Being an artist can be tough, because everybody has an opinion about your work. Even art school can be cruel. You have to develop a tough skin if you want to be an artist!
That being said, there is an important distinction between a valuable piece of criticism and an opinion.
What is that. . . read more
As a child, Chris Scheidler Pagano loved to draw get-well cards for family and neighbors, and was often encouraged by her grandparents to spend hours drawing. By 11 she was taking painting lesson, and hasn’t stopped painting since.
Chris has earned her living as an artist for over 34. . . read more
Being a hardened user of traditional media (and not the most techie of folk) my involvement so far in the world of digital art has simply been to admire those who are clearly extremely proficient in its creation.
Over time, however, my interest has increased—and with it, I’ve gained a. . . read more
Carolyn Madvig worked in corporate America for 25 years, often feeling unfulfilled. But when her employer decided to downsize, she saw it as a sign to turn her hobby business into a full-fledged, money-making adventure—and she has never regretted it.
Creating art fulfills her, makes her. . . read more
Why do I hate so much of our 20th century visual art with such a passion?
I’m certainly not that way with music. I have everything from Mozart to the Sex Pistols on my iPod, and if I hear some awful music, I don’t rail against it. . . I just ignore it.
But I really do [...]. . . read more
Suzanne Millius was exposed to a very creative lifestyle as a young child. Her parents introduced her to both music and art, but it was art that captured her heart. . . read more
Shortly after becoming a stay-at-home wife, Destiny Womack decided to list a few of her paintings on eBay in hopes of earning enough money to buy more paints and canvases.
To her surprise, they sold within just a few hours and as quickly as that, her new career as an abstract artist was. . . read more
Corey Johnston originally thought he’d grow up to be a high school English teacher, but once he discovered he could be artistic, using needle, cloth, and thread to actually make something with his hands, there was no turning back. He was “hooked”!
For the past twenty years,. . . read more
I had to run back into the house last Friday to get another tourniquet. As I raced back out I passed the open laptop in the kitchen and saw about 20 messages with the name of an essay I had recently written in the subject line. . . read more
Tim Gagnon first started painting with acrylics while in college, as he studied fine art, and today he’s a professional artist with an impressive track record. Not only has he sold over 1,000 paintings to more than 30 countries. . . read more
As an artist who has just returned, road weary and exhausted from two back-to-back outdoor art festivals, I take great exception to those who look down on artists who choose to make their livelihood this way.
They haughtily thumb their nose at me and a large number of my colleagues by stating. . . read more
John T. Davis, of J. Davis Studios, has been a full-time working artist for more than 30 years. One day, while working on a pet project for his daughters, he uncovered a business idea that has lasted 15 years, and is still going strong.
While he enjoys the success of that “pet. . . read more
Here's a question for you. In your opinion, do you think the following painting would be accepted into a juried art fair by a typical jury in 2011? Or, if you're not sure about that one, what about. . . read more
As a young child, Judy Thompson was fascinated with illustration books, often spending hours studying the imagery and drawing them in her own storybooks. As a young adult, she began to seriously focus on her art. . . read more