Artist amongst us?

[TRose]

Of course musicians are artists.
But a recent thread got me wondering. How many painters, sculptors, dancers, writers, poets,digital artists, etc. are amongst us?
Do you have a “day job” to support your art habit or are you able to make an adequate living making art?

I’ll go first.
I’m a painter. I work in oils in a traditional fashion. I can not support my family of four on my art alone. All the artists I know, even the most financially successful, have to at least teach workshops or classes( now virtual) inorder to make things work. Of course there are many artist who teach more formally in middle and high schools, and at the university. Not to mention those waiting tables,etc..

I’m aware that there are a few famously successful contemporary artists- think Banksy or Hirst, etc.- but that’s rare.

Any other artists out there in the AGF?

[FLRon]

Painting a picture has always been a dream of mine. I especially love nature scenes. Sadly, however, having a certain degree of color blindness has prevented me from even trying. I do love to explore others artwork however.

[Ozzy the dog]

Not sure I would refer to myself as an artist but I find it very satisfying making things of all shapes and sizes.

Wood, metal, glass, resin etc. If I (or friends and family) want something a bit different I'll have a go at creating it but I don't generally sell anything.

[srick]

TRose -

My mother was an artist in acrylic (paints)and did quite well for herself, having to actually file a Schedule C for several years. However, she was not supporting the family. This was a hobby and she probably spent as much as she made on supplies. But I have known many artists and crafts persons over the years and I have some ideas on how they did it.

Some were independently wealthy. They wouldn’t divulge it right away, but often a trust fund was involved.

They diversified. One sculptor I knew told me that she was clearing about $80,000 a year at craft shows! My jaw dropped, and then she explained:”I actually only sell about $6000 of that in my sculptures. The rest is Christmas ornaments.

They rarely tried to feed a family on their artists income. Some other source of income always was in the background.

They had a bread and butter goto. For the gal mentioned above, it was Christmas ornaments. I had suggested this to my Mom. She loved painting large format pictures of people in an expressionist style. She won many shows and awards. But what people really wanted at that time (in New England that is) were barns, seascapes and Thomas Kincaid! Well, she turned her nose up at that. But it’s amazing how much folks spent on Kincade “originals”.

One last tangent I have seen is what you mentioned. The side gigs. That is of course, teaching for you. But I know of two luthiers whose side gig is selling supplies to other luthiers. With both, the side gig has become the bread and butter part of the business.

There may come a time in your life (sometime in the future!!) where you can devote all of your time to your work. Good luck on the journey! Keep feeding the family first!

Best,

Rick

[Nimiety]

I am also trained as a visual artist. I wanted to major in painting, but ended up with a major in drawing. But for me, it's never made it past hobby status.

[Mr. Jelly]

I like to make sculptures.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by TRose

I’ll go first.
I’m a painter. I work in oils in a traditional fashion. I can not support my family of four on my art alone. All the artists I know, even the most financially successful, have to at least teach workshops or classes( now virtual) inorder to make things work. Of course there are many artist you teach more formally in middle and high schools, and at the university. Not to mention those waiting tables,etc..

Respect, and understanding.
Not an artist myself in that sense, but my younger brother is. Intricate pencil drawings and etchings are his favorite medium. He went to art school (RISD and NE college of Art), and has had some exhibitions, but was never able to make a living out of it. That's all that's ever interested him though, so he's had a tough life from that standpoint, but a fulfilling one nonetheless because he always stuck to it. That's how he finds the most joy in life through this day.
So, I have a lot admiration for artists, and always appreciated having a close sibling as one. They are great people to know and talk to.
Thanks for sharing your story. Stick with it TRose. Playing guitar must be a plus for you too.

[Fogducker]

Vincent Van Gogh NEVER sold a painting while he was alive. His brother, Theo, carried his load while Vincent was confined to institutions and complained to Vincent about all the supplies and paints he required---especially the reds,-- one had to mix your own back then.. Seems like Vincent could run off one painting a day and used heavy paint plus the canvases, frames, brushes and all the other stuff one needs. This information comes from lots of letters between the brothers. Back then, like today, the one thing you can't buy-----is talent!

Vince's stuff is selling okay now though!

