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Have you ever thought about the number of visitors, or lack thereof, that come directly to your art blog from the search engines? And if so, did you ever stop to consider the importance of those visitors for your art business?

When a person uses a search engine (like Google, or Bing) to look for a specific type of art, you WANT to be the artist they find. Even better, if they are able to discover your art blog within the first two pages of the search engines results, their guard will be down and they will be more inclined to buy.

Why is that? Because they found you naturally. . . without someone, or some type of advertisement, trying to push you on them. Of course, it could also simply be because they were in the mood to buy and they saw that you had exactly what they were looking for before the got to another artist’s website!

Below are 7 simple steps for getting the search engines to take notice of your art blog.

1. Stay on topic

The search engines like it when they can easily figure out what your blog is about, so stick to the topic at hand—your art.

Talk about why you create, where you create, and how you create. Talk about your clients and why they purchased your art. Talk about your sales venues: galleries, art fairs, online markets. And if you want to share something personal, find a way to relate it to your art business.

2. Create strong blog post titles

The title of your blog post is the first things visitors see when searching the web, so don’t focus on writing something cute or witty. Instead, create titles that are clear and concise and tell readers exactly what the post will be about about.

Remember to put keywords relating to your topic in the title of your post, too. . . those keywords will help search engines understand what the page is about, and improve the chances that people will see your blog post titles in the first place.

3. Write keyword optimized posts

Sticking to a single topic for each blog post makes it easier for the search engines to figure out what your post is about.

If you can be even more specific, and use a single keyword, or keyword phrase, multiple times in your title or text, you’ll have a much stronger chance of getting on the first page of the search engine results. The trick is to make your blog posts easily-readable for humans, too.

One popular rule of thumb is to use your keyword, or keyword phrase, at least once every 200 words. There are other considerations too, however. (Learn more about keyword targeting here.)

4. Optimize your video pages

Set up a channel on YouTube.com, then optimize that channel by writing text that talks about your art and links back to your art blog in the description area.

5. Optimize your social networks

It’s not enough to join social networks and forums, you need to tell the community where to find you (your website) and when you do, you also tell the search engines. . . thus giving your art blog a little more credibility.

6. Ping the search engines

Beyond writing search engine friendly content, it’s also a good idea to let the search engines know you exist. The more links you put online through guest posting, forum posts, and social media the better, but there’s another method, too:

You can sign up for a pinging service, a service that automatically notifies the search engines that you’ve written a new post. One such place is Ping-O-Matic. Another is Weblogs.com.

7. Submit your art blog to directories

Human edited directories, like Dmoz (at www.dmoz.org), may not bring your art blog a lot of visitors, but the search engines still love them. That’s because these kinds of directories are still curated by a real live person, who visits your website and makes sure your description of the site is accurate.

If everything checks out, they add your website to the right directory list, and this sends a clear signal that your art blog is on the up-and-up.

No matter what your goals are for your art blog, the simplest and easiest way to get more visitors is to learn a little bit about search engine optimization, and then apply that knowledge to your blog posts, your guest posts, and your social networks. You’ll be glad you did!

When Mark Blackbourn says his work is hard to categorize, he really means it. Although primarily an acrylic painter, he dabbles in four artistic styles and continually tries to break the trends he notices developing in his artwork.

“I’m influenced by the impressionist painters most and love the work of Paul Cezanne in particular,” Mark says. “I create detailed accurate portraits, but also messy abstractions. I’m hoping one day I can work out how to categorize myself because every time someone asks me ‘What do you paint?’ I fall apart in a mumbling mess.”

Weeping Jalaxism, below, is just one of Mark’s beautiful abstract paintings, featuring a fusion of vivid colors and watery shapes which bring to mind vibrant underwater coral teeming with life.

The visual appearance of bursting bubbles and flowing, iridescent paint seen throughout this painting were created in part by Mark’s unique medium—liquid detergent mixed with sunflower oil.

This next piece entitled South Downs Cows, is a bit more traditional, with a pastoral setting and several bovine subjects quietly grazing away the day.

Traditional though it may be, I love the atmosphere seen in the air—slightly hazy as the moisture and heat rise off the ground—as well as the dark silhouettes of the cows standing out stark and strong against the distant hills.

