5 Great Places to See Art In NYC

"Afternoon Sun" - Joaquin Sorolla - 116x171 in.
Hispanic Society of America

3 artist friends and I went to New York City a couple of weeks ago and absolutely LOVED it. Amazing vibe, visual stimulation on every corner, fabulous art - it was total sensory overload! We stationed ourselves in a lovely brownstone on a tree lined residential street on the Upper East Side and ventured out each day to walk the city streets and explore.

If you only have a short time in NYC, here are a few not to be missed places to see representational art:

The Hispanic Society of America

"The Tuna Catch" - Joaquin Sorolla - 137x190 in.
Hispanic Society of America

The farthest museum to get to was the Hispanic Society of America in Harlem, but it was only a half hour subway ride for under $5 so no big deal - and so worth it to see these enormous, exquisite Sorollas. The added bonus of its distance from downtown NYC was that we had the whole museum to ourselves for the first half hour we were there.

The Mural Room - stunning.
Hispanic Society of America


The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sargent at the Met

Ok, goes without saying you could spend a month in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and not see everything. We went for the paintings and barely scratched the surface, the collection of American and Impressionist paintings alone includes some of the most famous works ever painted, and seeing them live was breathtaking.

The Frick Collection
A third museum well worth checking out is the Frick. (Sorry no photos - they're prohibited.) It is an elegant museum housed in a former mansion built in the early 1900's with great period art, sculpture, furniture and architectural details.

Art Students League of New York


This one we stumbled across and were so glad we did, the caliber of student work was outstanding. You can book a residency here if you are interested in an atelier studio workshop experience - would love to do this - what a great way to develop artistic skill!



 
Chelsea
Chelsea was a bit hit and miss, but a wonderful, unexpected discovery was a show at the Bertrand Delacroix gallery by Francois Bard, a Parisian artist having his second show in NYC. These paintings are a classic example of lost in translation - the photos simply do not come close to doing the originals justice - we were absolutely blown away by this work. The show runs until June 2nd - if you're in New York - go see it! (details in the link)

"Not Guilty" - Francois Bard

"Untitled" - Francois Bard

Hugely inspired by the art, and even more so by the city, can't wait to get painting!

My fabulous travelling companions
L-R: Janice Robertson, Sarah Kidner, Jean Pederson

Following Alice Down the Rabbit Hole

 "Fall Shadows"

In my last post I talked about finding a creative outlet that is not about commercial work - a place to go when you feel stuck or stalled and need to feed the fire in a fresh, imaginative way. One way that I love as passionately (and completely differently) than painting is following a camera wherever it might lead me. This in not about gathering painting reference, it is something uniquely its own, a treasure hunt for visual gems that stand on their own.

All you need is a camera, curiosity, and permission to completely lose yourself in the experience.

 "Dumpster Diving"

"Tree Wheel"


All of the photos in this post were taken within a 2 block radius, on the same evening, with my iPhone camera. It was very spur of the moment, and entirely captivating.

Just start looking, once you find your first thing, be open to what is possible and then watch what happens. Things will find you. It is truly remarkable how this works - it's like a magic thread drawing you in, one thing leading to the next, compelling you to follow them into a world of infinite possibilities. Things will appear that are unexpected and surprising, and have always been right there, waiting for you to notice them. Amazing.

 "Leaves on Brick"

"Primary Parking"

"Moments Apart"

Give it a whirl, doesn't have to be in the city, I do this often when I am out walking in the forest - there are things hiding in plain sight all around us...

"A good traveler has no definite plans and no intention of arriving." Lao Tzu

5 Ways to Keep Creativity From Becoming "A Job"

"Eggs Planted"
Oil on linen - 6x8"
Click here to bid

I recently posted about the pull of commercially driven work and how it can be a road that leads us away from heart-centered creativity.

Of course if you are a professional artist, a good portion of your time needs to be dedicated to commercial output, and if you are joyfully engaged in the process of creating this work, then you are lucky enough to have the best of both worlds. Yay!

