Advice for Writing About Your Art: Quick and Easy
I’m repeating myself here, but this advice is worthy of repetition because it works! I introduce an exercise called Word Coffee in one chapter of my book. This is also the first exercise in my writing workshop, so I’ve seen it work many times for reluctant writers. I call it “Word Coffee” because words can revive […]
Twitter for Artists – 7 Simple Tips
Twitter is fertile ground for me to learn and expand my reach in the art world. Plus it’s fun! You can learn Twitter fundamentals here and here. Today I’m sharing 7 tips with a focus on helping artists get the most out of their Twitter presence. 1) Define your focus What type of followers are […]
I was young when I painted old
This is an oil painting I did decades ago as an art student, and the image seemed to meld with this quote from André Gide. “At times it seems to me that I am living my life backwards, and that at the approach of old age my real youth will begin. My soul was […]
The Maker Movement: Cute Idea or Alternative to Patriarchal Capitalism?
During his visit to Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle, my 23-year-old friend from Los Angeles looked around at the designers, jewelers and artists and commented, “Hmm. People making stuff and selling it. Pretty cool.” Humans have been actively making stuff and selling it for millennia, but this is newly cool in 2013. Some of us […]
Arts Edu and Milton Glaser
September. Education. Travel. During my teaching trip to Seattle, I connected with many artists who shared ideas and enthusiasms. I’ve been working with my local arts council on two grants to integrate arts in the public schools, and yesterday I moved my daughter into her college dorm room. This bubbling champagne glass of learning, teaching, […]
Language as a Found Object: Susan Sontag and writing the artist statement
Two nights ago, I enjoyed teaching my writing workshop to accomplished artists at The Gallery at the Watershed. Today I connected the experience to quotes I came across from the brilliant writer Susan Sontag. Even though these quotes are taken from Sontag’s journal entries and reflect on literary endeavors, I find them relevant to writing […]
This is Fun: Art Rules
Launched to the public today, Art Rules is a new social campaign and digital forum devised to encourage discussion around contemporary art. Created by the London-based Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) this forum is fun! Read brief answers to the question, “What is your definition of art?” posted by bigwig art-worldlings and the rest of […]
LIVE from Andy Warhol’s gravesite!
The Andy Warhol Museum, in collaboration with EarthCam, launched a live feed of Andy Warhol’s tombstone earlier this week. Available for worldwide viewing 24/7, the project is called “Figment”. The title refers to Warhol’s written musings: “I never understood why when you died, you didn’t just vanish, and everything could just keep going on the […]
Inner Rule
At the wonderful Urban Craft Uprising in Seattle (where I met featured artist Francesca Berrini) I watched lots of creative people in the role of salespeople. I was doing the same thing – signing and promoting my book. I view self-promotion as performance art. I’m performing, yet I’m playing an authentic part of myself. Psychologist […]
Allie Brosh: A Very Precise Crudeness
Imagined Voices: “Why are you writing about a cartoonist? I thought your blog was about fine art.” Imagined Response: “My blog is about damn fine art. And that’s what Allie Brosh made, with her piece on depression.” Allie Brosh is a comic blogger at Hyperbole and a Half. Her post called Depression Part Two […]