Who Else Should We See in the District?

“What other artists should we make sure we see today?”

I’m asked that a lot as folks are leaving my painting studio in Asheville’s River Arts District. There are over 200 artists within about a square mile here, and I would recommend people see everyone but…if your time is limited and you just an a morning or afternoon, here are my suggestions for my favorite “must see” artists who work around me. 

The Official St.Claire Favorites...

1. The Lift Studios is the creative home of Daniel McClendon (www.theliftstudios.com) Daniel’s paintings are process-focused and examine the connectivity of instinct, impulsive action, and identity. The work begins non-objectively in the form of a chaotic black and white abstract painting, and from there the animal— a central figure in all his works—emerges. These animals, created from a variety of colors, patterns, textures, forms, and symbols, take on the role of both a totem as well as the embodiment of instinct itself.
2. Michael Hoffman (LiveLifeArtfully.com) In a world of sameness, Hoffman Studios offers you something truly unique. I invite you to visit our gallery and working studio to view the varied selection of handbuilt porcelain we offer for your enjoyment. Each piece of pottery is made using antique lace, some centuries old, to create objects that will be cherished for generations to come. Using the materials that nature has provided, we formulate glazes that dress each piece in a skin of dazzling colors. Colors that often mimic precious gems, stones and weathered metals.
3. North Carolina Glass Center (www.ncglasscenter.org). The North Carolina Glass Center is a non-profit, public access glass studio providing daily educational offerings & demonstrations. You can watch glass being blown and even take a class and learn to blow glass yourself! 
4. Bee Sieburg (www.beesieburg.com) Bee is one of my favorite people on the planet. She loves to paint countryside (local and European) and farm animals. Her style is loose and free with an awesome use of color and brush strokes. She’s upstairs in the Wedge Building.
5. Matt Tommey (www.matttommey.com) Matt’s handcrafted baskets are a whimsical collaboration of traditional weaving techniques, vines, bark and recycled metal. Every basket begins with a walk in the woods. His artistic “voice” centers around the ability to speak the language of natural materials. By responding to nature and incorporating many different materials, he’s able to create one-of-a-kind sculptural creations. If you see someone rummaging around a kudzu field gather vines, that’s probably Matt. 

Honestly, this is is really minimal but at least it’s a start. There are so many other talented artists around here. To explore the district properly would take all day or a weekend. These artists are another one of the reasons why we love living in Western North Carolina and Asheville in particular. The mountains, trails, and woods, the restaurants in downtown Asheville and all the mirco-breweries, the music — what a fun place to live or visit.

Spring in Western North Carolina

Spring is one of the big reasons we enjoy living in Western North Carolina. Asheville is amazing this time of year. Visitors begin besieging the Biltmore Estate to see the tulips and daffodils and tourists are beginning to swarm downtown Asheville, creating a congenial commotion as they wander around our streets, shops, restaurants and art galleries. Ahhhh. I love this time of year. Growing up in southern California, spring and autumn were pretty much just "theoretical" seasons. But the character of Asheville and all of western North Carolina completely changes with the turning of the gentle seasons. Joy and I are working in earnest this time of year, finishing up winter projects while there's still time, building up our inventory of oil paintings so we are ready for a new summer season.

So plan a trip! And when you visit Asheville, stop into St.Claire Art studio in the River Arts District and see what we're up to. There are more than 200 artists here and we will happily part with a map to keep you from getting lost! 

Now Spring Has Clad The Grove In Green
by Robert Burns

Now spring has clad the grove in green,
And strew'd the lea wi' flowers;
The furrow'd, waving corn is seen
Rejoice in fostering showers:
While ilka thing in nature join
Their sorrows to forego,
O why thus all alone are mine
The weary steps of woe?

The trout in yonder wimpling burn
That glides, a silver dart,
And safe beneath the shady thorn
Defies the angler's art --
My life was ance that careless stream,
That wanton trout was I;
But love, wi' unrelenting beam,
Has scorch'd my fountains dry.

