Who's Calling Whom a Professional?

 I received a 'call for artists' this week that said it was for artists of all levels, and it asked the artists to categorize themselves as student, emerging or professionals.

It gave definitions, which were similar to the ones from CARFAC which for a professional are: 

• 1-earns a living through art making;
• I earn much of my living from teaching and selling art, but I could not support myself with it, in any style to which I could get accustomed to. 
• 2-or possesses a diploma in an area considered to be within the domain of the fine arts;
• I have very little formal fine art training from a place of 'higher learning', just lots of classes, and experience. 
• 3-or teaches art in a school of art or applied art;
• I teach (and have an Artist Educators certificate), but not in an 'Art School', applied or otherwise.
• 4-or whose work is often seen by the public or is frequently or regularly exhibited;
• I do exhibit, and my work is definitely seen by the public.
• 5-or is recognized as an artist by consensus of opinion among professional artists.
• The last criteria is tricky, frankly I've never asked the art community for a consensus of their opinion, and I couldn't ask most of my art friends, since they are in the same position I'm in, I'd have to find 'professionals' to ask!
• By this definition I will never be a professional artist. Yet in spite of all of this I do consider myself to be one because;

I get paid for what I do. 

I continually try to better myself, and to learn as much as I can about art, and the business of art. 

I'm very active in the art community, some times too active, when it interferes with the making of art!

I keep regular studio hours, inspiration comes from the work, not work from the inspiration. 

I actively market my work on Facebook, Instagram, mail chimp, and my blog etc

I have a business license, a business bank account, and pay business taxes. 

Most importantly I THINK I am a professional, although this made my imposter syndrome kick in briefly lol. 

Really, isn't it where you are in your heart, head and effort that should matter? 

I'm sure the organizers of the show were trying to keep the competition fair for all levels, but I resist being labeled. 

What do you think?

Work in progress

First step for a commissioned work. 

• 
  

Robin

Artist, teacher 

Letting Go And Starting Over

Tenacity can be a great character trait, unless it descends into stubbornness.
I'm afraid that too often I slip into the latter. So with the Lambeth Art Association Show just days away I've had to look that particular devil in the eye and let go of two paintings that I've spent way too much time and effort on. Since I've entered those painting in the show I've started over with two new paintings, which are going much better.
Most paintings go through an ugly stage, but the 'bones' should be good and pleasing even through the uglies. These two turkeys started out OK, but those good bones didn't survive some experiments gone awry. The learning from the experiments is being applied to the new paintings, and already I can see that they're going to work. So stay tuned and watch them progress.

Works in progress

Don't Wait, part two

Last week we were speaking about Dreams, and I suggested that dreaming should be a life long activity.
I teach creativity programs to the elderly, most of whom lived ordinary lives and reminisce about family and friends, experiences and events. Usually there is a gentleness to those memories, as if the memories are in soft focus, the rememberer's eyes see things in the past, focusing inward.
On the other hand the dream chasers eyes light up when they tell their stories, the fire in their belly is still visible all those years later, I've never spoken to someone who regretted chasing those dreams or the work and struggle that being a chaser entails .
Scientists researching animal behaviour say that there are two basic behaviour patterns seen in individuals in the populations of all species, in an experiment David Sloan Wilson called them  sitters and rovers . Sitters wait in cover for food to come to them, the human equivalent of sitters are the rule followers, they go to their jobs, collect their pay, raise their 2.4 children, and retire at 65.
The rovers explore, try new things and take risks. They may be eaten by predators, but they are also more likely to get the best forage.
Interestingly in the animal kingdom approximately 20% of the population are sitters,  The vast majority being rovers.
What happened to us? In the human population the numbers are flipped, with approximately 80% behaving more like sitters.
Sir Ken Robinson has a theory in his TED Talk he says the industrial revolution and the education system are to blame. Industry needed good obedient workers, so creativity and individuality were ground out of students to make them good workers.
In 'The Burning Times'  another theory is presented, during the Inquisition, and several other Purges, including the Holocaust anyone who was different, or non compliant  with the ruling regime was murdered, taking their DNA out of the gene pool, changing the human race.
Garette LoPorto theorizes rovers are actually the bearers of active Neanderthal genes, and calls us up-risers. His theory is interesting, most non African people do have Neanderthal DNA, but there isn't a shred of evidence to support his description of Neanderthal culture. 
So, are you a sitter or a rover?
Do you dare to chase your dreams?
Keep making that list.
Choose one, maybe not the biggest one, lets start with something a bit easier. If you've been lurking in cover, your first step out into the open is going to be difficult.
What can you do as a first small step? how soon can you do it? Make a plan. Do it.

Be a rover.

