Joel F Ellis Art Web Log: Painters Paint!

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Painters Paint!

(Photos of Joel Ellis Art in this blog are taken from the exhibit at Gallery 194, Lapeer)

Planning for a new art show has lots of tricky steps to consider in a timely manner. The outcome of all the steps must match the opening and reception date. At this writing the show at Gallery 194 of the Lapeer Center for the Arts, has been up all of January, a sweet reception completed giving us time for a refreshing break from the frenzied pace, a pause to reflect on the activities that did come together.

Joy of Summer, 36x36

In these quiet moments we have taken time to refine various tasks to create a successful art presentation. Generally we have one big show a year or two medium shows of approximately the same size – 30 to 50 paintings in all. Other showings are not featured artist but rather smaller venues shared with other artists at one to three paintings each.

After a big exhibit (60 paintings!) like Gallery 194, when all the goals have been met, we wonder . . . what next? Well, we dig into a major art inventory process, and take time to visit family and friends, watch the Super Bowl until, now, we have one week before the exciting Gallery 194 Lapeer show must come down, (show ends Saturday, February 10!).

The art studio has been surpassed by the above activities, so like many artists in many mediums, we all have our own methods to reboot, kick start, get back to business, whatever.

For me it’s clean the studio, a dreaded process. So instead, I read a few old art magazines, favorites saved for the restart process. That was futile. Went back and read a few past blogs. A little help.

Then I got the big guns out – Art and Fear – began looking through for a trigger that would get me going . For good measure, I also pulled out Hawthorne on Painting, an artist/teacher giving critiques on his art students’ work.

The groove is back. Worked on two paintings yesterday and it feels good. As the saying goes. Painters paint!