Tag: artist studios

My year in review

My Artist Website

My year in review

My year in review is not really a year, it is more like 6 months since I have started my website. I have had an online presence on various social media sites and others like Redbubble and zazzle. therefore it will be interesting to look at this post in another 6 months. Maybe I should do a review every 6 months instead.

I continue to learn and experience new things at every corner, never getting bored. Making new friends in the art circle is absolutely essential to me and this helps a lot to avoid feeling alone. Sometimes being an artist can be isolating. It is great to have the help of peers to review my work. Old friends and new always seem to come up with great ideas and suggestions. Of course trying to get and keep a thick skin can be tough sometimes, but true friends help. They don’t tear me down, but bring me up, elevating my work in the process. Friends help teach me and I hope to discover more friends continuously.

I am happy with my progress although I wish it was faster and further along. Some progress is better than none. I certainly look forward to the future. This is partly due to the constant instant gratification we get from perusing the internet, but it is also due in part to the amount of finished pieces I have. In the future I wish to actually finish more of my pieces.

Organization

I did start the year being fairly organized and still make progress organizing more. I am hoping to make my online presence more noticeable, get more followers and learn how to wield that weapon. Making more posts on the various social platforms makes me realize I need to have more material to post.

My year in review causes me to post a picture here of an old transistor cabinet remade into an organizational tool for my tubes of paint and other odds and ends. It was exciting to be able to do this and I think it will be very useful. I can find out at a glance where each color is and what I may need to replace.

Going forward, I hope to have a larger online presence and maybe travel more. I do think travel is very good for an artist.

My Favorite Place to Create in.

My Artist Website

My favorite place to create in is the great outdoors. I love to hike when I can and it can be difficult to have enough supplies when doing that. It is quite a challenge but very exciting.

My Studio

I also love my mini studio at home because it has very close proximity to my kitchen and there is great light with lots of windows. Washing brushes and cleanup is made easier because of this location. Although the family and guests can see my progress and comment on my good or not so good works. It is a lesson for them all on how a painting moves from one point through what may be considered finished. As Leonardo Da Vinci said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” Knowing when to quit is half of my struggle. Everyone seems to have an opinion and I try to listen to my inner voice to decipher good advice from advice I maybe shouldn’t listen to. I think the best advice can come from fellow artists, so you should get yourself out there and network.

I remember seeing my Mother’s paintings take shape and I was taught by more absorption than actual formality. Things I just know were handed down to me without my actual knowledge. Her way of teaching me as I grew up reminds me of her “studio” in our dining room. This was just off the kitchen also. I’m sure many artists struggle with space and light, I am very lucky to have my little corner.

My Dream Studio

But just imagining a big real studio is great fun. I wonder how it would affect my art and maybe how thrilling it would be. How much more prolific I could be. How much more space would be helpful for storage of works in progress and supplies. It is wonderful to dream. Who knows maybe my dream will come true one day.

N.C. Wyeth’s studio in Pennsylvania. It is just beautiful.

Another part of N.C. Wyeth’s studio with its walls of windows. This a very short walk from his main house. This is a very special place and I can only imagine the freedom he must have had to create here.

This is something I think more creatives need. How much farther along would they be?