Do not call yourself an artist (painter or sculptor or potter ect.) until you actually produce art

As a gallery owner, I had a hard time finding artists that actually produced anything. SOOOOoooo many people claim to be artists, but they have no art to show you, or just a few sketches. Making Marks is just making marks…..

As a practicing artist, I do paint loads and loads. Why call yourself an artist if you dont make art? I know there are loads of people who claim to be writers, but dont have anything on a page or even in their computers. It is even worse with so many that claim to be visual artists.

I don’t know another field that is full of so many posers. Why is that? I don’t know any farmers that dont farm, mechanics that dont get their hands greasy and skinned, I dont know any tile setters that dont set tile……….you get the idea. But artists can be found under every rock and bush if you just take people at their word that they are “artists”.Perhaps they subscribe to the idea that art is just a process, and not a product. Of course I like to sketch and pitch but I actually stopped doing much of that back in graduate school when me dad was paying for art supplies. Now when I set up a canvas, I do not call it finished until I have made a painting that is the best I can do with the best of my ability. Art supplies are to expensive (even tho I recycle canvas from Goodwill frequently) and my time is too important to me. I am getting older every minute and I dont have time to spend on practice anymore, I paint in earnest every time I walk up to the canvas.

I have to admit, I am jealous of those artists who have a real studio, separate from thier home, however I get more done having my studio right in my living room since I am home and not spending gas to drive to a studio, or spending money on heating another space. I guess my ideal studio would be a huge room with enormous wall space, with my bed, tv, couch and desk all together. Like a big warehouse type space. But alas, just work in my home where I can keep warm on the cheap and watch tv while I walk back and forth to my canvas. I will include a pic of my home studio and stop complaining…..lots of artists work in dank basements, thats the way I had to do it for alot of years!