What I want to focus on are solutions for the rest of us, those who feel the angst and discontent that can come with external parameters and pressures increasingly overtaking our creative space. Several of my coaching clients are professional artists, and it has been interesting to find that almost every one of them has brought this topic to coaching. Clearly it is more the norm than an anomaly - so I thought it would be beneficial to offer up some suggestions for dealing with it.

Earn Your Living Another Way
Okay, might as well get this one out of the way right out of the gate. If the compromises of making a living from your art are interfering with what you really want for and from it on a fairly regular basis, then maybe earning a living from it is getting in the way. It's possible the best choice is to find something else you love to do for a living that won't require the same kind of compromise, and free up your art making time to be a total playground - no rules, no parameters, no demands other than the ones you want for it.

What's that? Really bad idea? Okay, I hear you - the dream is to make a living at this gig. Hang in, got some other ideas:

One for Them, One for Me
Not a bad strategy - you paint one for the market, one for yourself, and repeat. Honour this intention and it's highly likely that more than half in the "one for me" pile will be better than the ones in the "one for them" pile, so you'll have more than enough commercial work, but without feeling you're painting in a box.

Intentionally Segregate Your Creative Time 
I have been on this path for a while now, and it is the best way I have found to paint commercially while still honouring what I want most for my art, which is to be continually growing and excelling. I consciously segregate my painting time. When I'm painting for the market, I don't try anything super daring, difficult, or out of my comfort zone. I stay within my skill level and strive for competent work.

Then I schedule painting time in which I am either painting a subject that is not likely to sell in my market (but I am captivated with), or trying something that is totally about challenge and skill building. If I thought about saleability in these sessions, I would have shackles on before I even started. Again the end result often winds up marketable, but it is the mindset while in process that is paramount.

Paint First - Schedule a Show Second

It seems to me the system is backwards. Current system: Commit to a show date with your gallery and then start painting for the show. The only reasons I can think this makes any sense at all are:

• the gallery can slot you into their show schedule for the year and start advertising
• the artist has a job to get done - read "discipline" - which (speaking as someone who has issues with discipline) admittedly is a pretty valuable reason to do it this way
• ideally the artist is going to get a big fat pay cheque at the end of it - but no guarantee there

Those reasons aside, this is so far from optimal when viewed in terms of creative freedom it boggles my mind. Right from the start there are parameters: the number of paintings, when they will be completed by (this is the biggest killer of honouring the creative process ever - don't even get me started...), the general sizes they'll be, the subject matter, etc.

I have been thinking about this a lot lately and here's what I've decided makes way more sense. Paint the paintings first, whatever you want, however many turn out, as long as it takes, the only goal being to explore what's possible. Once you have created a body of work you're happy with - call your gallery and ask if they'd like to book a show. I'm going to test drive it - will let you know how it goes. :-)

Add a Creative Outlet That is Not About Commercial Work
In addition to your creative "work", I have found it is a real asset to have an avenue of creative pursuit that is completely outside of something you would try to sell. On those days (or weeks) when you feel stuck or stalled, it is a place to go where your creative flame can burn in a different way. Choose something that is fun and engaging, and most important - freeing. An added bonus is that your "real work" will definitely benefit in indirect and magical ways.

I have found a couple of wonderful creative outlets that I'll share in upcoming posts, and I'd love to hear if you have some of your own.

10 Things to Avoid if Joy is Your Goal

Found on FB - some good truths here.

5 Day Skill Building Intensive

"The Back Way"
Oil on Linen - 6x8
Click here to bid

Quick post today to announce a 5 day intensive workshop I will be holding in my Canmore studio late June/early July.

We will be working on building skill in accurately seeing and painting color and value using simple still life set-ups for the first 3 days, and then speed painting from models for the last two with a focus on eliminating detail and painting instinctively.

This is the best of what I have learned over the years packed into 5 days, and it is certain to deepen your understanding of key fundamentals and propel your painting forward. More details here. *March 30th update: the class is now full with a wait list.

On another note, check out this very cool video merging 500 years of female portraits in western art.

The Value of Taking a (Big) Break

"Megan" (study)
Oil on linen - 12x9"

Have you ever considered taking a break from commercially driven work?

