Direct Encounters with Art: What disturbs me
I visited my familiar Portland Art Museum yesterday. A midweek visit in March allowed me the experience of being alone with the art, at least for brief stretches of time. How I love that experience. I was exploring the contemporary tower and noting some new additions, when a gallery attendant quietly approached and said, “Excuse […]
Upcoming workshops
I’ll be setting off on a spring tour of the Pacific NW soon, offering a 2-hour interactive workshop based on my book. These are fun events! Artists get out of their studios, make some connections and accomplish a bit of writing. Contact me if you want a workshop. I keep it low cost, all we […]
The interview as a writing tool
One of the unexpected turns of finishing Art-Write is that I’m now spending my time doing exactly what my book advises artists to do – I’m talking and writing about my work. In this recent post on The Creative Publisher blog, the interviewer’s questions helped me to express ideas about my writing process that I […]
What an artist statement is NOT
“An artist statement is not art. It is not a full translation of a visual statement into a verbal statement. The writing does not need to encapsulate all of your creative striving and complexities. It does not need to be entirely original or brilliant, and say everything you want to say to the world.” -Excerpt from […]
People don’t care what you did, they care why you did it
“People don’t care what you did, they care why you did it.” This is a marketing tip, not something to live your life by. So just in case you do care, I’ll explain why I wrote my book, ART-WRITE. I was working as a writer/developer for an educational media company and the project grant came […]
Does it feel awkward to promote your own art?
Artists, are you approaching the necessity of self-promotion with resentment, wishing for an agent or a gallery to take care of all of this annoying marketing/selling/writing stuff? Some artists think self-promotion is intrinsically icky. They can grasp the benefits of self-promotion, but they just don’t want to get involved. You may have to set aside […]
Gravid
My current state of mind can best be described as gravid. Gravid adj. Pregnant; now used chiefly of egg-laying animals, or metaphorically. My first book, ART-WRITE from Luminare Press, launches on February 1st. All the pieces are in motion; the website, the FB page, the final finally final proofed copy, my new Twitter account, the […]
Why I Love Peter Schjeldahl
Peter Schjeldahl is the art critic for the New Yorker. I have no idea how to pronounce his last name. I love him because: He writes prose like a poet. He finds profound things to say about profound things. He reviews the best art exhibits and his writing takes me along with him. He makes […]