Why not having a 'JOB' doesn't equal being in the studio 40 hours a week.

Some of my artist friends are surprised with how little studio time I get.  I'm lucky at the moment and my bills are low. The ones I have, I pay with by selling my paintings. If changes in life scare you, the life of an artist isn't for you.  Because - this will change one day.  Either folks won't buy my paintings or I'll need to pay more bills, and I'll be working full time again.  I always assumed I'd spend all my time in the studio if I had the chance. Studio time does vary.  One week, I might get three hours in.  Another week I might be in every morning, noon and night and get 60 to 70 hours of studio time.  But this is rare and usually only comes up when I'm faced with a deadline. Why? Why can't I do the thing I love, that I want to do all the time?

• They didn't tell you when you were going to art school that being an artist is running your own business. Book keeping. Taxes. Tracking down where your paintings are and who owes you what.
• Social media. Like this blog.  It's more than a distraction - it's a necessity. 
• Life. You can't make art if you don't live it.
• Life, cont'd. Shit happens. 
• To be crass, networking is very important.  Or one can just say 'maintaining friendships.' 
• Gallery openings and parties.  Again, it's not so much for fun. How many introvert artists do you know who actually enjoy these things?
• Current affairs.  People expect artists, or maybe other artists expect artists to have an opinion about what is going on in the world.  A lot of artists get away with a statement like 'Meh, I'm in my studio so I don't know what is going on in the world.'
• Research. What shows will you apply to? Which galleries do you 'court?' Sending cold emails is a waste of time. 
• Applying to shows.  This could go under the general running of the business, but it's more then book keeping.
• Courting collectors... or more like, reminding them you are here.  I try to send thank-you notes and holiday cards.  This also goes under networking.  But collectors get excited about other artists. If you are lucky you'll find the rare 'Lifer' who seems to love what you do and is eager to support you.  Most collectors are looking for something for the wall, or get excited about you for a few months or years and then find a shiny new artist to love.  Which is fine.  But reminding them that you have new ideas is a good thing to do. Also, collectors are what makes being an artist possible.  I'll dope slap you if you aren't grateful when someone loves your work enough to spend money on it.
• Promotion of all shows. As much as possible, all of the time, to the annoyance of your friends. Designing and buying cards, distributing them, emails and anything else you can think of.

Those of you thinking that maybe this doesn't reflect your life - it is very probable that it doesn't.  There is no plan, no map that says: 1. go to art school 2. get a gallery.... etc.  Each path is different for each artist.

Those of you thinking that your art is good enough that a gallery will come down and take care of all the business for you are, sadly, misled - most likely by Hollywood and the rumor mill. Dealing with a gallery is work. Running a gallery is work.  The gallery owners have enough of their own work to do. Maybe, in VERY rare cases, something like this could happen.

One might bring in enough money to have an agent or hire someone to do office work.  But this isn't what I see at my level. I consider myself a medium fish in a medium pond. I'm probably smallish as far as medium goes in Philly.  I'm not great at all the networking stuff. I don't go to enough events. I hang with people I find interesting, not ones that move my career anywhere.  Well, that's not true, it's just not the reason I hang out with them if they do have a good impact.

You'll see me repost people's announcements on facebook and 'like' as much art as I can. When I do like it.  Even though there is the little voice in my head that says "What if I'm the only one that 'likes' this and everyone will see I'm a fake" each time I repost or 'like' some art. It only takes me a second to do these things.  It helps the artists out tremendously and I have had many people help me in ways I won't be able to repay.

I'm missing some things here.  I'd also like to hear what other artists think about this.  What things do you do that you didn't realize you would be doing as an artist?

The artist talk you didn't go to - Catherine Mulligan and Jenny Kanzler

It's not surprising that at noon on a Wednesday the auditorium at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts isn't full. It is a shame that more of the students don't take advantage of the Art at Lunch talks.  Well, I suppose the real shame is that I didn't take advantage of the Art at Lunch Talks nearly enough as a student.  The students will look back and wonder what on earth was so important that they didn't catch an emerging Mulligan and partially emerged Kanzler.  Lucky for them the show in the Alumni gallery is up until January 25th.

