Art Blog - Dai Wynn

Please treat this 'blog as an open thought bubble. I am trying to decide what I should paint next. It will be an attractive landscape, and I would like to think I could sell it, but I have to admit a degree of uncertainly in the face of adverse traffic statistics (see my comments on today's ArtId 'blog http://bit.ly/5Hnc7n). I am an Australian and I imagine most readers (if any) will be North Americans. While you shiver under inches of snow, we are enduring 43.6 degrees Celsius (somewhere north of 108F) and catastrophic bush(wild)fire conditions. Water is a constant worry in the world's driest continent. A landscape depicting a red ochre, rock strewn, sparsely populated, open space is attractive to an Australian art lover… Continue reading… 0 comments

Readers are advised that this 'blog may contain some light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek comment. I don't suppose that many ArtId members lie awake at night worrying about multiple copies of their artworks circulating in the art world, destroying value and confusing would be buyers. Admittedly, it has crossed my mind several times when exhibiting in Shanghai, China that the world of "knock-offs" (dǎ zh_ = forgery) is extremely pervasive. The Chinese are acutely aware that brand-name goods are produced in their own back-yard, and the difference between a cheap Louis-Vuitton item and its expensive cousin may simply be a silk-lining, and better stitching on a parallel assembly line in the same factory… Continue reading… 0 comments

I recently wrote an article about "Discerning Buyers of Art", and another entitled "What is Art?" The former asserts the general public's taste in art, where a purchase is involved, is of a higher standard than might be construed by a casual viewer of the walls of their dwellings. The latter questions the validity of "art" mass-produced in the factory "studios" of Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and their ilk. An article yesterday in the Arts section of our local newspaper (The Age, Melbourne January 1-2, 2010) stated that "Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, stars of the art boom, were deposed as auction bestsellers in 2009 as prices for some of their works fell 50 per cent"… Continue reading… 0 comments

"If you love me, let me know". I'm sure that those are words of a love song, or more likely, a thousand love songs. You know exactly how a sincere comment about your artwork makes your day. It boosts your confidence and gives you the strength to keep going. A positive comment, particularly one which is relevant to the artwork and in the correct context, will work wonders on the psychological, and possibly the physiological, wellbeing of the receiver. Within your social milieu, you understand the effect of positive comment on your relationships with family and friends. You do it with acquaintances, fellow workers, colleagues and buskers on the sidewalk and footpath. Making people you meet feel good about themselves has the same effect on you too… Continue reading… 3 comments

Art is everywhere. Art adorns the walls of most people's houses and apartments. Art hangs from the wall of every hotel room and many offices. What a huge and burgeoning market to be involved in! So, why is it that original, high-quality art from the easels of ArtId members is not exactly rushing out of the studio door by the truckload? Why aren't we all about to quit our day jobs for a life at the easel? The point I am going to make is that, when money is involved, the decision-making process ramps up several notches almost immediately. The average man/woman in the street is actually quite discerning when money and art are about to change hands… Continue reading… 2 comments

Along with comments on Mary Lawler's recent 'blog "Your art isn't selling? Gee, I wonder why?", I have been running an email tag with an online marketing expert in Melbourne. The gist of the joust is that website visitors are not necessarily buyers. Sage men and women have written tomes about the myriad means for herding the world's Internet surfers towards your website. Lots of people make a comfortable living consulting on the best way to convince Google that you are flavour of the month. However, I lie awake wondering how to convert these metaphorical door-knockers into buyers of my artworks. Of course, all things being equal -- which they never are -- my website content should be of international standard, if not superior… Continue reading… 0 comments

I have a mouse-mat from Artnet.com which reminds me that "Art is Everywhere". That simple phrase -- actually it's a clause containing a verb -- suggests that art isn't confined to the walls of galleries, on lawns of sculpture parks, in artists' studios or on the walls of rich peoples' houses. It's everywhere. It's in the eye of the beholder. It's what an artist wants you to see. It's often overlooked by those who are not appropriately attuned, and it may be so humble that it blends into the everyday tedium. Does the fact that "Art is Everywhere" imply that "Artists are Everywhere" or that everyone is an artist? I am a keen follower of the British "artist" Damien Hirst who is well-known for his sharks-in-vitrine and diamond encrusted human skull, among other bizarre creations… Continue reading… 4 comments

When I say "signature styles", I am referring to the overall style of an artwork -- not the specific calligraphy of the artist's signature. In this morning's business section of our local newspaper is an advertisement for a Melbourne suburban gallery run by a group of wealthy businessmen. The subject of the advertisement is a painting by Australian artist Tim Storrier and the price tag is $160,000. (Nice work if you can get it!) Tim's work is instantly recognisable because he has developed a "style" which distinguishes many of his recent paintings. At this point in my 'blog, I will apologise for speaking in generalities and from a relatively uninformed position where Tim's artistic career is concerned… Continue reading… 1 comment

While self-deprecating friends and acquaintances would have me believe that they possess not a skerrick of drawing skills, there seems to be an almost universal recognition of the techniques of "name" artists. The term "loose" comes to mind immediately. This is a word beloved of gallery directors, art lovers and aspiring artists. Loose painting could refer to a continuum of styles, from abstract to realism, but to my mind it draws a line between impression and photographic detail. The winner of the last two "People's Prizes" in the annual Australian Archibald Prize for portraiture has submitted stunning paintings of a photographic quality… Continue reading… 1 comment

There is a philosophy that one should paint what one enjoys most. While this might sound exceedingly indulgent, an artist probably does his best work doing what he prefers. I love painting small format landscapes in oils on canvas panel because they can be executed quickly and are therefore fresh and vital. Commercially, they offer a unique, hand-made objet d'art, of a manageable size, affordable and easily posted in a padded envelope anywhere in the world for a very small cost. But a landscape, even a very attractive one, is impersonal. Part of my indulgence is being lost in the picture I am painting, even if only for the two or three hours it takes to complete the work. Perhaps I choose the composition because it evokes a special memory for me… Continue reading… 2 comments