First Steps in my newest painting, step by step we can accomplish our dreams

Cue The Creativity

A common complaint when creatives get together is "I just can't get in the mood to paint/sculpt/etc'

Many of us lead a double life, especially when you have a job and family. Frequently the result of the constant stress of juggling is a creativity block.
Sometimes the block comes from inertia, for what ever reason we've taken a break from the creative side of ourselves and can't seem to get back in the groove.
Sometimes we've worked a particular idea, or medium till it no longer inspires us, but we don't know how to move on, or even that we need to.
I don't pretend to know all of the answers, I can only tell you what works for me.
I have a very tight schedule and have to be able to turn on the creative in me more or less on demand. Having a dedicated space for the creation of art helps a lot, and I've developed little rituals that help to set the mood.
First I make sure the space is cleared, note I didn't say cleaned, that would take too long lol, but I find it hard to concentrate when things are a jumbled mess. Since I teach both out of my studio and on site at area long term care facilities, the studio is jammed full of stuff for student projects and lesson plan experiments. Once the visual noise is reduced then I turn to the work in progress or W.I.P..
I usually work on two or three pieces at once because of drying time, having at lest one W.I.P. on hand means you're not starting off staring at a sheet of white paper, that's mocking you and your lack of inspiration.
When I am faced with a fresh sheet one of the first things I do is spatter it with paint, any colour, no pattern, then I spritz on some water to make it run. Usually this spatter almost completely disappears under subsequent layers, but having some initial colour on the sheet seems to help.
I work on terraskin sheets which are inexpensive compared to the mounted wooden panels finished work is affixed to  so I can afford to be playful, and experiment. If the piece doesn't work, I can crop out what does, and discard the rest. I've even cut out sections of otherwise good paintings and repainted the offending area. Having that kind of flexibility is very freeing.
An ever expanding collection of sketch books is an invaluable resource, they're chock full of ideas waiting to be explored. Some sketches are frame worthy works of art, but frankly most are scribbled visual notes to self. Sketch books are very personal, I hate anyone else looking at my sketch books, I think they would look at them and think 'what a no talent poser'. Seeing some pages from Vincent Van Gough's sketch books was a revelation though, they weren't so very different than mine, and no one would call him a poser!
The best advise I can give to get over a block though is to just get to work.
Pick up your brush, sling some paint, just do it!
So what if it's not a master work. Pitch it out and try again. We all have duds.
If you never fail you're not trying hard enough.

Just Down The Road- Mini, 6x6, Robin Baratta, Glazed Acrylic, $55.00 contact for info

The Fallback Plan

Recently I was reading an article about fallback plans. The article was about keeping up your exercise and healthy eating habits during the busy summer months, but I think many artists also need one for their art practice, or at lest this artist does!
The term fall back plan was apparently coined by Stonewall Jackson during the civil war, the story goes that he never went into battle with out first planning a retreat that would give him a defensible point to regroup, then resume attacking.
It seems counter intuitive to plan a retreat before an attack, but by planning ahead he was able to keep losses to a minimum, and gains to a maximum.
There is no doubt that many of us lose ground during the summer months. The kids/grandkids are off school and need attention. The garden is producing weeds faster than a mere mortal gardener can keep ahead of. Spouses expect strange things like, meals, clean laundry, and most startling of all participation in family events and vacations.
What's a poor artist to do!?! Why doesn't the world understand that this is plein aire season, and art shows, art fairs, art in the park all need attending.
It's very easy for things to slip between the cracks. In my art practice unfortunately it's the creation of art it's self that often gets short shrift, lessons have to be planned, and taught. Paperwork has to be kept up to date, and all of the afore mentioned need attending to too.
Over the years I've created many plans, but for me, it comes down to very simply planning each day. When I do that I can usually find a hour or two a few times a week, that I can declare protected and exclusively for the production of art, the hard task then is to make the mental shift to creative on cue.
More on that.....next week.

work in progress, 3rd texture layer.

The How's and Whys of Buying Art According to Chatalaine

In my last post I talked about Big Box store art, vs 'real art', who buys what and for what reason.
Interestingly, right after I wrote that I read this article in Chatelaine and it's second part.
The best advise the articles give is very simple.
 Buy art because you love it.

These two paintings are on their way to the Westland Square Foot Show.

Nature's Still Life, glazed acrylic, Robin Baratta, 12x12, $180.00

The Chutes, glazed acrylic, Robin Baratta, 12x12, $180.00

And this one too, assuming it gets done on time!!!

work in progress: the initial sketch, tentatively called Just Down The Road #3

Sentinel, painting in progress

The working title for this painting is Sentinel.

It's the second painting taken from some of my SC sketches. 

This is at a very early stage, first layers of both texture, and glazes are down, with many more of each to come.

And here it is done.

