I believe art is going down a similar path. The lure of shortcuts to painting success is to be found in most art magazines. DVDs promise to have you painting like a pro in no time at all. Professional secrets are revealed that will make you a better painter, or so it is implied. Workshops abound in which artists can rub shoulders with professionals and perhaps gain some of that magic dust that makes them paint so well.

I have done many painting demonstrations in which I have revealed all I know while I paint. My family have asked on occasions why I should divulge such things, because surely all these aspiring artists are going to paint like you. The fact is, there is no one that paints like me!
If artists thought for one minute that publishing a DVD would have thousands of people being able to paint like them, then production would grind to a trickle!

The one thing that every professional artist knows, is that they have attained to their own level of expertise through many, many hours with a brush. All they can provide for others are pointers in their own journey toward excellence.

The message is, is that we can gorge ourselves with every teaching aid possible and attend workshops all year round - but it is the time we spend with the brush that counts. The brain will digest the treasures of painting through trial and error of working with colour. It's a wonderful feast if we can accept the time it will take to digest.

Happy brush-time!

The more you paint, the more you make friends with certain colors. In the end they become as much a part of your signature as your name does in the bottom corner!

As I write I am thinking of several artists I know that have colors that make paintings their own. You are probably thinking of a few that you know as well as your own work in which color signatures are alive and well. Color becomes as much our style as our brush stokes are.

In a way the colors we become friends with become our own artistic gravity. They keep our feet on the ground while we venture to use new daring colors.

So, what do you use for sky blues for instance?

In real life the blues of the sky are many, depending on the time of day, year and position in the sky. There are a number of luscious blues that can be chosen for the task including cobalt, ultramarine or cerulean perhaps? What about Phthalo? Strong inky, stainy blue isnt it - but have you tried Phthalo blue red shade? It has become my favourite sky blue and is a good alrounder. Nice and deep when you want it to be and lightens up really nicely with white and red to get that atmospheric perspective close to the horizon. Not all brands make this color but I know Atelier do with their acrylics and Winsor & Newton do with their water-based oils.

Some colors are like condiments - you've just got to have them on the side of your palette in small amounts to flavor a painting. Phthalo green is one such color for me. An intensely strong color that is unmatched in my book for those green highlights in waves - mixed with white of course. And as for green traffic lights Pthalo Green is the best! Mixed with other colors like red to tone it down it produces lovely natural greens.

What are some of your colour gems?

Most of us seem to be time-poor these days and the "If I only had time" line is in frequent use and as artists we are no different. So many of us are NOT full-time artists and like me have to fit in art around a full-time job and other things in life like family, houses and more. So what can we do? Throw away our paints and say it's no use trying or try and fit in with time?

I believe there is such a thing as working 'with' time. There are occasions when time invites us to use it and we often don't take up the offer. In fact we may not even see the offer!

Too much time is almost as non-productive as not enough time. Things that can be done at any time usually get left till there is no time -- true? There is one thing that limited time can do for you that heaps of time can't and that is to focus. If we know we have only a couple of hours at the easel we aren't going to be caught polishing all our paint brush handles -- we are going to paint! In such cases of constraint our best work can be accomplished and our time is treasured. Having five uninterrupted days to do a half-day job can have us floundering to complete it. We tend to do everything else apart from what we should be doing.

What about working 'with' time? Occasionally and even on a daily basis, time offers us wonderful little opportunities to work with it. I call them captive moments -- periods of time in which not much else can be done apart from read, write and think.

When you travel by public transport for example, there is no escaping the time that you are on there. You can't wash the dishes, change the bedding or do something in the shed --you are being invited to use your head. Time has offered you a gem. These little snippets of time (which may take an hour or more a day!) are for you to use as you wish. As artists they are ideal times to be jotting down ideas, do scribbles of future works, write out notes for sales copy, design advertising leaflets, put down in writing how you would like to describe your work to others, read about other artists and techniques and most importantly, always have a notebook with you, no matter how small -- it is your time travelling companion.

