What Should I Paint?
"From a Window" 3.5'x4" Acrylic
There is a question that haunts every artist I know:
"What should I paint?"
The answer is easy, you say. Paint what you want. Paint from your heart. Or, paint more of whatever you sell the most of. Try to balance the two. That makes perfect sense, right?
"Okay," I answer. I just spent lots of years painting commissions of faces, pets, houses and vacation spots. I think I will paint still life paintings.
"Ahhh," you say. "That's great, and I'll buy it, but does it really express what you want to put out in the world? Is ti the essence of what your life in the arts is really all about? You have a platform here. Use it wisely!"
"Oh!" I blush, and yell "I GET IT NOW! I CAN PAINT WHAT I WANT!!!!"
"Knowledge, Luck and a Prayer" 6"x4" acrylic
"That's pretty," you say, scratching your head. "But I don't understand it. If I'm going to buy it, I have to think about it for a bit, and I'm not sure if I feel like thinking today. But, if it makes YOU happy, that's good, right?"
"Dang!" I say. "I was really hoping to paint something from my heart that you'd jump on and buy right away. I thought that making you think might be a good thing. What is something you like to buy right when you see it?"
"Hmmmm...." you ponder. "I like flowers. I buy a lot of flowers. And raccoons. You got any raccoons?"
My shoulders slump and I mutter. "I don't want to paint any more flipping raccoons. You can't make me paint raccoons."
"How's this?" I ask.
"Very nice!" you reply.
"Are you going to buy it?" I ask.
"I'll think about it." you say.
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