The little flow'ret's peaceful lot,
In yonder cliff that grows,
Which, save the linnet's flight, I wot,
Nae ruder visit knows,
Was mine; till love has o'er me past,
And blighted a' my bloom,
And now beneath the with'ring blast
My youth and joy consume.

The waken'd lav'rock warbling springs,
And climbs the early sky,
Winnowing blythe her dewy wings
In morning's rosy eye:
As little reckt I sorrow's power,
Until the flowery snare
O' witching love, in luckless hour,
Made me the thrall o' care.

O had my fate been Greenland snows,
Or Afric's burning zone,
Wi' man and nature leagu'd my foes,
So Peggy ne'er I'd known!
The wretch whase doom is, "hope nae mair,"
What tongue his woes can tell!
Within whase bosom, save despair,
Nae kinder spirits dwell.

"Can you really make a living here?"

People often ask if it really is possible to make a living as an artist here in Asheville. I answer an appreciative "YES". And there are reasons for that. Asheville is unique. We have within a square mail, over 200 artists with open doors to the public. It's awesome. And because our artists association has done some really great advertising, people from all over the country come through our doors. I don't know many artists here at all that do the art show circuit. We just really don't have to. People come to us. 

So how did all this happen?

Glad you asked. According to AshevilleRAD.com, here's a brief history of the River Arts District: 

The French Broad River, in whose basin the River Arts District resides, is the third oldest river in the world. In 1880, when the railroad first came thru Asheville, our population was around 500 people. By 1900, Asheville boasted 10,000 residents. This boom town reality continued until 1929, when The Great Depression settled in for a long winter's nap. Asheville's River Arts District "woke up" around 1985 and has been evolving for the past 27 years. A group of dedicated artists, landowners & businesses have laid claim to a neglected area of Asheville's riverfront and are calling it home. The first arts based business to locate in what is now the River Arts District was Highwater Clays. They moved from Biltmore Village in 1985, to the current home of Gennett Lumber.

In 1987, Porge & Lewis Buck were the first artists to actually buy a building in the Asheville RAD, which they named Warehouse Studios. 

The early 1990's saw a migration of artists out of downtown into what was the Chesterfield Mill. The first Studio Stroll took place in 1994 and included such notable artists as Kevin Hogan & Cathy Triplett. In 1995, the Chesterfield Mill was consumed by fire, as was most of the old Cotton Mill. One of the remnants of the Cotton Mill was renovated into more live/work studio spaces in 1996 & in 2003, purchased by Marty & Eileen Black & renamed Cotton Mill Studios.

Flood waters are thought to bring good nutrition to the earth they inundate. The combined floodwaters of Hurricanes Francis and Ivan in 2004 had the unintended consequence of destroying the Home Cooking Cafe, which inadvertently made room for 12 Bones Smokehouse (2005). The flood waters also prompted CURVE studios & garden to focus on retail/studios in the ground floor studios... creating the model of studio/showroom that has become a viable economic development tool for the Asheville RAD.

In 2004,Asheville’s Chamber of Commerce to begin using the name "River Arts District". This began a five year branding process that has culminated in 2010 with the "River District Artists" changing their name to the "River Arts District Artists" and the new wayfinding program which incorporates numerous directional signs showing visitors how to find their way down to the River Arts District.

2010 saw an amazing influx of new buildings to the River Arts District starting with Pink Dog Creative @ 342 Depot Street. Randy Shull & Hedy Fischer's "baby" has continued a renaissance on Depot Street that was started by Ray Quate with his 2005 renovation of 352 Depot. Mountain Housing Opportunities has contributed the great vision of Cindy Week's $10 million dollar Leeds certified affordable housing project, the Glen Rock Depot. David C. Stewart & David Frechter transformed the old Southern Depot Nightclub into David C. Stewart's painting studio on the first floor and home to Nourish & Flourish, a Network Care Provider as well as Nia Movement Studio & Fresh Juice & Tea House.