Those readers who have their own website may be familiar with Google Analytics. You embed a small amount of HTML code and JavaScript on each page of your site and whenever a visitor accesses the page, a packet of data is sent to Google for analysis and storage. Google Analytics then produces a comprehensive graphical report, including line graphs and pie charts of visitor activity over days, weeks, months and years. A map of the world is included showing the number of visitors from each city in each country… Continue reading… 0 comments

Many readers will be familiar with the Rorscharch Test in which the random shape of an ink blot on a folded sheet of paper is "interpreted" by a psychologist's patient. What a subject perceives in a random splodge may well be a factor in the determination of his/her mental health management for evermore. Scary, isn't it? Fellow artists, your activities and exposure on ArtId will make you famous, and when you are, be warned that there are hordes of psychology PhDs out there who will treat your artistic creations as ink blots in Rorscharch Tests… Continue reading… 0 comments

Obfuscate v, 1. vti to make something obscure or unclear, especially by making it unnecessarily uncomplicated; 2. vt to make something dark or hard to see (archaic); 3. vt to make somebody confused. I am wondering whether I should resort to obfuscation when describing my art in order to become famous? Clearly, painting pretty pictures which might blend with the wallpaper in somebody's sitting room is not going to get me into Sotheby's auction rooms. No, I need to develop a new way of speaking in the language of "obfuscation". Art curators speak the language fluently. So, do architects. And, I suspect, so do Martians, although I must admit I do not have first-hand evidence of the latter… Continue reading… 2 comments

Interestingly, while there are quite a few animal portraits featured on ArtId, portraits of people are quite uncommon. Why is this so? Is it because a portrait is only of interest to the sitter and her immediate circle of friends? Cannot a well-executed portrait stand alone as a fine example of composition, brushwork, colour harmony and depth? A few weeks ago, I travelled to Australia's capital Canberra to view the Edgar Degas exhibition at the National Gallery. As the exhibits evolved in chronological order, one could see recognisable portraits of captains of industry in earlier days and more abstract portraits of washerwomen, laundresses and ironing women in later years… Continue reading… 0 comments

"So you're an artist. Could you paint a portrait of my wife, who has a major birthday in two months?" A friend of mine, whom I had not seen for over a year, posed the question. He had suddenly had an epiphany over his cup of coffee. Here was the perfect personalised "life event" gift for the woman who has everything. From my perspective, here was an enormous challenge. An electrical engineering colleague and friend of many years has absolutely no qualms in assuming that if I say I can paint pictures, then I can paint a portrait of the love of his life. Now, at the risk of being repetitive, I am a thing-person rather than a people-person. Left-brained rather than right-brained. Portrait painting is a process like any other. Right? Er..... right… Continue reading… 1 comment

I really believe in the Internet as a channel to market for serious art. Alright, let's simply talk about selling ANY art. There was a story in the press about a week ago in which the colourful creations of a two year old child were offered, and accepted, as serious art by a well respected gallery. While this was not exactly a case of willful deception, the gallery director was not initially aware of the artist's age, let alone the "deep and meaningful message" underlying the serious artwork! What an all pervasive medium is the World Wide Web! Did you know that, as of the end of 2008, there were almost as many Internet users in China as there are people in America… Continue reading… 1 comment

It seems to me that despite the claim that a majority of artists are averse to unashamed self-aggrandisement, there is always great interest in the use of the Internet to promote one's works. The number of comments on Artid blogs supports this assertion. On my second exhibition in Shanghai, China last November I was able to engage a local (English-speaking) agent and to display eight paintings in a long-established private gallery. However, while I handed out 500 coloured brochures and 250 business cards at the Shanghai Art Fair, I am painfully aware that literature needs to be in Chinese to have any impact, whether in hard copy or on the Web. So I asked my web-savvy agent to design Chinese language web pages for uploading to my own server… Continue reading… 0 comments

I know I should be ashamed, but I would like to make my art into a commercial success. So the question is, "How do I paint what appeals to me and what might appeal to as large a group of potential customers as possible?" I could restate this question by asking, "Can I have fun and make money?" Many business improvement handbooks have explored this basic issue, "If you're not having fun or making a profit, why the heck are you in business?" In the last two weeks, there have been two major portrait prizes and a raft of landscape and watercolour prizes announced in Australia. I really have to admit that none moved me to tears or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling… Continue reading… 6 comments

I am intrigued by accounts of Damien Hirst's 'The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living', particularly the entry in Wikipedia. I refer to Betsy Davison's blog of February 19 which shows an image of young Damien in front of his white pointer shark in vitrine. (I am not sure whether this is the original shark from Port Lincoln, South Australia, the aforesaid's skin over fibreglass, or the matronly shark from Queensland purchased by Damien Hirst for Steven A. Cohen in the reincarnation of the piece). All of the above is filled with topics for forthcoming blogs. In 1991, Charles Saatchi offered to pay a very young Damien for anything he cared to create… Continue reading… 3 comments

How many artworks have I produced and when? Where are they now? What medium did I use for each and what were the dimensions? When I become famous, and one or more best-selling authors writes my illustrated biography, they will be pleasantly surprised to discover a catalogue of works -- not just sketches and doodles, but proper finished drawings and paintings. I was moved to construct the catalogue in a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet when I started my illustrated blog. I needed to link the name of a painting with its dimensions, media, date of completion and JPEG filename. Then I decided to record details of framing, names of shows where they had been exhibited (often more than once), dates when used in my blog, buyers names and current whereabouts… Continue reading… 1 comment