaze away from my couch.
More to come. My posts are designed for the two minute mind.

Ned Edmund Jacob

One of my good artist friends is , Ned Jacob.
I learned how to be a professional, respected non-starving artist from this man.
I learned how operate on my on terms,also to be in charge of my art life.
Ned Jacob once said "If you can draw you can make money."
Ned draws like breathing. He made a living in Denver for years with his wonderful charcoal drawings.
I talked with him by phone recently, he was conducting a drawing and painting workshop at the Scottsdale Artists School.
Ned puts a lot of emphasis on freedom and independence as an artist.He travels
three months of each year, to do what he wants to do. I had to go on record with this.
See him by Google,please.

Real Mail Really Works!

I opened up a holiday card yesterday, and out falls a 20 dollar bill.
I wrote a illustrated letter to a docent, I met a year ago, just to say hello.
I didn't ask for the money, she just sent it to me.
The universe at work.
I like to send real mail to people, I don't send plain mail, ever.
In this day and age, real mail makes people smile.
I will always send my art mail out.

Pass My Blog On Please.

I recently clicked on the comment section of my clog. I found a few peeps were commenting. Soooooo- I am asking you who read my ideas, to link my blog to others,etc.
THANKS!!!!!!

I Am Mercenary On Purpose!!!!!!!!!

I am going to get as much money as I can as an artist. I don't mean big money, just regular money. I can do more with a dollar, than a monkey with a peanut.
No dough, no respect. Double that thought if you are an artist with no money.I have said this before, I 'll say it again, real artists get paid.

Newsweek Magazine December 12,2011

The December 12, 2011 of Newsweek magazine has a very good article on art buying.
The story is about Art Basel Miami. Fascinating read about the one percent supporting the art percent. A number of artists got richer as a result of this art fair.
The hard copy version is way better than the online version.
It's worth checking out.

Hanging On

I believe in the marathon as an artist. I got to cash some checks today. the money came from surprise art sales. I do all of my own business. I decided long ago to be in charge of my art career.I got to this point by hanging on. I don't chase about trying to be part of the traditional system in Denver. I am a maverick, this allows me freedom ,to do what I want, when I want to in my art life. Having an art gig to support my art habit, allowed me to hang on long enough to get some traction, in the art world. Hanging on matters.

The art bank pays off today.

I got a call to day from one of my early buyers. She wanted to bring her daughter to look in the studio. I always have art to see, I work consistently. I believe in having enough choices for studio visitors. I sold three works to my visitors. The works were from my shoebox inventory.My studio is on the top floor of my house, I took my visitors upstairs and I went back downstairs so as to not hover.
My art bank pays off again.I am thankful.

So Much Art

I just came in from my tour of the small art shows.
There is a lot to see, all of the art is solid.
The work is available for every budget, except broke.
One can become saturated with the abundance of works to select from.
The Denver audience is so spoiled because there is so , much art to select from.
In fact the audience is downright blase about art in Denver.
Any artist that sells any work, should feel very fortunate.
I know I do.

Real Artists Always

Real artists always take charge of their art lives.
They realize that being the CEO of their business matters.
I know real artists who abide by these rules all the time.
I happen to be one of them.People who don't make art, think that we artists
always need them, well they are wrong.
Real artists proceed to succeed on purpose.

Happy Birthday to Me-But----

Today is my birthday, I am glad to be able to post this.To vertical really matters to me. The but part is , my land line has been dead for two days. I don't have or want a cellphone at this time.I plan on calling the phone company tomorrow. Glad I had a slush fund to by the lap top, to make this entry.
The universe has away of keeping one in line.
I got a lot of B-day wishes on Facebook. Very thoughtful.

Robert Genn on BlogTalk Radio

Robert Genn , originator of The Painters Keys, was interviewed on Blog Talk Radio.
This happened on 12-1-11. It's a very good interview, I see his foto on the site, to hear his voice is a good thing to relate to his foto.
The Painters Keys is loaded with useful information.

No Rescue

Real artists do not wait to be rescued, ain't gonna happen.
We artists have to rescue ourselves,on purpose.

My Art Life 2011-December

Some things you don't get to be in control of. My phones are dead. I have paid the bill. I never miss. People have been trying to get a hold of me and I didn't know it.
I ain't broke, I can get the repair done. This kind of stuff seems to happen only on weekends. DANG!!!!!!
I treated myself to a laptop, good thing I did. I'm connected at least.

My Art Life

I loved art so much all I just wanted to be able to support my self.
I am grateful that I have been able to do it. So far, so good.

Sold Again

I sold another set of paintings today. The works are from my shoebox paintings. YAY!
The artworks were all painted from memory. I tend to make work this way often.
The brain is like a tape recorder that plays back data, if one trusts one's brain
many good results happen. I must remember this on a regular basis. I paint even if I don't have an immediate place to show the work. My art bank always pays off.

Progress 2011

I was returning from an artist's studio open house today -12-3-11, the temp was 14 degrees.
Years ago I attended the same open house in the same kind of weather. I was driving a car that was cold and balky. I mention this, because I wondered if I would ever progress enough in my art life to do better. The artist always sells well at his events. I wondered if I would ever sell, any art that would let me do better, in my own art career. I am happy to announce, I have a warm better running car, money in the bank,decent art and business skills. I consider myself a working class artist.
Going to Ramon Kelley's studio open houses all of these years has been good for my own career progress.