In 2011, Wendy Whitson established Northlight Studios @ 357 Depot Street, providing 4 new studios & Asheville Greenworks. John & Liana Bryant renovated The Hatchery Studios at the north end of the River Arts District with 5 new studios that include a pottery co-op & the fine art studios of Kirsten Stolle & Court McCracken & Art Nurture Asheville as well as White Duck Taco Shop, brain child of Ben Mixson & Laura Reuss. Daniel McClendon has renovated 349 Depot Street into The Lift Studios, home of Daniel McClendon Fine Art.

All these new buildings are making room for some wonderful independently owned "Asheville Grown" businesses. The Wedge Brewery, founded in 2008, thanks to the vision of Tim Schaller & the late John Payne has made the River Arts District fun every night of the week. 

2012 finds some new initiatives as well as new neighbors... Blacksmith, Zack Noble now works from his new studio @ 296 Depot ... www.collectARTasheville.com & AVL2ndsaturday.com are on line with the focus on ART region wide every 2nd Saturday... think Studio Stroll every second Saturday, all year long...

One of the little known and unsung heroes of the River Arts District is a business man named Bill Goacher. Many years back he acquired a number of properties, in what is now the ARAD, simply as a business investment. The brilliance of his vision has always been bright but his approach, very low key. Mr. Goacher rented spaces to artists, at very affordable rental rates, and when a good steward of his buildings showed interest in their purchase, he selectively said yes. The Wedge Studios, founded by John Payne in early 2001, is one of those buildings where Bill Goacher said yes. In 2012, The Wedge was sold again, this time to a consortium of 8 local guys who like to drink beer there and is transforming once again with a new restaurant track side by the owners of The Admiral fame called The Bull & Beggar. 

Perhaps the biggest news in 2012 was the announcement that New Belgium Brewery selected the old WNC Stockyard & Bell's Mini Storage sites on Craven Street, for the location of their $175 million dollar East Coast Brewery. Demolition has begun in early 2013. NBB expects to be serving beer from it "Liquid Center" in early 2015. This new manufacturer will bring over 100 new jobs & tens of thousands of visitors to the west side door of the ARAD.

As life is never static here in the ARAD, 2013 finds a number of new buildings coming on line. Tannery Studios & Switchyard Studios are now open @ 339 Old Lyman Street behind Riverview Station. Galaxy Studios has opened on the north end of the ARAD @ 161 West Haywood Road & Heather Knight of Element Clay Studios has moved over to 362 Depot Street. White Duck Taco has opened Pizza Pura @ Pink Dog Creative to go along with new galleries for William Henry Price, Studio A and The Paintbox.

And then, near the end of 2015, something magical happened...The Paintbox moved from Suite 104 in the Pink Dog Creative building and I moved in and this has been my creative home since then.  Learn more about the River Arts District.

How I decide what to paint...

Today is Tuesday (my day off from painting).  By the way, if you're a visitor to Asheville and roaming around the River Arts District, looking for open art studios, never fear. My studio is open and being watched by Ruth Vann, a dear friend of Joy's and mine. So as I was saying, today is my day off and I thought I would spend some time on the computer hunting for photos that inspire me (I am constantly on the look-out for a photo or an idea that would lead to a compelling oil painting).

But...what makes a "compelling" oil painting? Glad you asked, but that's a tough question to answer!  When you go to Google images for instance and type in "compelling landscape photos", you get some very nice photography. But I can literally spend an hour looking at hundreds and hundreds of beautiful photos and not one of them would make a really great oil painting. Why is that?

One sticking point that causes most photos to be disregarded is that I'm looking for a subject matter (for the most part) that is either generic or is specific to Western North Carolina. That is because I have found it difficult to sell artwork that is obviously a scene from somewhere else in the country. About three years ago, I came up with what I thought was a really great idea:  to paint the iconic scenes from around the whole country. My thought was that people come into my art studio from all over the country so...why just stick to local North Carolina landscape scenes? Well, that year I had a blast painting Mt. Rainier, Yosemite Valley, the plains of Nebraska, the coast of Maine and the bayous of Louisiana. I loved it. This country is huge and so incredibly scenic. Great idea, huh?

