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It’s a common theme discussed among art teachers and one of genuine concern for the development of young artists.  Why is it so hard to get art students to make art?  Why is it so hard to get them to do the thing that they are studying to do? Maybe that question is confusing. Why, if a student is so willing to work hard and sacrifice to study art, aren’t they willing to put in similar time outside of school to make art? As one who has taught art for nearly 15 years, I’ve been trying to understand this for a long time.   For many, it has to do with confidence [...]

I didn’t grow up with art.  No one in my family really knew anything about art.  As a result, I’ve had to learn to navigate through the obstacle course of good and bad advice I’ve received throughout my development.  And the art world is crazy.  Especially for an artist specifically interested in traditional representational art, the information being passed around as gospel is often pretty detrimental to progress.  We get advice about materials, sometimes about subject matter, conceptual elements, business matters or methods of practice that, because we are young and starving to learn, we believe and live by.  But as [...]

But what is the difference really between a study and a painting?  Maybe my language isn’t as clear as it could be.  When I say a painting, I ‘m talking about a work of art.  When I say a study, I’m not negating the works beauty or sophistication.  I’m not even necessarily negating it as a work of art – because all a work of art really needs to do in order to achieve the title of ‘work of art’ is find an audience that appreciates it.  But it’s how I define these works to myself that I’m specifically speaking about. I [...]

​That’s right……I don’t like making paintings from life.  As one who studied academically at the Florence Academy of Art, this probably sounds like heresy.   And as a painter trying to emulate the standards of the 19th century naturalist traditions, it must sound quite counterintuitive.   But before you judge this statement too harshly, let me explain. First of all, I love painting from life.  It is, has been and always will be the source of my greatest inspiration and knowledge as a painter.  Life is what I’m trying to emulate in my work, so life is where my initial inspiration must always spring [...]

Recently I had a conversation with a fellow artist that started like this… Me:  “If you found out that (unnamed artist) used photos to create (unnamed work) would you still like the piece?”My friend:  “Not as much.  I would be disappointed.” This began a much larger conversation that sparked a lot of thoughts I have given much consideration to since then.  I’m not sure who said it, but I heard it said many years ago that ‘familiarity breeds contempt’.  As an artist I would kill (literally kill) to peer into Sargent’s or Bonnat’s studio to watch them work.  I would love to [...]

So what’s the point behind all of this?  It’s not an anti-gallery message.  Definitely not.  I have had great relationships with almost all of my galleries and learned a lot from working with them.  They have helped me tremendously in my career through their efforts to share my work, promoting me and teaching me more about the business.  So I hope these posts of mine have not seemed to be negatively aimed toward the galleries.  The effect that selling in the galleries had on me for years was this:  I unwittingly adopted a standard of mediocrity for myself.  I was so [...]

At the time, I was making two types of landscape paintings.  One type was landscape studies from life and the second type were invented scenes.  My plein air studies, for me, were just for learning.  They were like an extension of my sketchbook.  I didn’t want the pressure of trying to make a painting on the spot.  I loved just sitting down and trying to understand the landscape.  So I never really showed any of those in the galleries.  It almost didn’t even occur to me to do so.  The invented landscapes were made with design in mind, composition, mood and [...]

I didn't grow up with any tie or connection to the art world. Everything I learned about the art world, such as how to make a living, marketing, networking and exhibiting came from years of trial and error, and sifting through good and bad advice from various sources along the way. While I certainly don't have it all figured out, there are some things I've learned through the years that work well for me. Maybe some of these lessons and thoughts could prove useful to others.    When I first got into galleries, I thought that it was my golden ticket to success [...]