3 Tips for Artists —that means YOU!

1. Let go of “right” and embrace the “whatever”

2. Don’t throw away; walk away. Then, maybe, return

3. Enjoy the process; it can be mesmerizing

First and foremost: let’s define “artist.” Note: I didn’t say “fine artist” or “sculptor” or “photographer.” Intentionally, my definition is generic. Do you appreciate art? Do you paint? Do you think about spider webs? Do you think in spider web style (as opposed to linear). Do you think linearly, but change directions? Then, you are a type of an artist, and that defies definition. Me? I’m a painter, but that’s not all; I’m an analytic thinker. One does not define the whole. Now that we have that clarified, let’s explore the tips.

1. Let go of “right” and embrace the “whatever.” Being right is a pain in the ass; striving to be right is worse.
   Solution: make a compelling case and then move on

Here’s the photo. Did I want to paint asphalt? Garbage cans? Telephone wires? Tree stump? Greens and yellows? All the shrubs, etc. etc. etc.?
No way!
Solution: take some license; take a lot of license. See below.

Autumn Arrives: the painting.

The story:

Actually, on this painting, I did the purple, pink, blue background a month ago— just playing with colors. I was going to paint another Shanah Tovah scene, but I got distracted. A month later, and here we are— changing up the neighbor’s driveway!

The compelling case: most of you really liked this painting!

2. Don’t throw away; walk away. Then, maybe, return

I almost threw this away. Seriously. Why?

1. I had washed it off—twice—in the sink. You can do that with some papers, especially with Fabriano.

2. No gold, no shofars, just blobs were on it. Ugly.

3. The dark background— took that off twice. Redid— first time it looked like mud. 2nd time was better, but not good. Washed it off. Again.

4. The 3rd time, the blue worked. Why? Who knows. But I still hated it. A big blue blob. THROW AWAY TIME!

5. I forgot to throw it away. I did something else—for a week. Not painting.

6. I returned to my art room; it was still sitting on the table. Looking ugly. I thought to myself, What the hell? It’s only paper!

7. I decided to play with gilding and my gold ink pen. What you see is the result.

8. PLAY MAKES HAPPY.

9. It SOLD the day I posted it!

Whatever it is, the way you see and the way you feel intersect.

3. Enjoy the process; it can be mesmerizing. Sometimes it’s just about having fun.

• The Photo

• The Sketch

• The Process: watch the video! It’s short— I promise!

The Product. Actually, I had so much fun that I painted 2 versions! Check them out: The Peonies
Which version do you like?