Have you wanted to, and come face to face with 'the voice'? You know the one..."Are you crazy? You need to make a living. You need to keep your galleries happy. You'll forget how to paint. The wheels will fall off and you'll never get things rolling again. Must keep the work coming." That voice.

I just took a 6 month sabbatical from painting for income. Actually didn't do a single painting, commercial or otherwise (other than workshop demos) from July to January. Unplanned. To a degree unexpected. And absolutely necessary. It was truly the BEST thing I've done for my art in a long time. The break from commercially motivated work is not over yet - will share more about that in a future post as I've developed some pretty strong opinions about it.

That said, the perfect opportunity to dive back into heart centered painting presented in the form of a gathering with 4 great painter friends. We arrived from different directions, traveling long distances, navigating the worst possible winter driving conditions and missed flights in order to assemble for a few days of painting live models.

We stayed in the same house and ate, drank, talked, breathed, lived art for 4 days. It was soul enriching on so many levels, and the perfect re-entry into serious painting. Both feet back into one of the most challenging kinds of painting - loved every minute of it. No judgement, no expectation, just curious looking, seeing, and reconnecting with the remarkable experience that is painting.

"Jennifer" (study)
Oil on linen - 11x14"

"Matt" (study)
Oil on linen - 12x9"

Here's what the break has made me absolutely certain of: If I am not completely captivated and engaged by a painting idea, I am no longer willing to spend time with it.

Bigger learning: Somehow in the time out I've developed the ability to notice as soon as I am getting pulled into a negative thought pattern around a painting, for any reason. (This is an extremely valuable skill that has eluded me until now, and I'm fairly certain a commitment over the last year to a mindfulness practice is largely responsible for this heightened awareness.)

I have made a choice that self-imposed negative energy around my art is no longer acceptable, and any condition that contributes to it (time constraints, other's expectations, fear, financial pressure - all of which are about attachment to outcome) is now prohibited. My intention is to allow only joyful energy into my studio space, and if I'm not doing that, then it's time to rearrange my thoughts, or change the condition.

I recently said to a good friend: "I need to find a way to get my heart back into the studio." It's becoming clearer that this is the way.

L-R: Marvelous Matt, Me, Sarah Kidner, Jean Pederson, Janice Robertson. Photo by the lovely Gaye Adams.

Celebrating the Gift

"Among Friends"
Watercolour - 14x21"
Limited Edition prints available

Christmas seems to be a time that inspires reflection on the year we've just lived. As we do this in a year where many artists have experienced a slow down in sales, I think a check in with our hearts is enormously valuable. What if we focused a little less on how sales or career "success" went (even it went swimmingly), and a bit more on how connected we felt with that wonderful, creative flame that burns inside of us.

There is a gift we artists have been given that can sometimes get lost when looking through the lens of material accomplishment, a gift that is kind of the whole point. We get to experience the wonder of taking a flat, white surface and creating a whole world on it in a matter of hours. This is so incredibly cool that at times it takes my breath away. If I never made another dollar from my art, this alone would be worth the ride. :-)

On another note, there is a Christmas post on my blog, The Art of Living Attuned, that I would really love to share with you. Please stop by if you have a moment.

Merry Christmas amazing painter friends, see you on the other side.

Scottsdale Best and Brightest 2012

"Place Saint-Michel - Paris"
Oil on linen - 12 x 24"
purchase info

I'm proud to report "Place Saint-Michel - Paris" was juried into the Scottsdale School of Fine Art "Best and Brightest" show, and won 2nd place in the oil painting category. The show will run from January 5th to March 25th, 2012.

*Quick side note to those of you who view my blog in your email readers - when I post a video on my blog, unfortunately it won't show up in the email. However, if you click on my blog title in the email, it's an active link that will take you straight into the blog where you can view the video. 

25 minutes well spent

 

A fellow painter who I've been trying to connect with (we will soon Jacquie, I promise!!) recently sent me this TED video.

I am in awe of, and so inspired by how this man has used his art in the world. Very worth watching if you have the time.

5 Keys to Guaranteed Growth as an Artist

"NaPali Coast"
Oil on Linen - 4x10"

Do you bring the qualities of a highly engaged learner to your journey as an artist?

In observing many learners over the last few years, and continuing to be a very keen one myself, I have noticed that there are key ways to show up that facilitate accelerated learning.

