Ralph Valdez, manager at the Padzieski Gallery (the guy addressing the group above), invited five artists from the Artist's Society Of Dearborn to speak about their works on display at his "Arts & Appetizers" event. My first reaction when I received the invitation to be one of the five was excitement. This was a first for me and I saw it for the great opportunity it presented. Then came the fear. What if those collectors who came to our opening showed up? Should I just speak off the cuff whatever came to mind at the moment or should I prepare a formal speech? I didn't know. So I asked. I was told that whatever I chose to do would be just fine. I chose to err on the side of preparedness. It's better to have and not need than need and not have, right? So I wrote it all out, printed it on card stock and practiced half the day until I could say about ninety percent of it without looking at the cards. I thought you might get a bang out of reading it. I've inserted the audience's reaction in parentheses after each Q and A. Here's the transcript of my Art Talk:
I am primarily a representational painter. While I work mostly in oils, I enjoy a wide variety of mediums and subject matter…..as long as there's a bird somewhere in it.
Questions people ask an artist can vary widely depending on whether they're a casual admirer who came out of curiosity or to support a friend, another artist seeking or giving guidance, or a collector who clearly knows what defines a strong piece of artwork. Whoever you are, I'm glad you're here.
What I'll give you are some straight up answers to seven questions people tend to ask. With whatever time is left, I'll take questions from the audience. (polite attention)
Most-easily answered question:
Q: When did you first know you wanted to be an artist?
A: From the moment I discovered there was beauty in the world and a way to capture it. In fact, I painted my first ceiling mural at the age of five. Really!...#2 pencil on attic sheetrock. Daddy loved it! Mama, not so much. Well, they SAY paint what you see, for crying out loud....and what I saw was Connie from Kindergarten waiting in line for the bathroom …….rather unsuccessfully, I might add. (slight pause followed by goofy 'ah I get it now' laughter)
Ah,.. here are some more easy questions:
Q: What kind of palette do you use?
A: I use a limited palette of Burnt Umber, the primaries and Titanium White and mix most colors from these, including black. I sometimes introduce colors which cannot be easily mixed from the primaries, like turquoise. (Janet Kondzeila asked to share her split-primary palette, which she did a little later and which I found very helpful).
Q: Do you teach any classes?
A: Yes. I have a studio in my home and I offer open studio-style instruction for individuals or groups of up to four. Just know that my art education is based upon advice from other artists, online research, and good old-fashioned trial and error, so it will not look much like what you'd see in a formal art school. (Couple of raised eyebrows. Not sure what that meant.)
Q: I notice you paint your birds in indoor settings. Why is that?
A: That's often true. I've always felt that birds are as curious about us as we are about them. And..birds are opportunists, making use of materials left behind by humans. That and they outnumber us fifty to one, so the chances of one getting inside at some point are pretty good. I try to imagine a story behind the things they might land on. (Someone remarked, "I see a story clearly in all your paintings." Very gratifying to hear)
This one's a little harder to answer:
Q: Why didn't you go to art school?
A: Lack of funds?, …..gut wrenching fear?, ……being told "Art is not a 'real' job and artists are so broke and stressed all the time…so why don't you become a teacher?" (Surprisingly, all I got was a blank stare from some and a couple of mild chuckles from others. If you are a teacher or know any teachers, you will get the irony and laugh your head off).
Hardest to answer without getting out a calculator:
Q: How long did it take you to paint that?
This has several possible answers.
A1: A year. That's if you count all the times I scraped it off and started all over again and the time in between when I felt stuck and worked on other stuff instead.
A2: I worked on it a little each day for a couple of weeks.
A3: Two days. It was a commissioned piece on a tight schedule and I didn't eat or sleep until it was finished.
A4: About two hours. Hey, some come easier than others.
A5: Ahhhhh… um……er…eeehhh..
(Lots of laughter)
Hardest question to answer by far!
Q: Where are you in your art career?
A: Well, I sold my first painting when I was 14, and I quit my day job a couple of years ago to paint full time. So…I guess that puts me in the "Professional" category. Oh wait…I still have yet to achieve ongoing gallery representation, and I've only won six awards in my whole life, and half of those were in the last year. I have yet to win a national competition and I've done exactly one solo show, so I might be more at the mid-career level. Also, I've sold quite a few murals, but fewer than 20 paintings and I'm only known a little locally. Does that make me emergent? Ok, I KNOW I'm no longer a hobbyist because my CPA told me so. (a few knowing smiles and nods)
So now …. How do you know that you've passed from one career level to the next? What if three different people, using different criteria, declare you to be at three different levels? Am I over-thinking this?
Well of COURSE I am over-thinking it. I'm an artist. It's what we do best.
(laughter and applause, which was exactly what I was going for. Very gratifying).
Now back to the present....
I needn't have gone to the trouble of preparing a formal address. It was a much smaller and more intimate group than I anticipated..mostly fellow ASD members and two or three visitors. Everyone else spoke off the cuff and I enjoyed every minute of it! But I did notice that having answered some common questions first generated a lot of questions afterward...probably more than I would have gotten otherwise. It also inspired me to adopt Janet's split palette; cool and warm versions of each primary. I walked away feeling relieved. I was safe among friends who engaged without judgement and shared their own vulnerabilities and strengths.
Now I'd call that an evening well-spent!