Well no. I still have a few of those paintings left. I learned something that year though. Most of my paintings I sell in my studio are to people visiting Asheville, and they're looking for something to take home to remind them of their time in Western North Carolina (not a lighthouse on the coast of Maine). So now, that's the first thing I look for: something specific to North Carolina mountains and woods, or something generic (mountains, trees, lakes, rivers etc. that could be anywhere).

But then the second thing I look for in a photo I use for inspiring a painting is whether or not it "draws you in". That is what I am looking for and I'm not really sure what does that. Lighting? Colors? Contrast? All the above? Something else? Basically, I want each painting to speak to the viewer : "come home". That's it. It's that simple. Come home. We strive and work and stress-out and play and vacation so that we can re-create Eden. We really do. I don't care what religion you are, I think that's what we're all doing. We long for paradise and try hard to create. I can't create paradise, but I can let the viewer look at it. And I like that. I believe that hints at hope. This very easily turns into a philosophical and spiritual conversation, and I won't do that here but...that really does explain what I'm trying to do with my artwork and what I'm inspired by.

Musings of an artist...

I work in one art studio of many art studios in the River Arts District of Asheville, North Carolina. And I do most of my work right in front of my front door (the light is best there and, well, I like to greet people as they come in. And then, after being greeted, the questions start...How did you get interested in art? Why are you an artist? Why are you an oil painter? How did you get started doing this?

And because I have an open studio and work about four feet from the door, I get to talk with visitors all day long, every day. And I'm asked these questions constantly. And honestly, it's really funny. I mean, I would never go to a Christmas wine and cheese party and ask an accountant or dentist or history teacher or lawyer any of these questions. Maybe that's because I'm an introvert but still -- what is the big deal with being an artist? I mean, I do like the attention (okay, I said it). But still, what is this all about?  It's interesting and amusing and humbling all at the same time.

 It's interesting because, well, I was talking to an accountant just today and I am so thankful there are people like her that actually understand numbers! Seriously. I think THAT is mysterious and awesome. I'm just a painter. I play with oil paints all day long. I mostly paint mountain landscapes somewhat specific (but not entirely) to Western North Carolina. I do that (mostly) because I can, and (mostly) because it's fun. It's not at all mystical, it's just really, really fun. Making ledgers balance -- now that is mystical to me. If you're an accountant...thank you. I need you. God bless you.

It's amusing because people come in and see me busy painting and often (in whispers) "Oh, he's working!" This makes me laugh every time. "Yes. I am scooping up paint on this brush and rubbing it all over this canvas here..." But I never say that. I always say (because it's actually true), that this isn't work. This is joy. This is pleasure. And right now, this is my life and I am so, so thankful. But...it still makes me laugh inside when people say this.

And it's humbling because I'm no rock star. I think I'm rather awkward and can be kind of a geek (just ask me about ancient history and be amazed at my geekiness). But that's okay. How many people get paid for doing what they love to do? The answer to that question is why I'm truly humbled at the attention given artists.

And then, there was the visitor yesterday who , upon looking at the oil painting I was working on said, "Well, if I can be honest, I think you're wasting your time".  Ha ha. It takes all kinds.

You're From Where?

I grew up in the crowded suburbs of Los Angeles in the sixties and seventies. Los Angeles was hot, crowded and smoggy. I remember days when it hurt to inhale deeply. I remember days when you couldn't see the mountains five miles away. I never liked Los Angeles. I remember coming back from vacation in the High Sierra's and breaking down in tears when I saw the San Fernando Valley stretching out endlessly in front of me. 

Asheville: Home Sweet Home

I chose Asheville, North Carolina because it's such a great place for an artist to do their art thing. Asheville is a small city, located in the Blue Ridge mountains of Western North Carolina. Everything my wife and I like to do is right here: camping, hiking, exploring trails and cool old towns. 