I just taught a 4 day plein air workshop in Kauai, and the workshop participants ranged from some with years of painting experience to one wonderfully enthusiastic woman who was picking up a paint brush for the very first time in her life. Over the 4 days I had the joy of watching each of them have their own personal breakthroughs and move to a deeper level in their painting.

They worked hard, laughed a lot, cheered each other on, and grew in their skill as painters, in large part because each one of them brought these important elements of learning to the game:

Beginner's Mind
Knowing stuff is good, but it can block the way to new good stuff coming in. Practice moving what you already know from its position of priority - let it rest in the background while you create space for what there still is to learn.

Willingness to be Uncomfortable
It's amazing how many people greet this idea with enormous resistance. Like being uncomfortable is a bad thing. What if it's a good thing? What if it's a big fat doorway into awesome? I would argue it is, because that's where the growth lives.

If you're comfortable - you're stagnant. Doing the same old thing over and over. All that does is keep getting you better at what you already know. What about all the cool stuff you haven't discovered yet?

Full Engagement and Curiosity
Ok, so if you're willing to embrace the first two ideas, then bring along with you an undefended openness to the learning. Stand on the precipice of "What's possible here?", wildly curious, and dive in with both feet and a wide open heart. The best learners embrace the joy of not knowing and the adventure of finding out.

Relinquish Attachment to Outcome
Now that you're open, ready and set to learn, you will gain the most benefit if you can do one more thing. This is the most difficult, and most essential mindset to stand in. Let go of needing the painting to "work out in the end." I know - hard, but try. Play with paint, dance in the creative process, try things on, don't worry if they're right or wrong, just try them.

Workshops are not about performance pieces, they're about playing scales, learning new notes, seeing what it's like to play standing on one foot. Moving at top speed. Or in slow motion. Backwards. Upside down. Blindfolded.

Learning is about: "What happens if I stand in a place I've never been, what will I see that I have missed until now? How will this grow me? What magic is possible when I stretch beyond what I already know?"

A Little Faith
Expect to feel bumbly, inept, out of control, like you've stepped backwards in your skill level. It's part of the deal. Even though it may not feel like it now, you are expanding yourself in ways that will show up in the most unexpected places down the road. Trust this and give yourself to the learning - it will pay huge dividends in the end.


The Kauai gang - 2011 

Brush Cleaning Tips from the Pros

"Pair of Reds"
Oil on Linen - 6x8"

If I was an independently wealthy being, my studio would be equipped with an assistant who's number one job would be cleaning brushes. One of my least favourite painting tasks, I sometimes put it off as long as possible before doing a thorough clean.

That said, your brushes are your tools, and caring for them well will go a long way toward getting the most out of them, both in longevity and function.

I recently stumbled across a great article with cleaning tips from several artists, you can view it here.

How I tackle mine:

• Wipe off all the excess paint with paper towel.
• Give it a good swish or two in thinner (I use Gamblin Gamsol), followed by another good wipe with paper towel
• I then use Master's Brush Cleaner (the big tub), but dish soap or bar soap will also do.
• Get some soap on the brush and then using the palm of your hand, the inside of half a tennis ball, or the bottom of the sink - swirl it around to loosen up the paint and give it a good rinse - repeat this step until no more color comes out of the brush.
• Finally I dry it, dip it in Turpenoid Natural, and give it a quick wipe leaving some of the turpenoid in to condition the hairs.

If I have 10-15 brushes in various sizes, this job takes 20-30 minutes, so I usually only do it about once a week. I don't use a quick dry medium or alkyd paints, so the paint in the brushes is still soft enough to be easily removed by this process as long as I wipe the excess paint out and give them a swish in Gamsol at the end of each painting session.

Great music is a definite asset. Choose your mood and get down. :-)

How to See in Value

Still life value study - 6x6" (demo)

A couple of months ago I put out a challenge to anyone who wanted to take on doing 50 value studies in 30 days, ideally from life. We also set up a challenge over on the Daily Paintworks site for those who wanted to simply take one crack at it. (This challenge is still on if you want to join in.)

