The Biggest Fear for all Artists

The biggest fear for all artists, no matter the age or how successful the artist is. . . STARTING A NEW PIECE! Yes, it doesn’t matter how big or small. It doesn’t matter how important or what gallery or commission it for. I have been doing this professionally for fifty years and as a student for another ten years. So, for 60 years, it is still the single most difficult thing I do as an artist! The good news is does get easier. It certainly helps if you have a plan and a good concept and direction. It also helps to work in a series, but even with all that preparation, it remains HARD! I have found that the preparation of my media and substrate help. I am a painter, so preparing the stretcher frame and stretching the canvas then gessoing the canvas helps, but it doesn’t get me over the hump. I think in a similar fashion doing studies and preliminary drawings and sketches also help. The truth is all of those things are to some degree my way of procrastination! So the secret and the answer to this HUGE problem is very simple. I am about to reveal the secret to ART. . . and you know Nike said it a long time ago. JUST DO IT!

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