And even the green grass has personality, with multi-colored patches and hillocks dotting the foreground, just to make sure that your eyes are never bored.

Last but not least, take a look at this floral sculpture, one of Mark’s more “outside the box” projects.

Made of cardstock, acrylic paint, glue, and dirt, this bright orange flower feels both modern and classic, blending traditional colors with non-traditional materials. It’s a fitting companion piece to Mark’s intricately crafted corrugated cardboard seashell, which can be found here.

If you have a few minutes today, I highly recommend visiting Mark’s website to browse through the rest of his unique and incredibly diverse creations.

Changing the name you have used to promote and sell your art isn’t something to undertake lightly, but with a few key considerations, it can not only refresh your enthusiasm but open up potential new markets as well.

For 10 years I’d used a creative business name, which customers came to know, along with a vague idea of what I did. But by the time the web came along, opening up more opportunities to market myself, my business brand had become so obscure that even I wasn’t sure exactly what I offered—and if I didn’t know, there was little chance potential customers would know, either.

So, after weighing the pros and cons, I finally made the tough decision to change my business name, beginning with a great deal of reading and then even more time deliberating over my desk full of potential names and variations.

Much is available in the way of opinion and advice on the internet, but here are the items that I consider most pertinent from an artist/creator point of view:

1. If you’re leaning towards choosing your own name as your business name, make sure to consider the type of art you create, and how that could affect your family just by association. Consider your 17 year old, or your 5 year old—local galleries may well have an appreciation of your Reclining Nude In Shade, but do your daughter’s Facebook friends want to run into it on the web?

2. Is your art targeted towards a particular audience which may be more receptive to an artist of the same gender? The dreamy, English rose femininity of artist “Sara Moon” (who is, in reality, a male Persian artist named Bijan) is just one good example of gender-aware naming. In the literary world, “J K Rowling” is another example, where initials were apparently used so as to not deter boys who may have been less interested in a wizard book written by a female.

3. Would choosing a pseudonym, or a creative name, allow you greater artistic expression, allowing you to market yourself more freely without the constraints of personal judgement at work or in your current social circle?

Perhaps you are not ready for your co-workers to know that you paint. . . simply by using a pseudonym you would be able to keep total separation between your professional social media profiles and your personal ones.

4. Does your art require a certain image or coolness to attract a particular audience? Graffiti-style decal art will probably fare better with a slick “street” name than something more traditional like “Michael Jones Imagery.” Similarly, a business name like “Happening Portraits” would be a tough sell for high-end clientele, even if your surname IS actually “Happening.”

5. Are there any words you could place within your business name to help people instantly connect with what you do, and to maximise SEO? For example, I added “illustration” to my name despite having a lengthy surname and the word “illustration” being lengthy too. I felt “images” and “imagery” were perhaps more associated with photography; “art” seemed too fine-art based for a coloured pencilist; and shortening illustration to something like “illos” was a bit gimmicky for my taste.

If you’re stuck, open a thesaurus and you’ll find all manner of inspiration. Try to steer clear of gimmicks or current catchphrases—think in the long term and think how big your business could grow. You may be forever branded with something that seemed good at the time, so for the same reason don’t choose something that’s too “now.”

6. Does your art rely on a certain location, and can you use that to your advantage? If you are successful in painting local landscapes then you may want a locally related name. If you paint the grasslands of Africa, perhaps a better choice would be something more globally appealing.

For instance, I knew a non-UK art agent who adopted a more British-sounding company name to suit his stable of established, traditional British artists and their traditional and discerning clientele. (If i works why not, right?)

Personally, changing my own business name was a good decision, despite initial reservations which held me back for some time. Coming up with a newly-defined brand for my art business gave me a chance to strip down the various aspects of my services and redefine what I was offering. The name change also enabled me to adopt a specific tagline in order to connect with potential customers in new markets.

Obviously re-assessing and re-focusing your business offerings can be done without changing the name you operate under, and in many cases that is a better choice.

But if it comes time to change your name, the most important thing is to not rush in. . . carefully consider the points mentioned above, along with your own situation, and from that I’m confident that the right name will appear.

