Articles
Jerry McLaughlin
Though he grew up poor in a part of rural southern Ohio that falls within the cultural swath known as Appalachia, Jerry McLaughlin was a precocious kid who learned to learned to read at the age of 18 months. A few years later, after his mother bought a set of the...
So You Want to Be in Pictures?
If you catch a set decorator's eye, it just might happen As readers know, I have developed a peculiar fascination with the art featured in shows on the big and small screens—who chooses this work? where do they find the art? what are the guiding factors behind the...
Peter Roux
Peter Roux believes an attraction to landscape, one of the principal motifs in his work, may stem from the many upheavals of his childhood. His father was a career marine and for the first 12 years of his life the family moved on average once a year. “I think I was...
The Second Annual Studio Pets Contest
I have to say—these were even better than last year, though when I asked for some relief from all the dogs and cats pouring in, a few members got a little smart-assed and sent vacuum cleaners and coils of clay. No matter. We now have a separate category for “Inanimate...
How to Be an Art Star
Some cynical, perplexed, and possibly spot-on observations “Art star.” It’s a deplorable term, I know, but it’s out there as a label to describe those who have achieved a shining spot in the galaxy, commanding huge sums at auction, getting the nod from major critics,...
Jodi Colella
Though she is often categorized as a fiber artist, Jodi Colella works with all manner of materials that extend the boundaries of what we think of as sculpture. These have included aluminum screening, found driftwood and gnarly twigs, plastic sleeves for newspapers,...
Andrew Lyght
Though it may not be immediately apparent in his elegant abstractions in many different mediums, Andrew Lyght’s works are infused with memories of his boyhood in Guyana, a small multicultural country on South America’s northern coast. The only child of a single mother...
Selling on Instagram
Eight Tips to Sharpen Your Marketing Skills A few years back, a report in the online edition of Vogue predicted that “Instagram’s arguably positive democratization of high art will see the end of many an art dealer’s career.” Well, I very much doubt that because...
Mokha Laget
What Mokha Laget recalls best about her childhood in Algeria—and what has stayed with her throughout her career as an artist—is the quality of the light in North Africa. The daughter of a French diplomat, she spent the first six years of her life in the former colony...
Signs of the Times: Part Two
More reactions to the ugly zeitgeist We’ve now had a full year to take stock of the current administration in Washington and, as Melissa Stern points out, “Every day brings a new outrage, a new affront to common decency, an erosion of our democracy.” Some artists see...
Signs of the Times
Vasari21 members weigh in on a depressing political climate Artists have always responded to the temper of their times. War and catastrophe, social inequities and racial injustice, corrupt politicians and noble heroes often bring out the best in artists—think of...
Lee Albert Hill
Lee Albert Hill grew up in Midland, TX, at a time of huge changes to the landscape and the economy as oil and gas discoveries transformed the small city in West Texas into a booming oil patch. His father, a geophysicist, was “out on the land a lot,” says Hill, who...
Destructive Impulses
Even the most famous artists torch, shred, and otherwise annihilate works that don't seem up to snuff In 1967, Agnes Martin began seeking out her earlier works with the intention of destroying everything she could find. That was about ten years after she had decided...
Artist’s Block and How To Beat It
Feeling stymied? In a slump? Disconnected from your work? You’re not alone. We’re all familiar with writer’s block from the many cinematic clichés. The author sits at his typewriter or word processor, smoking and drinking and muttering profanities. The author fills a...
Tracy Linder
It’s hard to imagine an artist more authentically “Western” than Tracy Linder. She grew up on a family farm not far from where she lives now in Billings, Montana. As a girl, she participated in all aspects of life lived close to the land—harvesting, irrigating, and...
Start Connecting with Like Minded Artists
Art isn't easy. Going it alone doesn't make it any easier. Join a growing community of artists and get an insider's perspective on the professional art world today.