In the lively discussion sparked by my prior blog post/question, one of the responses reminded me that this is another meaty topic I’ve meant to blog about.
I firmly believe that one’s work should be, first and foremost, for one’s self - meaning that I, the artist, must be happy with the work, must see continual growth in what I’m doing, must take chances and experiment. If I were only painting for sale, I’d have settled in to mostly rendering drippy bears and foregone the journey I’m taking now. You can probably name artists who paint ‘for sale’ - who have found a formula and simply flog that repeatedly. Their work looks the same from year to year, and so does their subject matter.
That said…I’m not ‘pure’ enough to paint only for myself, pay no mind to sales, and keep painting even when pieces stack up in my studio, house, and basement forever. I personally need the feedback that comes with sales; when a gallery tells me a piece has sold, I get a fresh jolt of energy and am back in my studio with renewed enthusiasm. When things aren’t selling, I’m lower on energy, even a little depressed, and will busy myself with almost anything other than painting.
So…what about you?
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