Great news. I was listening to this motivational speaker (Larry Winget ) and he said something in his "Shut Up, Stop Whining, and Get a Life" book. If you chase two rabbits (teaching, and being a full time artist), both will get away. It sounded right to me so I made a decision, because really that has been my problem, which rabbit do I want most? I decided to paint, their is enough to do full time with painting and marketing myself let alone teach full time. I will teach a class here and there because I enjoy teaching but I am no longer going to pursue full time teaching employment at this time in my life.
I have also decided that I have what it takes to be successful at being an artist I have just made up excuses here and there. After I made this decision an interesting thing happened. My wife was at a park and started talking to a woman there with her kids, they got on the subject of art and my wife gave my website to this woman. That evening I received an email stating she was interested in looking at my art. I replied with my phone number and she called me the next morning to come over and look at my pieces. She came over at 10 in the morning that day and purchased a painting I had just finished days earlier, it was so freakin awesome. She was excited and so was I it was a win win. Later on that day another collector came by and purchased two of my pieces, wow was that a good day. So this just help validate my decision to paint more.
The mug shots have been on hold for a bit because I have a show I am preparing for in June. Once I am done I will continue on with the mug shots. I had a new idea for them I am going to do one of three options. Because I love painting in every style available to oil I might 1. paint each mug shot in a different style. or 2. paint the same mug shot in about 10 styled or 3. just paint each one the way I wanted to in the first place. I know I would be saying something different with each approach so I need to figure out what I want to say before continuing.
Remember (I am saying this to myself) chase one rabbit at a time, who knows eventually you might be able to catch both........ if that is my desire!
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Friday, May 8, 2009
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Applying for jobs
Tis the season to apply for teaching jobs! I will apply for some teaching positions because I really enjoy teaching and seeing the light go on in a students head. I really enjoy the students I have this semester, no one is slacking and they really want to learn and grow even being non majors.
I had another conversation with my wife about my art the other day. She asked me is I would be willing to just work on paintings that sell like fruit and landscapes, or work on "idea" or artistic paintings and be poor. Hmmm, good question, I was trained on how to Illustrate, or work for a client. Their is a part of me that just wants to paint for the rest of my life, so I guess I wouldn't have a problem with painting things that sell. But I also know better than that. I know almost anything can sell in this world, it is getting it into the right market and to the right people that can make the difference. So why do I have to choose, I guess if I want to stay in Utah (which I don't) then painting fruit and landscapes and selling them cheep would be a good plan. Thing is I, as stated previously, don't want to fall through the cracks of history. But then again will I roll over in my grave if I am not found in "the great history books"? I doubt it. So maybe working on paintings and trying to support my family isn't that bad of an idea. It is true I would rather paint the rest of my life then become the next Jeff Koons, not that I think his art is bad, but he is definitely on the edge of what art is or could be.
Thing is, contemporary art is so foreign to most people, at least here in Utah, which isn't saying much. Not that Utah is a sucky place, I like it and it is a good place to raise ones children. But it is a bit sheltered when it comes to the art world. I have had multiple people tell me that I am addicted to pornography because I paint or draw nude people. I ask them which is more pornographic, my painting or a picture in Maxim Magazine? I know which is more sexually stimulating, a hot chick on Maxim Magazine. But hay I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion. Now some art is definitely pornographic like John Currin, he is a fantastic painter and has some interesting things to say with his paintings. I am just not so keen on his subject matter a bit too steep for even me. Most people in Utah have never heard of these artists, why would they come to Utah, they would probably get stoned to death. I don't know how foreign contemp art is outside of Utah so I won't say much about it. People here in Utah love having a landscape or still life painting in their house, very few are into non representational or figure painting unless it has Jesus in it or some type of religious story. So I really want to move out of here so my kids can have a better understanding of life and culture outside of Mormonism.
The only way my wife would move back east is if I get a teaching job out there, so I will be applying to many jobs out there so we can be near a city and really experience culture. If I don't get a teaching job we will probably move to NM or CO possibly AZ. It is an exciting time in our lives.
I have some new ideas for paintings. I had a melt down (very short, 2 sec melt down) a couple of days ago about what I should paint. I went to the UofU and had a chat with Chad Crane about my problem. He stated that my problem has been that I love to paint for paint. I don't let a theory guide my painting. He said when you are working on a concept one painting cant do it all. A process starts to emerge and you have multiple paintings that are similar because they are guided by a concept and not how the paint is applied. Maybe that is my problem, I have finally hit a wall with a desire to paint. Don't get me wrong I love painting but I now get bored with painting fruit and landscapes, even people that are just sitting there. So I brain stormed some ideas and I will post them on here when I work on some. Can't share the idea because I am really excited about what is going to happen.
I had another conversation with my wife about my art the other day. She asked me is I would be willing to just work on paintings that sell like fruit and landscapes, or work on "idea" or artistic paintings and be poor. Hmmm, good question, I was trained on how to Illustrate, or work for a client. Their is a part of me that just wants to paint for the rest of my life, so I guess I wouldn't have a problem with painting things that sell. But I also know better than that. I know almost anything can sell in this world, it is getting it into the right market and to the right people that can make the difference. So why do I have to choose, I guess if I want to stay in Utah (which I don't) then painting fruit and landscapes and selling them cheep would be a good plan. Thing is I, as stated previously, don't want to fall through the cracks of history. But then again will I roll over in my grave if I am not found in "the great history books"? I doubt it. So maybe working on paintings and trying to support my family isn't that bad of an idea. It is true I would rather paint the rest of my life then become the next Jeff Koons, not that I think his art is bad, but he is definitely on the edge of what art is or could be.
Thing is, contemporary art is so foreign to most people, at least here in Utah, which isn't saying much. Not that Utah is a sucky place, I like it and it is a good place to raise ones children. But it is a bit sheltered when it comes to the art world. I have had multiple people tell me that I am addicted to pornography because I paint or draw nude people. I ask them which is more pornographic, my painting or a picture in Maxim Magazine? I know which is more sexually stimulating, a hot chick on Maxim Magazine. But hay I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion. Now some art is definitely pornographic like John Currin, he is a fantastic painter and has some interesting things to say with his paintings. I am just not so keen on his subject matter a bit too steep for even me. Most people in Utah have never heard of these artists, why would they come to Utah, they would probably get stoned to death. I don't know how foreign contemp art is outside of Utah so I won't say much about it. People here in Utah love having a landscape or still life painting in their house, very few are into non representational or figure painting unless it has Jesus in it or some type of religious story. So I really want to move out of here so my kids can have a better understanding of life and culture outside of Mormonism.
The only way my wife would move back east is if I get a teaching job out there, so I will be applying to many jobs out there so we can be near a city and really experience culture. If I don't get a teaching job we will probably move to NM or CO possibly AZ. It is an exciting time in our lives.
I have some new ideas for paintings. I had a melt down (very short, 2 sec melt down) a couple of days ago about what I should paint. I went to the UofU and had a chat with Chad Crane about my problem. He stated that my problem has been that I love to paint for paint. I don't let a theory guide my painting. He said when you are working on a concept one painting cant do it all. A process starts to emerge and you have multiple paintings that are similar because they are guided by a concept and not how the paint is applied. Maybe that is my problem, I have finally hit a wall with a desire to paint. Don't get me wrong I love painting but I now get bored with painting fruit and landscapes, even people that are just sitting there. So I brain stormed some ideas and I will post them on here when I work on some. Can't share the idea because I am really excited about what is going to happen.
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