Profiles of Contemporary Art and - ARTisSpectrum

Here are some things I have learned from my journey:
“Do more of that,” she said.
I remember showing my early portfolio in a small, quality gallery in Vermont. My work included some figure studies, some landscapes,
some pastels, some watercolors. The gallery owner looked puzzled. She pointed to a still life, and said, “Do more of
that.”
“But I already did that,” I protested.
“Do it again from a different perspective, a different interpretation. Mine it. See where it takes you.”
It was my first lesson in commercial reality. As she explained to me, her customers might enjoy that direction, and if they did,
they might be interested in more than one piece. I followed her advice. Over the next few months, I completed several paintings
in a similar school. Eventually, they hung together in her gallery, and several of them sold.
The concept may set you free.
I spent many years in the world of advertising, where the name of the game is a ‘campaign.’ It’s basically a unifying theme that
allows creative freedom without having to start from scratch every single time. People tend to like campaigns.
I always thought of it like a family — some familiarity connects it all, but each of the children (or paintings) has its own personality,
impact and meanings.
When I originally began my current signature style, I started painting iconic candy bars and wrappers over a list of chunky personalities,
real lifesavers, or Fifth Avenue attractions. Like sugar, this became addictive. But I soon ran out of confections. So I
moved on to other grocery aisles for inspiration. Then I evolved to more conceptual subject matter — the Big Apple, hard hats,
good fortunes, and nest eggs. I painted some big. I did a smaller series. I’ve done diptychs, and am currently working on a tenfoot
long triptych.
The point here is that you do have room to maneuver — much more than you would think from the first several pieces. Importantly,
you do not have to start from zero with each blank canvas.
Eye Candy
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