So, don't get angry at having to wait over an hour at the doctor's or other appointments -- get a good hours worth of art thinking and reading done. By working with time you are an hour richer in your artistic pursuit and you'll whole lot happier inside!

I think I'd be safe in saying that most of us have said such a thing or at least thought it! I believe it's quite different to artist's block though. Artist's block can happen when you have plenty to do and lots of things you know you can paint - it could just be your mind and body saying you need a rest from it!

As for this business of not knowing what to paint though there is a simple answer, specially for those who paint representively. The answer is the camera. Gone are the days when it used to cost an arm and a leg and lots of bother to get some prints done. We never really knew how they would turn out either! Digital cameras now come cheap. Sure you can pay big dollars for one, but quite frankly it's overkill to be paying $500 for something you are only using for snapshots! Most little cameras now have good controls for exposure etc, but most times the auto setting is just fine.

The motto is - Don't go anywhere without your camera! I know the day I forget to take my camera to work is the day I wished I had it!

I paint mainly rainy-day street scenes and beaches. Of course there is an inherent suspision of people taking photos on a crowded beach these days but I usually take them in on quiet times of year when it is cooler and people are clad. Rainy days are a different matter. There's only one way to get good reference material for wet weather paintings and thats to get out there in the wet! It's great fun though even though I do get some strange looks from those battling the elements.

What I'm saying is, whatever your subject of interest is, take lots of photos of it, and that includes still life. When you tranfer them to your computer segregate the photos into folders - I confess this is a big failing of mine and it means I spend far to much time hunting down stuff!

I know a lot of artists have hangups about the camera and its use, rather than doing stuff on site. It's time to get real though. You ARE on site taking photos, it's your work. You've seen something of artistic merit and you have jotted it down on that little electronic thing called a camera. In the studio you will use those image/s to create the feeling you had when you were on site. The photo itself will be flat and moodless - that's where the artist takes over and makes the scene their own and add the mood and atmosphere. There are to many fleeting moments in the world to hope to get them down with plein air work - using a camera is not cheating, it's a tool and one that would have been used by artists centuries ago if they had access to it.

I actually have my laptop next to my easel when I paint. The image from a computer screen is the next best thing to doing it in real life. There is far more depth in it that a photo and it can be adjusted.

So, takes lots of photos and never be short of stuff to paint again and what's more you will know that the reference material is your very own.

I know this sounds like somewhat of a cliche, but staying true to yourself as far as your artwork is concerned is good for the soul and your work.

I know I'm not the only artist in the world to be downright annoyed at some of the aweful work that gets the nod at big-money events. I'm not just talking about the winning paintings, but stuff that gets into final 100 or so.

Recently, entries closed for this year's Waterhouse Prize in South Australia. A very big art event that is held every year at the museum. Every year amazing works are seen at this exhibition, but there is always the shocker. The work that no one can understand the reasons why it made the cut. Last year was no exception! Have a look at the link here http://www.thewaterhouse.com.au/page/default.asp?site=1&page=cat1_final&year=2008 and look at some of the amazing paintings on show. For the point of this blog piece though, scroll down to the plain light blue panel. Yes, it took two artists to paint a plain blue canvas, and, it made it into the final few out of hundred of entries. Can you imagine the look of horror on artist's faces as they saw this work hanging there?

Some artists vowed to boycott the next show. Others suggested they paint a black canvas and call it 'night'. Some wrote letters to editors and others wrote articles in art society newsletters about it. As for me, I determined to paint something completey silly to see if I could get acceptance that way. And I did paint something that just wasn't me. An abstract moonlit night. It looked aweful and it didn't give me any sense of achievement. I knew I couldn't enter the painting in good faith.

The next evening I turned the work into a more traditional one and in my style. It's the painting shown at the begining of this blog. It still didn't make it into the show, but I was happy with the way it turned out and in the end I knew I had been true to myself and will be happy to show the work in my next show.