The City of Asheville celebrates the arts in so many, many ways. We celebrate food, beer, fine art, music and literature. It's awesome. It's been voted one of the best places in America to live. Why? Here are some thoughts by Matt Carmichael, a contributing editor of Livability.com. 

Why is Asheville, NC one of the best places to live in America? One consistent truth for the cities atop Livability’s Top 100 Best Places to Live is that there is no one answer to that question. For some, it’s the moderate climate. For others, it’s the arts and crafts in the ever-expanding River Arts District that has long been a draw for visitors and residents alike. For others, it’s the family-friendly atmosphere.

Increasingly, however, the answer is that it’s a great place to live because it’s a great place to eat and drink. In addition to being a two-time honoree on our overall Top 100 Best Places to Live, it also made two of our Top 10 Foodie Cities lists.

“We’re a major foodie city, so you have to go out some place great to eat, which isn’t hard to find,” says Mayor Esther Manheimer,  “but it might be hard to get a reservation.”

Even just 20 or 30 years ago Asheville didn’t see as much investment and “revitalization” as other parts of the state, which turned out to be a good thing. Its population didn’t explode during a time when tearing down and building new was fashionable. Instead its renaissance came during a time of historic preservation and reuse. That means that while the city now is home to a thriving restaurant and brewery scene, it all takes place along streets lined with historic buildings.

Asheville isn’t a big place. Its 90,000 residents and 9 million annual visitors can walk across the downtown in an afternoon, stopping to shop or grab a snack along the way. The Blue Ridge Mountains offer hiking and biking opportunities for the active outdoorsy types and a rolling scenic byway for those who like to take in their nature from behind a windshield. The fall foliage is spectacular enough to have landed Asheville on our Best Places for Fall Foliage ranking, too.

Residents have access to a solid public school system (Great Schools give it an overall 8 out of 10) and traditional health-care options at the Mission Health Systems. However, many residents choose from the array of alternative healing options, such as meditation and yoga at the Asheville Salt Cave.

Despite its popularity and rapid growth, housing remains affordable for most in Asheville with a median home price of less than $200,000. New development is an ongoing concern in town, but the city is doing its best to address the need for new housing with the desire to keep the city livable.

“We’re not creating land-locked sprawl situations,” says Mayor Manheimer. “We want things to be integrated, so people can get out, move around, and interact in their community in meaningful way and a healthy way.”

"No Boundaries"

The Great Smoky Mountains

Becoming a national park was not easy for the Great Smokies. Joining the National Park System took a lot of money and the hard work of thousands of people. Establishing most of the older parks located in the western United States, such as Yellowstone, was fairly easy. Congress merely carved them out of lands already owned by the government—often places where no one wanted to live anyway. But getting park land in this area was a different story. The land that became Great Smoky Mountains National Park was owned by hundreds of small farmers and a handful of large timber and paper companies.

A New Idea

The idea to create a national park in these mountains started in the late 1890s. A few farsighted people began to talk about a public land preserve in the cool, healthful air of the southern Appalachians. A bill even entered the North Carolina Legislature to this effect, but failed. By the early 20th century, many more people in the North and South were pressuring Washington for some kind of public preserve.

Efforts to create a national park became successful in the mid-1920s, with most of the hard-working supporters based in Knoxville, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina. Surprisingly, motorists had the biggest role in the push for a national park. The newly formed auto clubs, mostly branches of the AAA, were interested in good roads through beautiful scenery on which they could drive their shiny new cars.

In May, 1926, a bill was signed by President Calvin Coolidge that provided for the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park. This allowed the Department of the Interior to assume responsibility for administration and protection of a park in the Smokies as soon as 150,000 acres of land had been purchased.