This is what you missed:
First, Jenny, whose work I've followed for several years. I've had a bit of a crush on her for some time...I even fainted on her once at an opening.  I'm still trying to figure out if the crush is because she's a lovely person or a wonderful artist.  Instead of being a crazy stalker person I've tried to promote her art as often as possible.  No, it's not because she is a wonderful person, but because she is an excellent painter. She explores her life in a very raw, truthful and open way. Her talk was from the heart.  You missed the stories behind the paintings, but lucky for you, you don't need the stories to enjoy her art. I believe she only let us peek a tiny bit into her life today, and that tiny bit was very powerful.  She is an old soul.  She has the sense that she's been here before, but is grateful for the opportunity. (I'm sorry I don't have an image of one of Jenny's paintings. Jenny- email me a jpg)

                      i very much want this painting --->




Second was Catherine.  I'm going to brag now.  I bought one of Catherine's paintings for $75 a few years back.  I had sold a painting and went to collect the check at the wonderful Beth Medoway's house.  Catherine had just dropped off two squares for the Square Art Deal that Beth used to run. I had to have one.  My only regret is not buying both.

 

The painting I got for a steal.  8x8" Still Life with Pea Soup

She almost sold out her show at FAN Gallery this past month.  Her prices are still reasonable, for the moment, but that won't last.  I've never had more then a few passing words with her, if ever... I vaguely remember telling her I bought one of her works.  I even tried to get her for Rodger's Gallery but she was all ready committed to showing at FAN.  Bragging aside, her talk was as charming as you'd want from a youth (Catherine, if you read this, it's ok for you to hate me for saying that).  I won't ever forget those dark eyes and lovely blond hair that she tried to tame into a pony tail... (ugh, new art crush). She clearly explained where she was from and where she was going (in the art since).  I think that when she lives a little more, searches a little harder, she will sprout wings and fly.  Her paint is the kind you want to eat.  Her ideas straightforward.

If you are an artist, this show will make you want to make art.  If you just love to look at art you'll be high for a week.  And if you are a collector... NOW IS THE TIME! Seriously. One of Jenny's works was $450.  I don't think a work in the show was above $2000.... and I want to buy them ALL.

Here is the facebook invite.  Reception TOMORROW
 https://www.facebook.com/events/1471270096484535/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Meeting a HERO.... Harry Shearer

Ok, I didn't really meet him.  I saw him talk on the stage at World Cafe Live. 
The show 'Nixon's the One' gives a visual to the audio recordings that Nixon himself had recorded in the oval office.  Shearer plays Nixon himself.  If just the audio were listed I, and a few others would have listened while painting or do other projects. The way he handled these recordings has made it accessible to a much larger audience.

What I love about Harry Shearer and this specific project is that it shows Nixon as human.  He's not some larger then life deity.  Mr. Shearer doesn't need to exaggerate Nixon-- Being human is strange enough.  With this project, and others like it, Mr. Shearer does what we can only do faced with such absurdity- find a way to laugh.

In the U.S. no distributor would release this show.  Lucky for us, Harry Shearer cares more about getting his project out there then making a penny.  Check it out on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9HtoWea72A

I did these sketches. The first ones are waiting for the show to start.  The others are of the man himself.  Unfortunately I don't think any of these sketches look like Mr. Shearer.   But we all know that isn't the point to them-- at least that's what I'm telling myself.   If you don't know the point (and I need to remind myself), it's to capture the feel of the moment.  Someone said 'the product of life filtered through human is art'.  If you know who said it please let me know.  Oh, the other point of the sketches is that for some reason I absorb whatever I'm listening to better if I'm doodling then if I don't.  One day I heard on the radio that some scientist proved it in a study. 

My only complaint for Mr. Shearer is that he doesn't have any answers.  It's also a blessing because he puts the issues (listen to this to understand what issues I mean: http://harryshearer.com/le-show/ ) out there and it is understood that it is much more then most anyone else is doing.  The world is so awful sometimes all we can do is laugh. 

The 2014 Show

For the show this year at Rodger LaPelle Galleries, I added my thoughts and drawings on some rice paper that I first pasted to the wall.  This photo is what it looked liked as a whole.  I believe I pulled off the subtleness I was looking for.  What is happening on the wall, I hope complemented the paintings.  

The following photos are the individual affects of the rice paper, and what I wrote.  Much of which is destroyed.   Some of the writings and drawings from the wall were paired with the art they were next to and sent to the folks who bought them.  Or stored in the back of Rodger's gallery. 

Nap Time was in the window, on the side.  David Lynch's work took center stage.

 

Here is my entry 'Artist's statement'.  I didn't think it need too much explanation.

 

And here are some photos from First Friday

Thank you for looking!