Hard nut to crack
A friend of mine Kevin, an actor not a painter, had a relevant response to friend who asked: “You’ve been doing this so long and you’re so good at it, why haven’t you gone into New York and hit the big time?”
His answer—I thought—was relevant to the concept of success for all artists in any medium. He said: “Its not about fame, its about audience. I just want an audience, any audience will do. Local independent audiences are just as much fun as any others. I feel the same way about my paintings and graphics. I just want people to look at the work. I’m interested in reaction—good or bad.”
However the situation becomes more complicated when an artist considers the following equation: If I were supported by my work, I would have more time to do more work and my work would evolve and improve so I could continue to support myself and the work ... so forth, so on. I’ll say its a hard nut to crack.
In my neck of the woods, selling Art is made more difficult by the close proximity of New York City. Because we are only fifty miles outside NYC, people feel that if they are going to spend money on “Real Art” they should go into New York. It’s some kind of license to believe. When a person is afraid of their own taste, when they are afraid to commit to “liking” something on their own point of view, they turn to a “professional” to tell them. I mean what if Mr or Mrs “I’m not creative” walked into a show and spontaneously bought something on the piece’s own merit? How could they be sure their friends might come into their house and say: “You spent how much for that?” If your trusty suburbanite can answer with confidence: I got that for a very good price at “hotsy totsy” Gallery. In this case, they are safe from criticism—especially when followed by “I don’t understand it either but it is a good investment and it goes with the couch.”
Still I keep painting. For me ...
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