This 6x8 inch oil on masonite, "Dead End Road" was inspired by the irony of it being almost the end of fall. It was a cold day and I had to wear gloves. Maybe that is why the brush work here is looser than in most. This painting is on an eBay auction for 7 days, click here to place a bid.
Maybe I’ve given the impression that I have great distain for galleries and gallery goers; not true. The majority of gallery goers are well informed, well educated and know their art. Unfortunately, while visiting gallery shows to write show critiques, I ran in to a number of visitors that, although they were well educated, it was obvious that they were using what they knew to intimidate others or to impress friends they brought along with them for the evening.
One of the purposes of this blog is to eliminate the intimidation people feel about art. How and why people feel intimidated varies, but I’m guessing that some of the intimidation comes from not being able to “speak the language.” The fact is, you don’t have to speak the language, but I hope over time my readers will get enough facts and gain the confidence to enter a gallery and be comfortable saying why they like something or don’t like something.
Galleries serve another purpose for artists. They provide a sales outlet. But it is the gallery that decides what is worthy of being shown and what doesn’t deserve to be shown. The artists pay dearly to be part of a gallery, giving back 50 to 60 percent of the sale price and in many cases paying the shipping and insurance both ways for the show. It does free the artist’s time to do more work because some, not all, of the marketing is placed in someone else’s hands. The Internet is changing who gets to decide what should be seen by others and what should not. Anyone can post anything – no matter what their skill level. Buyers now must either rely on the gallery owners to pre screen art or they must gain a little knowledge themselves. But remember, if you decide to ever visit a gallery, don’t use your knowledge to intimidate others – or I’ll call you a gallery hound too.
One of the purposes of this blog is to eliminate the intimidation people feel about art. How and why people feel intimidated varies, but I’m guessing that some of the intimidation comes from not being able to “speak the language.” The fact is, you don’t have to speak the language, but I hope over time my readers will get enough facts and gain the confidence to enter a gallery and be comfortable saying why they like something or don’t like something.
Galleries serve another purpose for artists. They provide a sales outlet. But it is the gallery that decides what is worthy of being shown and what doesn’t deserve to be shown. The artists pay dearly to be part of a gallery, giving back 50 to 60 percent of the sale price and in many cases paying the shipping and insurance both ways for the show. It does free the artist’s time to do more work because some, not all, of the marketing is placed in someone else’s hands. The Internet is changing who gets to decide what should be seen by others and what should not. Anyone can post anything – no matter what their skill level. Buyers now must either rely on the gallery owners to pre screen art or they must gain a little knowledge themselves. But remember, if you decide to ever visit a gallery, don’t use your knowledge to intimidate others – or I’ll call you a gallery hound too.
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