In today’s video, Gloria Page takes us through the (fairly simple) process of carving out your own art stamps. Here, she demonstrates how to make photo corner stamps. Take a look:

NOTE: You can get Gloria’s full-length art stamping DVD at Creative Catalyst.

Monday in Video Tutorials - Tomorrow, art stamping expert Gloria Page will demonstrate how to carve out your own “photo corner” stamps for use in collage, paper arts, scrapbooking and more.

Tuesday in General Art Advice - No matter how agonizing it is to re-brand (or rename) your art business, sometimes that’s the right choice to make. On Tuesday, Karen Middleton will share 6 important points to consider before making the switch.

Wednesday in Featured Artists - Hailing from Brighton, England, Mark Blackbourn does it all—portraits, landscapes, abstracts and photography. Check out a few of his paintings this Wednesday, send us your own artwork to be featured next time.

Thursday in Art Marketing Tips - Finish out the week with 7 tips from Alyice Edrich on how to get your blog noticed by search engines. If you’re struggling to get visitors to your blog, this article is a great place to start.

Last week’s articles on EmptyEasel:

9 Small Adjustments for Better Paintings

5 Reasons Why 2012 is the Year to Put your Art Online

Lynne French: Ethereal Tissue and Watercolor Paintings

An Interview With Chris Scheidler Pagano

What’s Wrong with this Picture? Learning the Value of a Good Critique

Is there something you’d like to share on EE? Send it in!

EmptyEasel is proud to publish reader-submitted articles nearly every week. Please submit your own article here or learn why you might want to.

Being an artist can be tough, because everybody has an opinion about your work. Even art school can be cruel. You have to develop a tough skin if you want to be an artist!

That being said, there is an important distinction between a valuable piece of criticism and an opinion.

What is that distinction? Mainly, the person who makes the comment. If you value that person, then their comment means something more to you. If you don’t, then it probably won’t hurt as much, and their critique becomes just an opinion.

The bottom line is there are really no hard and fast rules in art by which we can measure its worth. Art is personal and subjective. And everyone has an opinion.

Because of that, I think it’s very valuable to surround yourself with people whose opinions and critiques are constructive and delivered in the right way.

I have friends whom I respect as artists who have credibility with me because I know their work and trust their eye. These artists have raised my art to a higher level. They give their opinion only when asked. And we support one another and have a safe place to do what we do, without judgement.

Yet even if you have that great support group, there will always be self-appointed critics who feel the need to let you know what you lack. I am always amazed when fellow artists or others give me unsolicited advice or criticism. (If you’re one who does that, you had better be Picasso yourself or you are only making enemies, in my opinion.)

My point is, it really doesn’t matter if the advice, criticism, opinion or whatever you call it is legitimate. . . it only really matters if it is from someone you respect. Someone you want to learn from.

Artists are often labeled as sensitive people. But the truth is, when you put your art out there you are essentially asking the world to look at what you do and to judge it. And that takes guts.

I don’t paint to put my paintings in a drawer. It would sound very mature and “together” of me to say that no matter what, other people’s opinions of my work do not bother me. But that wouldn’t be the truth and I don’t really believe artists who say that myself. We put ourselves out there, every time we show our work.

My paintings all carry a part of me, so the things people say about them FEEL like personal comments. If they love my art, I’m happy. If they hate my art, I have to decide if I value their assessment. If I do, my ego could easily be bruised.

But what I’ve learned from entering many juried shows, from being in critique groups, and from my art classes is that these situations can lend objectivity to my work and teach me valuable things. . . and ultimately, I need to use those situations to find other people who can reliably help me and keep growing as an artist.

If you find that criticism bothers you, and it’s to the point where it is keeping you from showing yoru art, maybe it’s time for a perspective change. Realize that if your paintings have no flaws, then you have nowhere to go. Embrace opinions. Look for people you trust to critique your work, and try to shrug off everything else.

Critiques will always happen. That’s a fact. But it’s how you deal with them that shapes you as an artist.

Read more articles from Michelle at michellemorrisart.blogspot.com.

As a child, Chris Scheidler Pagano loved to draw get-well cards for family and neighbors, and was often encouraged by her grandparents to spend hours drawing. By 11 she was taking painting lesson, and hasn’t stopped painting since.