There are times when we just have to put the blinkers on and not be distracted by what seems to be the flavour of the month. Do what you do best - your own work! Painting for judges is a one-way ticket to disappointment.

We need to be comfortable with putting a signature to our paintings, after all, it is our seal of approval and we can't truly do that if we paint something we really dont like!

Happy painting!

Painting in front of others is a problem for most of us, particularly early on in our painting life. I just know as you read this you have a story to tell on this point! Some cannot even paint in front of family members let alone strangers, but there are benefits in being able to do so.

I remember the first time I was determined to do it during a craft sale at a low-key country show. I had my easel all ready to go and paints were packed in anticipation, but when the time came I just coudn't do it! The spell was broken a few years later when I had my own little stall at on outdoor art day in a city square. It was a quiet affair but there was hardly a minute when someone wasnt watching me work - it completely cured me of being afraid to paint to an audience, as casual as it was.

Generally speaking, people enjoy watching artists at work, despite the artist's own perception of how well they can or can't paint. I really enjoy watching other artists paint, as do most other artists. It's what we do and we like watching others do it to - it's just how we are.

So, what are the benefits of plunging into public painting?

Firstly, it's a great confidence booster. It was for me anyway. I tended to fiddle around less and just get on with it. But, there are more benefits than this.

Being able to paint in front of others will release you into the world of outdoor painting without any fear attached to it! People may come over to see what you are doing and perhaps even engage in conversation. It will be something you may learn to enjoy as part of working outdoors and it will all add to 'getting your name out there' if that is what you desire.

Volunteering to do demonstration paintings at art shows for instance is a great way to promote your work. You get to meet art buyers and you will also network with other artists to, who will really wish they were there painting with you! Art Show organisers tend to like that too, as it generates more interest in the show.

Why not try painting outdoors in a place that has trickle of on-lookers who may look in on you? It will most likely break the spell of fear and release you to another level of enjoying your art that you may not have imagined before.

Now - I know you have some interesting stories to tell on this point!

Painting lots of small works (as suggested in a previous blog) is one thing, but doing something with them is a different matter.

The small-works or daily-painting blog has become quite a movement among representational artist worldwide and has become a useful tool on a number of levels.

Many artists have striven to paint works on a daily or near-daily basis and this has proved invaluable to the artist's own growth in skill. More than this, it has extended their network of known artists, increased exposure worldwide and has also provided a steady stream of income from sales.

There is no reason why you can't set up such a blog on your Artid blogsite or, you can go for the bells and whistles of blogspot.com. Here you can add all kinds of useful tool for both the artist and the viewer, but make sure you link back to your gallery and blog at artid! Blogspot presents very professionally, especially in the area of uploaded photos.

Your introduction into the world of the small-works blog can be served no better than visiting these few blogs http://miniaturemasterpieces.blogspot.com/ http://jthalassoudis.blogspot.com/
http://dianne-gall.blogspot.com/
http://myartspage.blogspot.com/
http://bretthayesart.blogspot.com/
http://smallartworks.blogspot.com/
http://www.dailyartwest.com/
http://artofbarr.blogspot.com/

Also look at the list of daily painters at http://www.dailypaintersguild.com/dailypainterslist.html the list is imposing.

Once you have set up your blog make sure you visit other blogs too and make links on your blog to those that you like. Make comments on the blogs you like and hope for reciprocal links. Be careful in asking for reciprocal links though, as the person you are asking may not fancy what you paint, and that will make for an awkward situation. If a fellow artist has left a positive comment on your work, then you can feel pretty confident in asking for link!

You will see that most painters also have their work for sale. Some of them sell just about everything, but dont think that success in that area is automatic; you have to build up a following.

Sales are done through links to eBay and directly through a Paypal buy-now button that takes a bit of working out, but worth it in the long run and saves going through eBay and having to pay final valuation fees.

There's only one way to get your small-works blog started and that's to just DO IT!

