What is a body of work?
The definition of a body of work varies from artist to artist. For one artist, a body of work might be defined by size. For another artist, it might be color, media, or subject matter.
Making Art
Making Art as a Battle Between Artist and Material
Bruce Nauman profile. Artist as observer and synthesizer of words and ideas. And nothing is easy. Every piece of art is a struggle. If you struggle with your work, you’re in good company.
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Deep Thought Thursday: Going solo
In the June issue of Art Calendar magazine, Jack White says: When you made the choice to become an artist, you committed yourself to a life of solitary confinement. That is, if you plan on being successful. I’m of two minds on this. The first is that, yes, you must spend a great deal of
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Treat Your Art Like It Belongs in a Museum
From the moment a work of art enters a museum, it is treated as the special one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable object it is. It sits in a crate in the loading area and acclimates to its new surroundings. After sufficient time has passed, it is uncrated by the preparator or registrar who is wearing white gloves. A
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How Many Pieces Are in a Body of Work?
As a mature exhibiting artist, you need to make enough work to have a couple of solo exhibits simultaneously. I know you’d be happy if I told you an exact number, but I’m not going to do that. (Sorry/not sorry) © Bonnie Hurst, Buffalo Painting #2 (detail) Some people will tell you to have enough
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To sign or not to sign (your artwork)
Question from Patrice Erickson: Is it preferred or not preferred to sign and date paintings on the front of the canvases rather than on the backs? I have always signed and dated on the fronts. On a recent visit to a high end gallery I noticed that none of the paintings were signed this way.
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Artist applying Getting Things Done to the creative process
Brad Blackman at Mysterious Flame has taken David Allen’s book Getting Things Done (which I always recommend) and applied it to the creative process in five separate posts. Since GTD is mostly about office productivity and making art is rarely so structured, it’s an interesting look. I’m wondering if it works better for artists who
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Is artwork marketable without talent (and developing a thick skin as an artist)
I received this email from awhile back from Bob Hunt: I’ve been getting your newsletter now for a couple of month and do find some of the information interesting, but I feel you haven’t addressed a real issue that contributes to success. It’s talent. No where do you address this (at least not in the
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5 Ways to be a better artist
Practice. No one ever achieves true perfection. That would make life dull. Practice your skills knowing that each chisel mark, each brush stroke, each line leads to your growth as an artist. Experiment. Try a different medium, a different size, or a different subject. Take chances, learn from your mistakes, and build on your successes.
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How to seduce people into being interested in your art
Today’s Art Marketing Action newsletter is about seducing (love that word) people to be interested in your art. Here are some more lessons to be learned from my seduction by Josiah McElheny’s art. I saw it in person. I wasn’t expecting to see it, but I was open to a dialogue with it because I
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