Beach Sentinal: 8x10, gazed acrylic  Sold

Lessons From The Beach, part 3,

What People Watching Taught Me

At the risk of sounding like another 'stop and smell the roses' post, I'd like to tell you a little story.

One day dog and I were walking the beach, there were herons and egrets fishing the shallows, with a host of other shore birds. Dolphins were playing in the bay, while an eagle soared overhead. Predictably I was rubbernecking, gawking, trying to soak it all in. 

I realized that several people had passed by, not pausing or looking. A gentleman with another dog approached and as our dogs greeted each other we chatted, I asked did you see the dolphins? 

No, he didn't, the eagle?  No. The green heron perched in the tree he'd just passed? No. 

As artists, we see. 

We see, and I believe that in part it is our job, our duty to show the average unseeing persons the beauty and wonder of our world through our art. A friend calls unseeing average persons muggles. Harry Potter fans will recognize muggles as non magical folk. 

Artists, we have a powerful magic, use it.  The unseeing can't learn to hold dear, and wondrous, what they can't see. 

I believe that this applies to everything that we deem worth of brush time.

Deborah Tilley paints wonderful craggy faces that tell stories of lives full of hardship, Candy McManiman paints the ubiquitous Canada Goose clothed in beautiful colour and elegant line,  Kit Cutting, dogs- especially senior dogs with gentle souls, love visible in every stroke of her brush. 

I could go on, these are only a very few of the magical artists opening our eyes to what is around us. 

 Artists keep seeing, keep creating. The world needs us. 

Beach Thoughts

We've been back from our southern vacation for a few days now.  Just long enough to get back into the swing of things. 

I really miss my studio when I'm away. Every year I come up with a new plan on how I'm going to spend the 6 weeks immersed in paint, and each plan fails. The truth is, I'm a studio artist, I started 4 paintings while we were away this year, but with out the room to work I  end up outside, where the bugs and sand find their way into the paint, mixed media lol. 

So instead I fill my sketch book and walk the beach. 

I've got a good start on turning the first of those sketches into a painting. 

This is the lay out and under painting, with the first bit of texture layering. 

So, what did I learn beach walking, and people watching?

Beach combers are like art patrons.

At the beginning, they're pretty indiscriminate. They pick up any and everything pretty. 

By their second or third snowbird vacation (art show/gallery shopping trip), they start to specialize. They know this trip isn't a one time thing, and they aren't going to pick up any old thing just because it's pretty. 

A popular specialty is sharks teeth. The problem with this is there are lots of shells , but not many teeth. Complicating things farther, lots of shell bits and debris look like teeth until you examine them closely. So the genuine article can be missed if your not willing to bend over and really look. 

It also takes an 'eye' to find them. Most people walk right over top of them with out noticing what's right under their feet, so having a mentor show you what to look for helps a lot.

Also the best ones are often outside of the most searched areas, you need to be willing to search them out and take a few risks. 

Next time: what searching for sharks teeth taught me about artists. 

Day three: sail installation element

The water especially needs more work, but we're getting there. I have to research out door top coats, anyone have any suggestions?

Day two, sail installation element

This is the start of the second day I've had to work on my contribution to the installation piece for Port Stanley. The finished sail will be one of nine mounted on a frame in The park near the bridge in Port. At lest that's the plan as I've heard it, village council could place it elsewhere.

Because of the size, 63x38x74, I'm working on the dining room table, don't worry, it's an art veteran!

Looking for inspiration

Oh the things we artists get ourselves into.

9 area artists, myself included have been asked to paint 'sails' for an art installation to be ready for Port Stanley's Harbourfest, and the Soiling International Regatta. Three weeks away. 

It seems everyone is doing nautical themes, not as a requirment, but because it's a natural...

I'd rather not, but nothing is coming to me. 

Dear muse help me please!!!

Ugly stage, but she's got good bones

Doing some extreme experimenting with this one. I'm excited to see where this goes, right now I'm  building a skeleton for the painting to hang on, it looks bad, but she's got good bones. 

Here we go again

Starting the next one :)

A failed painting, gessoed over, some crazy experimental ideas...

What will be???

Compositional plan

The next one is underway, compositional plan done notan drying.

Step by step: three trilliums painting

Next!

Since spring is taking so long to arrive I'm creating my own. 

A couple of years ago I took about a zillion pictures of spring flowers in Springwater Conservation Forest. 

I've been mining that stash looking for images to warm up by, and nothing says spring in Ontario like trilliums. 

This is step one, design composition and value/colour plan. 

Off to the studio I go!

Step two draw on board, and paint notan (value plan)

Next, the first of the texture layers

Then, first layers of glaze,

Almost done, 

Hmmmm, needed something.....how about this: