How Long Did It Take To Paint That?

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 If you have ever created anything more complex than a stick figure, you have probably been asked this common question, "How long did it take to paint that?" This seemingly simple question can actually be complex for the artist to answer. For me, each painting seems to have a mind of its own, with its own personality. Literally, some paintings paint themselves, while others are a slow, and more labor intensive. Self-employed artists work hard, … [Read more...]

Balancing Parenthood and Your Art Career

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It seems a bit ironic to be writing this post on balancing parenthood and your art career since I officially became an 'empty nester' last month. That's right, my three kids are all out my house and leading their own lives as young adults. One just graduated from grad school and now is a 3D artist, one is in college and my youngest is working in California. I am proud of them all, but it is a big transition for me and I am grateful to have my … [Read more...]

10 Famous Artists Who Had to Deal with Rejection During Their Lifetime

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(*Please see Editor's note below) While many are familiar with the term "starving artist," this stereotype of impoverished artists struggling to get by has been sadly true throughout much of history. Fine art painters in particular are infamous for leading poverty and grief-stricken lives. Much like today, many of history's famous artists also had to deal with rejection and negative criticisms during their lifetime. Perhaps this makes their … [Read more...]

7 Ways to Have Fun Selling Your Art

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Is selling your art a difficult activity? Is it the part of 'art' you don’t want to think about? This article will explore 7 ways to have fun selling your art. Guest author: Doug Farrick It’s no big secret that some artists look upon 'selling art' as distasteful or greedy - the last thing anyone would want to do. Why is this so? Well, the salesman stigma is everywhere. It’s in the culture, in the movies (Wall Street, Glengarry … [Read more...]

10 Ways to Expand Your Artistic Repertoire

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This guest post is especially relevant for me right now due to the fact that I am working on expanding my own artistic repertoire. Although I still enjoy painting my artistic subject matter, I have become a bit bored and I want to spice it up! To do this, I have begun taking private abstract painting classes as well as an encaustic workshop that starts later this week. My goal is to learn a few new techniques that will add a new dimension to my … [Read more...]

If Things Aren’t Going Right, Try the Left!

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  There is an old saying that literally hit home with me recently, "When nothing in life goes right, go left.” Over the past few months, I had been busy painting a new body of work for last month's Kneeland Gallery Plein Air Exhibition. The last few weeks leading up to the event were extra busy and the ‘stress’ was starting to show up in my latest painting! Have you ever battled with a painting, but you just can’t seem to … [Read more...]

Transform Your Passion into a Thriving Art Business

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**Recording Now Available, click the 'Ignition' box for more information*** Creativity and talent alone aren’t enough to build a successful art career. Over the past few years, I have been devoting my 'free time' to helping other working artists like myself to better understand how to market their art, build relationships with galleries, and to think like a small business owner. This week, Ignition | Art Marketing Experts Helping you … [Read more...]

10 Ways to Beat Post Exhibition Blues

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Something that I never knew when I started exhibiting art was that it’s very common to have the post exhibition blues. In fact, almost every artist I have spoken to has had this issue. There is a let down after the huge event. you spend so much time focusing on it all, creating artworks, hanging, publicizing, it becomes a massive high capped off by the opening. then, suddenly, it’s over. and your life can seem...empty.  It can be … [Read more...]

Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Art

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A few months ago I had the honor of writing a special Expert Series post for Tony Hastings very popular blog, The Top 10 Blog. Tony asked me to write about my favorite subject, art. Condensing such a big subject into a top 10 blog post way no easy task! Nevertheless, I think you will find it packed with useful information. Below are my Top 10 Tips to Improve Your Art. You might also like to check out another post I wrote for Tony,  Top 10 Ways … [Read more...]

How Does Money Relate to Your Artist’s Lifestyle?

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Perhaps you are in the fortunate position of not needing to worry about making money from your art. That is terrific – and unusual. Most working artists want to at least cover their expenses or need to make a living of making art. "Knowing how much money you invest and how much you earn from your art, and exactly how much of that is clear profit, is critical to your ability to remain in business." ~Aletta de Wal Which of the following is … [Read more...]


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