Since the government was not allowed to buy land for national park use, the former political boosters became fund raisers. In the late 1920s, the Legislatures of Tennessee and North Carolina appropriated $2 million each for land purchases. Additional money was raised by individuals, private groups, and even school children who pledged their pennies. By 1928, a total of $5 million had been raised. The Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund matched what had been raised and donated $5 million, assuring the purchase of the remaining land.

But buying the land was difficult, even with the money in hand. There were thousands of small farms, large tracts, and other miscellaneous parcels that had to be surveyed and appraised. The timber and paper companies had valuable equipment and standing inventory which required compensation. Worse, in some ways, were the emotional losses to people who had to walk away from their homes. Lifetime leases allowed some people to stay temporarily, particularly if they were too old or too sick to move. Others could be granted leases on a short-term basis. However, they could not cut timber, hunt and trap at will, or otherwise live as they always had.

The facts about this place (to me anyway) are interesting, but the real interest is the nitty-gritty history of this place. People lived out their lives here. They composed their music here, wrote their stories here and crafted their poems here. And walking the trails, you can still make out the presence of the past if you listen...

There’s an old weather bettion house
That stands near a wood
With an orchard near by it
For almost one hundred years it has stood

It was my home in infency
It sheltered me in youth
When I tell you I love it
I tell you the truth

For years it has sheltered
By day and night
From the summer’s sun heat
And the cold winter blight

But now the park commisioner
Comes all dressed up so gay
Saying this old house of yours
We must now take away

They coax they wheedle
They fret they bark
Saying we have to have this place
For a National Park

For us poor mountain people
They don’t have a care
But must a home for
The wolf the lion and the bear

But many of us have a tltle
That is sure and will hold
To the City of Peace
Where the streets are pure gold

There no lion in its fury
Those pathes ever trod
It is the home of the soul
In the presence of God

When we reach the portles
of glory so fair
The Wolf cannot enter
Neither the lion or bear

And no park Commissioner
Will ever dar
To desturbe or molest
Or take our home from us there

-By Louisa Walker

Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail is the longest "hiking only" footpath in the world, and extends from Georgia to Maine. Some of our favorite places to hike in North Carolina cross-cross the AT here and there. This painting is from one of my favorite balds near the border of Tennessee.

Living as an artist in Western North Carolina, the Appalachian Trail is never far, and is always an inspiration for my oil paintings. I simply never run out of creative fodder! In thinking about this awesome trail, and the amazing adventures found upon it, the landscapes, the trees, the rivers and the mountains, it seemed like I needed a poem to really do it justice.  (See some of my favorite hikes in the area)

Endless Ranges

The month of February I will begin

a trek through woods as wide as the seas,

from the foothills of Georgia 

to rock altars in the mountains of Maine,

a pilgrimage of whole hearted discovery.

I shall walk on this Appalachian trail,

following the blazes of white,

beneath the wide open sky,

gazing north, always north 

across wide rivers, rocky ridges, and green meadows.

Twenty-two hundred miles it is,

twenty-two hundred miles to reach the end.

From this point on I now must find the will

to go onward every day until Autumn’s chill,

with the last days my youth has left to lend me.

And in these lonely months of walking,

when I’m lost amidst fog draped mountain peaks

timeless truths I hope to find as I am quiet and just listen --

to the whisper of branches, the gurgling of the stream,

the roaring wind -- listen for The Voice. He is here.

This trail I trek not because I’m bold or brave,

but from fear of that days when I've grown old,

I will with regret, I’ll only quietly sigh

because of the unlived life that has passed me.

This is an adventure is not one I can ignore.

While I do not know if I shall succeed,

I do ask the reader -- listen!

Live your one-time Life. Really live!

And should you find your path twine across my own,

Welcome home. 

What is 'good' art?

There are different answers to that question, which doesn’t surprise me. What does surprise me is that even asking the question scandalizes some people. I’ve heard folks say things like, “there’s no such thing as good art or bad art. Art comes from inside the soul. How can you judge that?” So before I even begin to take a stab at answering the question “what is good art?” Let me first defend the right to ask the question in the first place.

You Can Judge Art??

