I posted on LinkedIn recently about my participation in an upcoming group art show, and was pleased to hear from an old friend who’s also interested in building a professional practice as an abstract artist.
I shared my experiences with her in an email, and thought others might be interested as well. Here’s what I told her.
how I learned
I didn’t undertake any formal studies in art, although recently I finished some photography coursework so that I could learn to take better shots of my paintings for printing and promotion. That led to an experimental project where I paired my abstract paintings with semi-abstract photos from a ski day. The first work I have in a show is one of these pairings.
I have thought of doing an associate’s of fine arts not because I think I need it for my art practice but because it would be fun, and would give me a more thorough grounding in technique and art history. I may continue taking photography courses as well.
I’ve been painting for more than ten years. I started by getting acrylic painting books and following the tutorials. Later I did online tutorials from abstract artists I admired; my favorite two are KR Moehr and Adele Sypesteyn. I did an in-person retreat with Adele–that was fantastic!
working in series using repetition
The biggest breakthrough I had was last summer when I decided to use a repetitive set of steps for a series of paintings, based on an idea I read in Shaun McNiff’s book Trust the Process: An Artist’s Guide to Letting Go. I took one of my favorite paintings and I defined a set of steps I would use to produce similar paintings. That led to the ski series of paintings which felt, for the first time, like I was producing work from my own artistic point-of-view.
working locally
At the end of last year I decided to start working locally rather than putting all my eggs in the online basket. I applied for a few local juried shows, and now have artworks in five upcoming group exhibits. I’ve gotten involved with two local art groups as well, the Women’s Caucus for Art Colorado Chapter and a local group called the Heritage Fine Arts Guild. I’m finding it energizing and inspiring to engage locally.
helpful books
My favorite books supporting my art journey are McNiff’s Trust the Process, Steven Pressfield’s War of Art and Turning Pro, and Lisa Congdon’s Art Inc. I also own a lot of abstract art books that I get ideas from sometimes. I used to copy works I saw in them and that helped me develop skills but now I’ve gotten to the point that my paintings arise from my own personal point-of-view and my unique way of painting.
finding confidence to promote my work
I didn’t feel confident in promoting my work until recently. Now I don’t hesitate to put price tags on it and push it. I’m sure it will never reproduce my income as a data scientist but if it can pay for itself or even just sustain me emotionally, that’s good enough for me! And I imagine I can branch out and do tutorials online or workshops in person or who knows what.
interested in hearing more about my journey?
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