The idea is to use only 4 values (white and black included) to portray your subject. What this forces you to do is make decisions about where values must be pushed darker or lighter to stay within the limited range, which has the serendipitous outcome of shapes naturally being linked together into interesting patterns. Result: strong design sneaks in the back door while you're busy thinking about reducing values. Kinda like magic.


Is working from a B&W reference cheating?

One of the painters over at DPW, Gloria Zucaro, wrote to ask: "As I am preparing to do the challenge of the week I am wondering if it is "cheating" to see the values in your color photo by turning them to grayscale?"

A key skill you are working on developing with this kind of exercise is honing your ability to see color as value, one of the most difficult things to learn in our artistic journey.  The more you develop this skill, the stronger your paintings will become as you learn to design great patterns of light and shadow while looking at a subject in color. Printing a B&W photo is not so much cheating as it is taking a short cut that bypasses a valuable learning opportunity.

50 in 30 - the learning:

Jason Gundby was one of the few artists who took my 50 in 30 challenge all the way to the end (super proud of you Jason!) One of his efforts is shown above. I absolutely love the abstract quality of this study. There is a strong, balanced variety of shape size and he has used form and line in a dynamic way to pull the viewer in.

Here's the wisdom Jason reported back after completing the challenge:

"Once I did a few studies I found that my attempts were pretty weak.  At that point (like you said on your blog) I realized that this could be an important opportunity for growth.  In the process of painting these value studies, helped by sheer repetition of the challenge, I rediscovered the value of relaxing and accepting the struggle and whatever my best efforts created.  In doing so I began to enjoy the process of painting more--as in this quote 'artwork is more of a verb than a noun'. "

Great work Jason!

Heli-Painting with Robert Genn - 2011

Photo of Tamarak Glen in the Bugaboos.

The weather gods smiled on us this year for our 2nd heli-painting trip into the Bugaboo mountains of British Columbia. We had 3 days of bluebird skies- spectacular! Tamarak Glen is an especially powerful location with so many compositions it's a challenge to narrow it down - the requests rolled in for more time here next year.

For those of you wondering how this kind of a trip works - here's the goods:

The accommodation is a gorgeous lodge in the most unlikely backcountry wilderness with private rooms, queen size beds and feather duvets. The cuisine is 5 star, and all the painters gather for dinner each night to share and relive the day's adventures. The lodge also has a hot tub on the roof, so often the conversation continues while floating around under a starlit sky. This year there were stars, a full moon and Northern Lights - pretty nearly perfect.

Robert Genn painting at Pearl

Each day we fly by helicopter to one or two magnificent locations, and once we have been deposited and the heli has left, the painting begins. Robert and I do demos and lots of circulating and giving feedback and pointers, but the priority is painting time for the artists, and often we all just paint together as a group.

Nathan Cao, Bob Genn and Don Hodgins on Rocky Point Ridge.

There are two things I've noticed each year we have immersed ourselves in this truly unique environment to paint - the artists improve in leaps and bounds, and a wonderful bond forms between the group that is fostered by engaging in a shared experience filled with camaraderie, challenge and heart-stoppingly beautiful inspiration.

Robert about to demo on Black Forest Ridge

Each painter develops a whole lot of work, anywhere from 5-15 studies each, and on the last night we gather them all together for review and critique. It is truly moving to see well over 100 paintings created in 3 days by one group of artists. So cool to observe the incredibly varied ways of seeing the same landscape, and each person's clear progress from beginning to end as they find their feet and became more deeply connected with the environment.

The crew - 2011.

Heli-painting is a truly extraordinary adventure. If you'd like to join us next year, more details can be found here.

Please log on to my Flickr link if you want to see more photos from this year's trip. (Make sure you click on slideshow view to see the best quality images.)

Paintings from the trip coming soon!

The #1 Reason to Enter Juried Shows

"Denman Island"
oil on linen - 14 x 24"

I recently read an article titled: Awards and Ribbons - Who Really Cares? While the author, Jack White, makes some valid points about cost vs. financial payback, and the potential for misguided egoic motivation in this pursuit -  I believe a very important payoff is missing from his argument.