Fog

[TRose]

Hey all,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. I’m sorry if I came off as a whiner. That wasn’t my intention. Let me be clear; I have unconditionally accepted my relative position as a fine artist to the same degree that I’ve accepted my position as a musician. Though I will never make a dime playing guitar, I will play guitar everyday for the rest of my life because I love it.
I paint because I love it. For many years my “side gig” was the practice of medicine. I painted as a hobbyist. I got sick and the treatment rendered me unable to practice medicine any longer so I approached painting in a more scheduled, daily manner. I consider myself very fortunate to not be in a position where I have to achieve financial success through my art or my family suffers. I do occasionally have commissions and sell paintings but I’ve come to realize very few people can pull off being a fine artist as their only means of income and have a “normal” life. Normal can be a point of discussion, of course.

FogD,
I’d love to have a trove of paintings stacked in my studio to be discovered upon my passing. Your comment made me think of Hilma af Klint. She isn’t well known but has a really interesting story. Some 1200 paintings were discovered upon her death.


This forum has many accomplished musicians. I suspect many of them have some other income source outside of performance and streaming downloads. I bet that those that don’t need an alternative revenue stream are the exception. That’s just the way it is.

A recent thread I’ve read reenforced this reality. I think if you truly love making art, or music,etc. you will wash dishes, wait tables, work an office job,etc. in order to be able to do it. To all those who don’t have to have a day job- Congratulations!
To all those of us who do- let’s stick with it!

[Glennwillow]

Rogerblair on the AGF is a professional fine artist. This is his website. Roger does beautiful work!

- Glenn

[TRose]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Rogerblair on the AGF is a professional fine artist. This is his website. Roger does beautiful work!



- Glenn

Yes he does! Great stuff.
Thanks for the heads up, Glenn.

[tigobah]

I'm a woodcarver and have been since 1979.It was never a way to make money but always a hobby. I work primarily with mallet and gouge and don't do knife work which is more whittling than woodcarving. Currently I'm working on a floral drop which is modeled after work done by 17th century English woodcarver Grinling Gibbons. All told it will take me about a year to complete.

[TRose]

Originally Posted by tigobah

I'm a woodcarver and have been since 1979.It was never a way to make money but always a hobby. I work primarily with mallet and gouge and don't do knife work which is more whittling than woodcarving. Currently I'm working on a floral drop which is modeled after work done by 17th century English woodcarver Grinling Gibbons. All told it will take me about a year to complete.

That’s really interesting.
I’d enjoy seeing your work. Anyway to post photos of it?
I have friends and acquaintances who are wood workers. Their turned bowls and urns are really beautiful. I know a few who also make pens and furniture. They have amazing stashes of wood which, as a guitar geek, is always fun to explore.

[Bikewer]

I got quite involved for a period of years. I had always engaged in drawing from childhood. I decided to study more seriously... How much can it cost, I wondered? Some paper, a few pencils....
Hehe... Down the slippery slope.

I’m one of those guys that likes to try everything, and I liked the mastery of the materials and the process almost as much as producing a drawing or painting.

I worked mostly with acrylics for painting, using them primarily as watercolor media. Even sold a few portraits. Got involved in small-scale sculpture with the polymer clays.... And also a fairly distinctive form of paper sculpture.

Unfortunately.... I found that like many hobby artists, I was spending way more on materials than I was ever making on the occasional sales, and my kind of figurative art was not in sync with the mostly-abstract stuff that was selling locally.
There’s a few examples of my paintings up on DeviantArt:

https://www.deviantart.com/bikewer

[Nimiety]

Slightly OT...but not quite...

One of my concerns has always been the disconnect between artistry and the commercial value (by that I mean making money from art) of that artistry.

On the one hand we tell everyone how important it is to explore their artistic nature, to nurture it and express it. We let talented individuals know how talented they are, etc. Lots of praise and accolades.

But then we don't want to pay for it.

Schools, home decorating shows, and DIY tutorials on YouTube aren't helping.

It was really brought home to me several years ago, when a friend of my husband's proudly showed off the artwork they had made and hung over their sofa in the living room. It was fine as far as decoration goes. So that's not the issue...but then he said something to the effect of "yeah! This is every bit as nice as anything we could buy and we made it for $20, didn't have to spend $2000! All that crap's such a rip-off."

So yes...from his POV, why pay a premium for something you can make yourself? Total disconnect as far as I'm concerned.