Are you an artist who feels the need to make the leap and go pro? I get it! I was there about ten years ago, and I am happy to say that since then I have had four different galleries represent my work, was in a show curated by Judy Chicago, have had my work in multiple group shows, and have a page dedicated to me in the book Contemporary Art of the Southwest (2014). I also have collectors around the country, some of whom have multiple pieces of mine. My advice below comes from my experience as a professional artist, and I recommend that you seek out advice from several different professional artists before making the move.

An artist retreat is a multi-day art class that allows attendees to restart their creative process and dive deep into an art medium, style, and/or technique.  Art retreats are usually multi-day classes offered consecutively so that students have concentrated focus on the topic at hand. Huge leaps in progress can be made in retreats: some students who have never picked up a paintbrush will leave the workshop knowing intermediate skills and the confidence to create sophisticated work, others leave knowing how to refine their work and pursue gallery and art showings, while others leave refreshed with new techniques that inspire innovative pathways of working.  Therefore, an artist retreat is extremely effective for any level of artist, and will surely result in learning a lot of new techniques, skills, confidence, and a connection with other artists who share a passion of painting. 

Creating a sense of deep space in a painting is a great way to add sophistication and drama to your artwork. Regardlesss if you are a realistic or abstract painter, do portraits or landscapes, these general rules will help to create instant depth in your artworks.

First, we need to feel that we DESERVE the space to make art In addition, we need to feel worthy of taking up space on living room, gallery and museum walls, and worthy of taking up space in the world. So this idea of needing space is not just about the space in which art is made; it’s the space we allow ourselves to exist as people and artists. Giving ourselves space to make art is a gift, and one that I think is well worth giving.

Knowing when you a painting is done can be tricky, especially if you are doing abstract work. While painting a landscape from a reference image provides the artist with a roadmap, abstraction is open-ended and the end point is often a bit subjective. After painting for 28 years, 18 of which have been in abstraction, I have developed the ability to know when my work is finished, and it’s based on these principles below.