You'll love it.

The title of this blog may raise a few incredulous eyebrows, but seriously, there is no better way to improve your painting skills than spending more time with the brush.

For those of us who are happy with where we are in our painting skills this is not for you, but for those who would like to improve and do so in a measurable way - read on.

So, what does more brush-hours really mean?

What it doesn't mean, is spending inordinate amounts of time on 'one' painting. I recently met a painting aquaintance who told me that he had already spent 100 hours on a commissioned painting for a freind. I confess to being quietly horrified by such tales and think what could be achieved in that time.

How about 100 or more paintings in 100 hours!

Does that sound totally unrealistic to you or have I got your attention?

Firstly, take off your serious-artist hat - this is going to be fun!

Next, don't imagine that any of the paintings that you are about to do will be 'keepers' - this will loosen you up straight away and you will find that many of the paintings 'will' turn out to be 'keepers'.

Stick to one subject matter and keep it simple. Repetition of the subject will have you improving. It will give you a confidence with the brush that will spill over into whatever else you paint.

Paint small, but big! That means paint on small canvasses but use a bigger brush than you would normally use. Paint on 10×8 or smaller. Use a minimum 1/2 flat brush (for oils and acrylics) to do the whole work - if you do want to use a small brush, do so for 'one minute only', right at the end of your allotted hour.

Avoid using a pencil to draw any outlines before you paint! Use a brush to draw with. This will stop you from getting bogged down in needless detail and have you looking at the larger shapes. Apart from that, it's a wonderful feeling to draw with a brush - it will make you feel like an artist!

Your hour time limit is a maximum, aim to finish early and even go for two paintings in an hour. Have four or five canvasses or boards ready to go in any one sesssion.

This is no doubt not how you would normally paint, but try it, it's a joyous experience and one well worth trying before embarking on a full-days painting of a larger work.

So, what do you do with all these little paintings you produce? The world is your oyster! Sell them on eBay, give them away as gifts, frame them and put them in shows or even have an exhibition of small works.

How do I know all this will work?

Well, it worked for me by producing hundreds of little beachscapes that sold on eBay. After years of dabbling a few times a year, the many small works for eBay set me on the course I am on now.

The painting at the head of this blog is one of hundreds that I have done of similar subjects. It's a half-hour painting done as a demonstration at an art show, but totally saleable.

Next time - setting up a 'small works' blog.

Happy brushing!

Are you like me and wonder what it would be like to have a palacious studio? You know, like some of those you see in art magazines that so often look so clean and tidy with places for everything and even a space to paint!

I'm quite sure there are many of us that would be quite happy with a little space we can call our own without having to set up everytime we want to create! Setting up each time or even the thought of having to do so can stifle the most artistic spirit!

For many years I had to set up on dining tables, the lounge room, spare room (that became more a spare room than a studio) and a long stint on the back porch that I shared with the dog and its errant hairs. The back porch was open to the elements too, including the burning heat of summer and the cold nights of winter. Many nights were spent under the verandah flouro light with several layers of clothes on that made me look like the Michelin Man!

I'm quite sure many of us have good 'studio' stories to tell!

I now work in a semi-converted tool shed about 4×2 meters. I put second-hand carpet on the floor and lined the walls with mdf board with insulation behind it. It looked roomy to start with, but as you can see now, its full and messy! !IMAGE468!

Does the quality of our studio really affect the quality of our work? As far as space is concerned, who wouldn't want lots of storage for paints, canvas and equipment, but I think the space we work in has limited effect on how good we can become as artists. Other factors will affect that more. There is no substitute for 'brush hours' - none at all, but that is the subject of my next blog post.

When it comes down to it, the little bit of space we have in front of the easel becomes our little world for a while, whether we are in the middle of a roomy organised studio or the kitchen table. The painting that became my first major sale was done in a spare room in which there was no 'spare room'! My first exhibition pieces were painted on the back porch, where I battled wind and dog hairs, some of which became permanent parts of the works!

