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Double figures! The big one-oh! Yes, its thing #10:
Do something for your art every day. It doesn't matter how small. It can be preparing a canvas, posting a piece on the web, etc., etc.
AKA "Staying on the horse".
I think a LOT about painting. In a previous post I claimed that painting was more thinking than doing. I have also said that nobody painted a masterpiece by leaving the paint in the tube. In my case there may be a lot of thinking, but the doing part is extremely important. So much so that I make sure I do something every day to inch towards my dream of making my living out of my art.
There's an adage that says something about how people learn - if you tell them how to do it they learn a little; if you show them they learn more; if you get them to do it themselves they learn the most and they retain what they learn. In my opinion, the physical act of "doing" art translates into "being" an artist. In other words, to "be" an artist, you have to "do" art. If you spend a day not doing art, you are not an artist for that day. It sounds harsh and a lot of people would disagree with me on that point, but that's what I tell myself and its how I beat the procrastination blues.
To keep it real I make sure that my daily "art act" is relevant. It can be the actual act of painting; it can be increasing my exposure (like this post); it can a logistical task in organizing a show; or it might just be replenishing art materials. Rearranging brushes doesn't count. Pondering sagely doesn't count. Sadly, surfing DA doesn't count. You get the idea.
Thing #1: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #2: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #3: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #4: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #5: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #6: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #7: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #8: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #9: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Why am I posting this stuff? maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Take a look at my Facebook page...if you like it, please "Like" it! www.facebook.com/MontrealArtis…
Do something for your art every day. It doesn't matter how small. It can be preparing a canvas, posting a piece on the web, etc., etc.
AKA "Staying on the horse".
I think a LOT about painting. In a previous post I claimed that painting was more thinking than doing. I have also said that nobody painted a masterpiece by leaving the paint in the tube. In my case there may be a lot of thinking, but the doing part is extremely important. So much so that I make sure I do something every day to inch towards my dream of making my living out of my art.
There's an adage that says something about how people learn - if you tell them how to do it they learn a little; if you show them they learn more; if you get them to do it themselves they learn the most and they retain what they learn. In my opinion, the physical act of "doing" art translates into "being" an artist. In other words, to "be" an artist, you have to "do" art. If you spend a day not doing art, you are not an artist for that day. It sounds harsh and a lot of people would disagree with me on that point, but that's what I tell myself and its how I beat the procrastination blues.
To keep it real I make sure that my daily "art act" is relevant. It can be the actual act of painting; it can be increasing my exposure (like this post); it can a logistical task in organizing a show; or it might just be replenishing art materials. Rearranging brushes doesn't count. Pondering sagely doesn't count. Sadly, surfing DA doesn't count. You get the idea.
Thing #1: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #2: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #3: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #4: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #5: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #6: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #7: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #8: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Thing #9: maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Why am I posting this stuff? maccski.deviantart.com/journal…
Take a look at my Facebook page...if you like it, please "Like" it! www.facebook.com/MontrealArtis…
Things I Learned as an Oil Painter: Thing #22
After a long hiatus the TILAAOP series is back (at least for one post). Thing #22 is:
The more you do it the better you get at it.
Yes, it’s obvious, but it goes a little deeper. The reason I’ve chosen this “thing” is because I have been and continue to be working very hard to produce art for a solo show coming up next month. For almost a year I’ve kept an aggressive schedule of putting paint to canvas. I’ve been keeping count of my paintings while keeping my eye on the calendar.
There have been some dogs in there, but in general I feel the quality of my work has improved. My confidence has been booste
Web Site and Social Media News
I just completely updated the look of my web site to a cleaner, simpler, more "now-ish" design. Please go take a look: http://www.montrealartist.com/
I also started to look more seriously at using social media as a way of getting my work "out there". I created accounts specifically for my artwork on Twitter and Pinterest:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DavidKelavey
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/montrealartist/
I'd be interested in hearing any comments/advice from anyone that has used these sites for their art.
I'm still plugging my work on Facebook - if you haven't already, please head over and take a look: http://www.facebook.com/Mon
If You Go To Etobicoke...
If you're around Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada in the next few weeks I have a painting on show as part of the Society of Canadian Artists Members' Show. It's at the Civic Center, 399 The West Mall from today until August 27. The reception's on Sunday July 27th from 2pm - 4pm (but I won't be there because I'll be on a beach in Maine!).
I have re-resurfaced again...
I'm one of those sporadic deviants that lives & breathes dA for a few weeks before dropping off the face of the Earth...only to reappear and redisappear (rinse & repeat). But hey, I'm back and that's what counts, right?
My time away from dA has not been idle - here's a run-down of what I've been up to:
I started the process of organizing my first solo exhibition at a gallery (Viva Vida Art Gallery in Pointe-Claire, Quebec) in October. More info to come.
I gave my first ever demoI gave my first ever talkI got accepted into Oil Painters of America
I got myself a purpose-built art studio. Previously I was working in my basement, next
© 2013 - 2024 maccski
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I forgot to mention that a key part of this is keeping a journal of your daily acts. Even if it's just for a short while, it helps get you into a routine...then (hopefully) it becomes a habit. It doesn't need to be elaborate - I used a Google spreadsheet with 2 columns: date & act. The gaps quickly become apparent helping you strive to avoid them.