Question for my fellow Artists...

OK.  Looking over my recent posts, you can see at least three recent paintings in progress, with no images of finished paintings posted.  (There are actually four in-progress paintings in my studio at the moment, and I'm considering starting a couple more...)



So, the question is this:




Q: How many art projects do you work on at one time?  Do you start one, then focus like a laser 'til it's done?  Or, are you more like me, with several pieces in the works at any given time?




(There's no right or wrong answer, I'm just curious.)


Thanks!

Another new painting!

I started another new painting yesterday.  Another "small spider". This was begun in (airbrushed) acrylics, then the bankground was started in oils.

I had wanted to work on one of the larger paintings--"Presentation" or "The Golden Thread"--but decided I needed something smaller to work on, too.  I did work on "Presentation" last week, and plan to make real progress on it over the next week.  (I'm also working on a couple of figure drawings--one new, one old--that I think show real potential.)

I'm feeling I much better about my studio discipline this year, and I intend to do even better.  I've been getting into the studio more often, and being more productive when I'm in here, too.

So, it looks like I'm on schedule of achieving my goal of completing several new artworks this year!

Here's the latest, in progress, no-title-yet, 6x10 inches, acrylics (oils were added after this pic was taken), on GessoBord.  (The top photo shows the first completed airbrushed section; the second is the original sketch, and the bottom image is the airbrushing-in-progress, with the frisket in place):

If you can't say something nice...

I've encountered quite a bit of negativity lately, directed against art, music, writing, etc.--that some creator (an artist, musician, or writer, etc.)--doesn't like. Generally, what the "critics" finds distasteful is what they see as a lack of quality in someone else's work--usually a high-profile someone, and/or someone who is considered "good" and/or "talented" by many people.

Now, there are overrated people out there!  There are people making good money who lack what many folks would consider to be "basic" skills; people who have built careers on work done by others (others who often are not being paid as much as the plagiarist); people whose primary talent is physical attractiveness, etc.

There have always been such people--and I think there probably always will be.

Personally, I would rather champion what I feel to be "quality" work: solid, well-made, innovative, creative, excellent, and/or top-notch art--than criticize junk for being (perhaps only in my opinion) junk. To me, it makes far more sense to showcase what I like, what I enjoy, and what I respect--and to explain why I value these works--than focus on why I may dislike certain other stuff.

I have occasionally been highly critical of others' work in the past, and it honestly did (usually me) more harm than good. In the recent examples of such criticism I've witnessed, it has also done little good for the folks I've seen doing the criticism.

I truly believe it is far better to promote what is good, than to continually bash what isn't.

I'm going to do my best to keep this blog focused on what works, what inspires, what I believe is "good", and ignore the stuff I don't like.  There isn't enough time to devote to all the amazing stuff being done today; it certainly isn't a good idea to wast time on what isn't worthy!

[A new (preliminary) drawing--very early stages--for a new painting.  Graphite on canvas, approx. 14x18 inches.]