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The reaction has to be exactly that; you have to skip like a stone on a calm lake. Whenever the artist in you has the potential to be rattled, you have to land, pivot and skip in a new direction. The "season" has begun and the little stack of paintings to be submitted to galleries gets smaller as each fee is paid. As I write this, I've received my first DECLINED of the year. It's early. It's...UGH. The rules for submitting to adjudicated shows varies with each gallery, but the usual rules mean that the painting has to be relatively...

When you answer a question right off the top of your head, that's the true one; from your heart. When asked about the book in my life that changed me profoundly, my answer was, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde (1890) Spoiler Alert: Dorian Gray sells his soul in order to have eternal youth. A portrait painted of him begins to alter, illustrating each cruel word, every debauched encounter. The portrait ends up locked behind study doors at the top of the house, lest anyone discover his secret. A cautionary tale for a pre-teen, I can assure you!...

There are books and blogs, videos and films, all dealing with the subject, "How to Make a Living as an Artist". After many years of research and copious pages of notes, my game plan may not look like ones adopted by other artists, but that's fine. I made the decision to keep my art affordable long before I had a website. The first pieces of art I bought were when I was a teenager; I am grateful to the artists that opened the world of art to me at a reasonable price. Recently though, an artist offered advice about how...

In order to "Dress For Success", my Dad visited his tailor often. While he was in and out of the fitting room and chalk lines were skillfully marked on the fabric, I sat on an embroidered stool, munching cookies from a gold rimmed plate. (I adored that tailor, and any extra time I could spend with my Dad was a special bonus). In my view, rather than business suits, it's been aprons that have been the hallmarks of successful careers. Those who wore them usually owned their own businesses and were respected by everyone in the neighbourhood. The Greek baker...

A conversation with a lady in the Netherlands reminded me that although our world feels small sometimes, it is a vast planet and our "to-do" lists vary immensely from one country to the next. Her vision of a Canadian autumn was one of colourful leaves carpeting the forest floor and lacy branches reaching to the sky. It was romantic and lovely, but only partially true. I told her that I refer to this time of year as "busy ants" time. We scurry around, adding chores to our already plentiful list, much like ants deciding what to devour first at an...