After a fundraiser, my friends are out the cost of framing while the buyers walk away with originals for much less then the price they’d pay in a gallery. Times are already hard for artists, yet my friends felt pressured by the charity to give their work away. These artists want to use their talents to support a good cause, but they don’t want to diminish the value of their paintings in the process.

A teacher of mine believes we should never donate our original art. He thinks it undercuts the value of all our work and creates an expectation that we will donate again. He thinks a society that expects art for little or nothing does not deserve it, and he feels people value art more if it has a high price tag.

I think we need a middle ground, and our critique group tried to find one. Our idea is to have a well publicized art auction with starting bids equal to the cost of framing. This reimburses the artists. If no one is willing to pay for framing then the artist keeps the painting. After framing costs are paid, the artist and the charity split proceeds evenly. The artist can, of course, choose to donate her half back to the organization and take the tax deduction. It’s a win-win: the charity raises money while respecting and valuing the artist’s role.

I’m not sure where I stand on this issue. But it is clear to me that many non-artists think artistic talent is born of some gift from on high, not gained through effort and expense on the part of the artist. That is a myth we would be wise to debunk.

If you’ve seen John’s DVD workshop, Urban Landscapes in Watercolor, you’ll recognize the techniques he used to create his AWS entry, Morning Fog. If you haven’t seen the workshop, watch the preview now to get a taste of his Gold Medal-winning methods.

Other Creative Catalyst artists on this year’s list of AWS exhibitors include Cheng-Khee Chee, Ratindra Das, Donna Zagotta, Judy Morris, and Mark Mehaffey. Congratulations all!

The artists we work with here at Creative Catalyst have vast creative reserves. Their worlds include attending meetings, entering shows, and visiting different parts of the country. They do not need more visual stimulation. They need time to paint.

Those of us who don’t get out as often must seek out artistic stimulation. Let curiosity be your guide: visit a new shop or gallery, go to lunch somewhere different, or check out new materials. Shake things up. It is easy to get stuck in a comfortable rut. It impacts the freshness of our work. We forget it’s important to have fun, to play, and to explore. If you find that you are hitting a wall, take a moment to think about the last time was you treated yourself to a deposit in your creative account.

Cheers,
Lynn Powers

Click here for the PDF instructions. (They will download immediately.)

Alice Bracelet PDF

Learn more about Sherri’s DVD workshops: Precious Metal Clay Jewelry and Resin Jewelry.

To see Patricia demonstrate Shellac burning, check out her Creative Catalyst DVD workshop, Encaustic Collage Workshop.

*Remember to follow safety guidelines when working with encaustic.

So oil, I am willing to not wholly dismiss you. I know better now. And I am sorry for being a bit of a snob.

Each of us has only so much time on this earth. Especially in art, any time we spend being afraid of our own inner voice is a waste of a limited resource. Oscar Wilde said it best, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken!”

Years ago, an instructor pointed out that more women than men attend workshops. He then pointed out that more men than women enter shows. He wondered why that was. It was not due to lack of talent. I believe it’s because women are generally taught to be more cautious than men. This caution has spilled over into an arena where it has no place.

It is important to become proficient with the medium. It provides the freedom to think about what we are doing and not just how we are doing it. However, at some point we need to step out on that invisible bridge of self guidance with fearless gusto.

So onward and upward.

In winter the goldfinch are safely hidden by their drab plumage of grays. The return of their yellow means my senses can anticipate delightful bird song, color and the sweet scent of flowers. It’s in sharp contrast to winter in Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley. The Valley can become a soup bowl of colorless fog. Weeks, if not months, may go by without enough sun to permit cast shadows. Life takes on a two dimensional quality. It would be one big sensory depravation tank if not for the cold. I may be exaggerating, but not much.

This has nothing and everything to do with art. Art is a celebration of both color and the lack of color. It’s experiential and analytical. It helps us feel alive. Like some nuanced painting, there are beautiful aspects of winter but I’ve had to work to appreciate their subtle qualities. I don’t have to work to enjoy spring. Spring is overpowering in its abundance of options. Nothing is subtle. It is high energy and youthful.

As a spring gift from me to you, please enjoy 15 minutes of bird song, recorded here in our garden on one of those wonderful spring mornings I dearly love. And a special thanks to Susan Bourdet for permitting me to use her image in this manner.

Enjoy!
Lynn Powers

I rush painting for a couple of reasons; the first is my inclination to multitask. I can unload the dishwasher, cook, and talk at the same time, but art takes focus. It’s high time I slow down and give it the focus it requires. I cannot squeeze art between other activities. It deserves its own time and space.

Secondly, I’ve been unrealistic about how long it takes to give thought and careful execution to a painting. This tendency comes from the open studio I attend at the local university, which is only three hours long. I know that when the session ends, I lose my model, so I rush. Rushing only gives me one more mediocre attempt at a painting to slide under my bed. The studio schedule should not dictate my expectations. It would be wiser to forgo spend the time making careful drawing.

Painting is not a horse race. It takes as long as it takes. The only good way to speed up my process is to get more experienced at what I do, and that’s something I’ll have to wait for.

Cheers,
Lynn Powers