If you don't read his entire article (though I think you should) - it makes the point: "All the juried ribbons and plastic trophies will not help you generate any real sales or give you fame. What do you want to do, win ribbons or earn money?"

These are two options available to us. I would like to add: What if your goal is to become the best artist you can in this lifetime?

Raising the Bar
Is there space for more than simply winning awards or selling paintings? I believe some of us go after the awards not because we think the awards will sell our art, but because of what happens to our art in pursuit of them.

If you want to play in the big leagues you have to hone your skills to a big league level. There is a vast difference between assessing your painting from the perspective, "Is it saleable?", and a perspective that asks, "Could it hold it's own beside the high caliber painters that will likely be entering this show?"

If your primary focus is making money, this might feel like the long way around. Perhaps unnecessary. Perhaps even a recipe for disappointment and dissatisfaction.

If your primary focus is mastery, I propose there's enormous value to be had here, despite the sometimes frustratingly high costs associated with it. As for the sting of rejection, put your game face on - stiff competition is the point.

Determined Practice
Ultimately it comes down to what Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, calls 'determined practice'. You will get somewhat better putting 10,000 hours of brush time behind you.

You will achieve excellence and rise to the top of your game if the 10.000 hours includes consistently focusing on your weaknesses with the intent to replace them with both skillful handling of your chosen medium, and mastery of the underlying principles of painting in general.

I believe in the end this choice will lead you to both extraordinary satisfaction with your art, and the financial compensation that it deserves. (Patience and faith required.)

"Los Cuatro Amigos"
oil on linen - 16 x 20"

"Denman Island", featured at the top of the this post, was recently juried into the 2nd Annual AIRS show hosted by the Federation of Canadian Artists in Vancouver this October.

"Los Cuatro Amigos" has just been juried into the Oil Painters of America 2011 Regional Exhibition . (Some of you may recall that this painting also won Best of Show this March in the Raymar Fine Art Competition.)

I love that these paintings got accepted - and - both of them were declined from the first shows I entered them in. When a painting is rejected, I do my best to take an even harder critical look at it, and if it still feels like one of my better works, I send it back out there for another lap in front of the judges.  If you know in your heart your piece has merit, it's worth trying a few shows before retiring it from the competition circuit, while working in the background to create paintings that soar even higher!

Top 5 Reasons You Won't Get into Juried Shows

"Early Evening - the Bow River"
oil on linen - 6 x 8"

Daily Paintworks is currently hosting a "Help the Children of Africa" Challenge where several artists have posted paintings for sale by auction and agreed to donate all proceeds to this very worthy cause. The painting above is included in the auction, and whatever $ it raises will be matched dollar for dollar by the Canadian government. Yay! Head on over and check out the auctions!

On with the post:

The 5 reasons listed below are not the only ones, but they're among the most common. None of them are a reason to stop entering, and only one has to do with quality. Let's start there:

1) Your work isn't good enough (yet)
Painting is easy. Painting well is not. It requires years of dedicated practice to execute work that is strong on every level. Keep working.

2) The jurors don't like it (not the same as #1)
When I jury for a show, I find there are times when I am inclined to overlook technical shortcomings if the piece has strong emotional impact. I have worked with jurors who feel the exact opposite. And there are as many different ideas about what each of these things are as there are humans on the planet. Add to that maybe the juror was stalked by a psycho ballerina and is no way ever going to let a ballet inspired piece into a show. (Could happen.) Jurying is subjective. No way it can't be. Keep working.

3) Your style isn't the right fit for the show
Abstract work doesn't fit in a traditional show and vice versa. Good to view past years of the show you want to enter and ensure your work is a fit.

4) The field of submissions is large and good
Take the Oil Painters of America National Show. They regularly receive over 2500 entries from some of the top painters in North America, and usually accept about 250 pieces. In the 90% of declined entries, there simply have to be some outstanding paintings. What does that mean if your work gets declined? You're in some very good company. Keep working.

5) They've already filled the quota for your genre
Ok this one is speculation - but If your piece is so drop dead gorgeous that it stops everyone in their tracks, it's irrelevant anyway. Go do that!

Now that we've jumped in - stay tuned for my next post - "The #1 Reason to Enter Juried Shows".