To begin with, let me say that yes, it’s completely improper to criticize the self-expressive art of a six-year-old. A six-year-old cannot produce good or bad art. To a parent, it’s all beautiful. It can’t be judged. The same could be said for someone who enjoys dabbling in watercolor or oil paint for fun or self-expression. Painting, sculpting, practicing the piano… is all fun and personally, I would encourage anyone to explore their creativity—society would be healthier for it. But not all art is like that. The art of a college student earning his painting degree should be judged and analyzed. The work of a professional artist is judged all the time, and rightly so, because he has submitted it to the public eye, not simply as self-expression, but as true art—as expression of something transcendent. If you handed me a page from your diary, it would be completely inane for me to redline a spelling error. On the other hand, if I were a creative writing instructor and you were my student, it would be kosher for me to mark up your essay. Indeed, I would be a poor teacher if I did not, even if it were a good essay. So whether we can judge art is entirely dependent on our context. In the right context, we are free to make certain judgments. In fact, we judge all the time, and that’s not inherently problematic. Does everyone sing equally well? Are all poets equally skilled? If you have a favorite restaurant or a favorite beer or favorite movie or a favorite band or a favorite anything, you’re judging—you’re praising something as superior to something else, or to everything else. We judge, and that’s simply the truth. Some things are better than other things, and it is inconsistent, even dishonest, to pretend otherwise. So can we judge art? We do, whether we think we can or not. What we need most, then, is to critique and analyze our criteria. The criteria which we use to judge between good and poor art will be the subject of my next few posts.

How Do I Start This Thing?

The Art of Getting Started 

So, you’ve graduated with a fine arts degree and are ready to get a job as an artist? Grand ambition! Who do you send your resume to? How do you arrange a job interview? Where do you find the painting shop that will hire you? Obviously, landing a job as an artist doesn’t work like this. So then, what is the path toward working as a full time artist?

My first suggestion concerns your education: Do NOT just get training in art, because most artists need a second career that can pay the bills while they build up a portfolio and find their niche. It’s at this point I often hear aspiring artists complain, “but I just want to paint!” And that’s all very good. Keep your eye on that goal at all times. And get trained in a related field if possible. When I first started painting, I was a sign designer. Granted, I was probably one of the most overtrained sign designers in the industry but it was easy for me. And it paid the bills. That’s exactly what I needed at that point. I know other artists who started their careers as art teachers. It’s not so important what your initial career is. What is important is that you don’t hate it. You don’t have to love it, but if you’re an artist, you are probably not someone who wake up every morning going to a job you loathe. Find something enjoyable, if not a great career. You don’t need a second career—you just need a day job.

Once you have a job and are painting evenings and weekends, enter as many art shows as possible. You want your work seen by as many people as possible. Track the shows you are a part of and obviously, track of any awards you win. You are building your resume, getting exposure, and hopefully making some connections. You’ll also want to develop an “artist statement” to go along with the resume you use for these shows. Just google “artist statement” to get some ideas. During this time (or shortly thereafter) you can begin approaching art galleries to carry your work. To paint full time, you will probably need 8 to 10 art galleries that are selling your work. I will address art gallery etiquette in a separate blog because it’s important that you approach them correctly. Hint: don’t just show up on their doorstep with a bunch of photos for them to look at. Once you are entering art shows and are in a few galleries you should probably cut down to half time at your other job, and you can think about participating in outdoor art festivals around the country (start local!). You will need to invest in a canopy of some kind and some sort of display system. Be aware that art festivals charge entrance fees and many of them will want to take a look at photos of your work (as well as your artist statement and resume) before they allow you to participate.

But what if...

If you don’t want to go that route, there are other options. You can concentrate on galleries, getting your work into as many as possible, or you can relocate to an ‘art destination' where customers seeking art can naturally find you. I moved to Asheville, North Carolina and as a result, I sell 90% of my paintings right here in my studio. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot them my way and I’ll do my best to answer them, either directly or in a future post.