Help an Artist to Thrive

 

 

How can you help an artist survive and thrive?

First by purchasing their work. Some friends cannot afford to financially support their favorite artists, but there are other ways to lend support.

Share an artist’s work with your friends, co-workers, family and with those who can afford to own original art. These days it is so easy to share via social media, texting, and email. 

 

Most professional artists have web sites. The more you share with others who respect your opinion, the better chances the artist has to sell.

 

Purchase a small gift card for art supplies to give to your artist friend. 

Host an art opening party for your favorite artist at your home or business. Offer to hang their work for the party in your home or office. Once a friend hosted my first cake party at her home. 

 

Send the artist a glowing testimonial for their web site.

Putting the word out consistently and often about how much you love an artist’s work does more good than anything they could do for business.

 

Country painters love their friends…….

The Battle of the Birds Continues

  

 

The bird feeder battles continue. The crows are definitely the top of the food chain with the jays close behind. They are related, so that makes sense.

 The woodpeckers hang on to the pole underneath the feeder, catching seeds as they fall from mouths above. After the crows and jays get their fill, the cardinals arrive for the smaller seeds. The mockingbirds love the mealworms. After that crew departs, the sparrows and Carolina wrens arrive for the tiny seeds. The cardinals get a double dose of seed, as they and the gray catbirds get safflower seed on the sill of my studio in the backyard. That is fun to watch from the kitchen window. 

 If you don’t have a feeder, get one. They are so much fun to watch. I use the following: meal worms, mixed seed with sunflower seed, safflower seed, and unsalted, roasted peanuts. Squirrels won’t eat safflower seed.

 It’s all good fun for country painters…..

 I must say this feeder provides endless entertainment for me as I sit at my design table. It is a wonderful distraction from the art I am supposed to be doing.

Hard Times

  

 

Hard times can bring out the best in us. It is all about our attitude. If you find yourself obsessing about COVID, politics, the economy, you might want to step back. If you are angry every day, you might want to step back.

 Our citizens have lived through terrible adversity many times in our history. I have been through many economic downturns. One of my gallery dealers once told me that hard economic times weeds out artists who are not prepared and not professional. I don’t know if that is true. I would not wish for failure for any artist. 

 There are organizations who are putting in place aid to artists, for supplies and other needs. I am working on these projects with kind souls who wish to improve lives for creatives. There are wonderful people who want to donate to these plans. Blessings for them. Don’t give up your dreams.

 Life is generous for country painters....

A Break

 February was way too busy for this old lady. I used to take two months a year away from all events, spending that time in my studio or out painting for myself. It was good for me. 

Somehow, I let that time go. It is time to take a month off from busyness and get back to painting only. I’m going to take May off this year. No appointments, no tea parties, no volunteer hours, just time in my studio. I am looking forward to it, it will be a time of discovery, having some fun developing color palettes I like and catching up on a few small commissions for a friend who has been patiently waiting. 
I’ve been working too much this year and I need a break. You all know how much I love my job, but I have become off balance with too much work and not enough play.
Country painters need to play…….