On this journey of being a working studio artist

On this journey of being a working studio artist, there are many challenges - not just in staying inspired and motivated to paint daily, but forging into the business of being an artist is like making a whole new art piece in itself – in a new medium, in a foreign studio, with different tools…..

I just received my 2007 Artist’s Market book and am in process of paging through it going through the galleries and deciding which ones to look into further – check out their websites and see if my work is compatible. It’s daunting and scary and brings up lot of feeling of vulnerability. But with Kaizen small steps I proceed and enjoy the process of beginning this new portion of my career.

Somewhere in one of my journals (I need to go and re-locate it) I have a list of the top ten things I would like to attract in a gallery and gallery owner representing me. Well, there is the wish list of perfection – a trap that can stop me in my tracks. And then there is the reality of just starting applying! (Hey, if you’re interested I’ll post the list on the blog, please let me know in the comments section – I’d like your feedback.) Anyways, My next little step is to start writing a query letter to the galleries I’d like to apply to. I’m hoping to find a template online to follow. No luck yet.

(By the way did you read Eric Maisel’s newsletter on the fears and excuses we artist come up with when thinking about getting our work out there and applying to galleries? I thought he wrote it to me personally! You can subscribe to his newsletter on the home page of his website: http://www.ericmaisel.com/)

Meanwhile, back to the fun part of the painting! I am working on 3 paintings this morning that are teaching me a lot. I have not painted anything like this before and am enjoying the burnt umbers, iron oxide yellows and ultra marine blues. The composition is still coming together and at this point I feel that two of them are definitely in their puberty, ugly duckling stage. This is normal. Paintings don’t always just work out, it takes time and finishing them is often the most challenging part – what needs to be taken away? What needs to be added? If the painting could talk, what would it say?

My mentor Lana Grow taught me to take photos of my work and then use the photos to judge what needs to be done. The photo gives us a sense of ‘standing back’ a useful perspective when I’ve been in close all morning putting around with a cloth and palette knife.

So here’s to trusting the process, honoring the ugly duckling stage and taking small steps forward towards our goals.