In short, don't let your space, or lack of it get you down. Sure, aspire to having your very own 'studio' and work towards it, but don't let it stop you from doing your best work. If you can only work from the kitchen table or corner of the room with no immediate prospects of a bigger space, let it be your badge of honour!

I don't know about you, but I have often looked at a painting and wondered who the artist was. I wished to know, but the signature in the bottom corner just didn't tell me. Perhaps it was signed in initials or a monogram or perhaps some artistic flourish that looked great but was unreadable!

Unless we want to remain anonymous, a legible signature is worth its weight in gold - and this is why. You never know where your paintings are going to be seen and admired and someone may just want some of your work after seeing an example of it. A signature that is readable is the first step in someone following you up and finding you.

For example the Lord Mayor of Adelaide bought one of my works last year at a solo show at Greenhill Galleries and it now hangs on one of his walls. In a way, it is a permanent exhibition of my work -- even if it is only one painting! The Lord Mayor's circle of friends and colleagues get to see the painting and they also get to see my name in the corner, simply because it is readable. If I had just initialed the work or had a signature that was fancy but unreadable, they may have admired the work but not known who the artist was.

So, a visitor of the Lord Mayor has seen the work, noted my name, and, in this wonderful world of the world wide web, they have gone home and googled me! They find my website easily and read all about me. They see where I am exhibiting and look at more of my paintings on my gallery page. They email me with more questions and ask where they can see paintings now. I give them the information they want and I ask if I can put them on my contact list. It has happened. A big thank you to my signature!

Even in a mixed exhibition a good signature plays a part. I have often heard "Ah, a Mike Barr" from onlookers who recognized the name without referring to the program. Not everyone reads the program!

Taking it even further, but not too much further as it will encroach on a future blog piece, why not donate a painting to the waiting room of a doctor. Make sure it's a doctor in an affluent suburb and make sure your signature is showing! You now have a permanent mini exhibition in a well-to-do suburb!

If you want to really develop some kind of reputation as an artist, it's a must to have such an identity as a signature and one that can be read, for the very reason outlined above. Your work may be seen in places were a catalogue is not available - your signature then becomes the catalogue. I may add too, that some of my paintings have appeared on the covers of catalogues, which is nice, but nicer that my brand name (signature) is there too. And talking about catalogues; make sure that if your name does appear in the catalogue, that it is the same as your signature. I still do battle at times to make sure I am 'Mike Barr' in the catalogue and not 'Michael Barr'. Sure, that it is my name, but not the name I am known by in the art world or the way I sign my paintings.

As far as I can remember I had just signed as 'BARR' for many years, then realized that there were more BARR artists in the world than just me! It was an article in the Australian Artist magazine by Greame Smith (www.myartcareer.com) that prompted me to think about a more meaningful way to sign my work. I came across that old magazine the other day and saw that I had practiced a new signature on the pages of the magazine itself! After that I practiced with a brush on scrap paper till I have what I use now. www.theartofbarr.com

If you do happen to develop a new signature, regard it also as a logo. Put it on your business card, advertising material and website. It will become as recognizable as your work, it will become your very own brand name. Have a look at www.artistssignatures.com it's a pay site but you can look at their list of 'illegibles' for free. http://www.artarchiv.net/doku/artistsignatures.htm is worth a look too, particularly at the old masters signatures.

A signature can be artistic, but doesnt have to be. Mine is brushy without being over the top and something that can be replicated easily. There are some wonderful artists with very ordinary signatures -- but most can be read! If you want to develop a signature that looks ok and that you can repeat without too much effort, do a hundred of them on a sheet of newspaper and use a brush of course. Find something that you are happy with and stick to it for ever. There is no real advice I can give other than make it something you can repeat and of course make it legible -- that also means don't make it too small.

When you go to your next mixed exhibition take note of all the signatures this time -- give them a score out of 10!

How do you think your signature rates at the moment?