Chris has earned her living as an artist for over 34 years, mainly by exhibiting in art shows and craft festivals throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. She has won several art competitions and best-of-show awards, held solo gallery shows, and has also had her work published.

Alyice: You’ve been creating art for all of your adult life, and most of your childhood, what is it about art that keeps you going? How does creating art make you feel?

Chris: Creating art makes me feel wonderfully alive, happy, engaged, important, and challenged.

Every day is a thrill because I get up knowing I can draw or paint or do something related to my art business. That is my work, my purpose in life.

Being an artist is a blessing. I have been blessed to be able to earn a living doing something I love. Sharing these gifts with the world, to be a blessing to others, is a great task in life, don’t you think?

Alyice: You work with both acrylics and oil paints. Can you tell us why you switch between those two mediums?

Chris: I started my professional career painting in oil. I love oils the best because of their opaqueness, their rich colors (acrylics seem plastic in comparison) and the fact that they do not dry so fast; allowing me to blend and smooth. They also allow me to better blend colors in a large area—like the sky, water and large animal bodies.

I switched to acrylics for a lot of my work when the show schedule demanded constant new (and completely dry!) work. I could not paint exclusively in oils and fill my art booth with paintings because the new paintings simply did not dry fast enough.

In some of my paintings, I incorporate both oils and acrylics in the same piece. I use oils to paint the backgrounds and large areas and acrylics to paint the figures (i.e. the wildlife) and detailed portions of the foreground.

Alyice: What is the most challenging part about working with oils?

Chris: The most challenging part of painting with oils is having the patience to work with the buttery consistency when doing detailed work and the drying time. It can be frustrating when I want to continue working on a piece but can’t because it is too wet to work on.

Alyice: What is the best part about working with acrylics?

Chris: The best part about working with acrylics is the very opposite of the challenging part of working with oils. Acrylics dry fast, so I can continue working on a piece until I come to a natural stopping point.

Alyice: What do you wish you knew about painting before you got started?

Chris: I wish I had known what a toll certain elements of painting for a living would take on my body—my vision is shot from painting extremely small, detailed work; my fingers and hand gets numb from holding the brush; and my back is shot from lifting heavy objects like my booth and display to loading and unloading to carrying, setting up and tearing down the displays, 25 to 30 times a year for 30+ years.

You would not think being an artist is such a strenuous job, but anyone who does art shows for a living will tell you otherwise!

Alyice: You often refurbish old furniture by painting your unique wildlife scenes directly onto the furniture, how did you get started in this?

Chris: I got started in this venue by first creating pieces for my own home. They created a lot of interest. . . prompting my family, friends, and customers to encourage me to sell these “functional art pieces” at art shows.

Alyice: How do you protect your art when it’s on such useable pieces?

Chris: I put several coats of high grade lacquer on the finished piece to seal and protect it.

The lacquer will protect and preserve the piece from normal wear and tear. However, care should be given to each piece as these pieces will not withstand any sort of abuse, like a dog chewing it or a child slamming or throwing it against a wall. Also, cigarette ashes will mar the surface and water will damage the surface if left unattended for a long period of time. But with common sense, these pieces will last a long, long time.

Alyice: What is your creative process like?

Chris: All my paintings start with an idea. The most important aspect of a painting is that the artwork is based on an original idea. An original idea is one conceived by the artist through something they have seen, experienced, felt, or imagined.

The ideas for my realistic paintings come from something I have seen and observed like walking in the woods and noting the way the sunlight plays through the trees, or chancing upon a fox tracking across an open snowy field, or a great blue heron flying over a marsh that I spotted while driving, or watching a cardinal in my backyard while sipping my morning coffee, or observing the play of sunlight and shadows on homes and buildings as I walk through town to get the mail.

The ideas for my whimsical portrayals, however, come from an inner “what if. . .”

Once I have an idea down, I do small studies before starting a large project.

This starts with a simple pencil sketch and progresses into a small but semi-detailed color drawing and then ends when I translate the idea onto a large surface.

This works well, for me, because I can solve many of the initial painting problems on paper before I start the actual work. It also is very important when doing custom work where you need the okay from the buyer before starting on the painting.

Alyice: How has your style changed over the years?

Chris: My style started out realistic, got a bit impressionistic during my college years and afterward I had a period where I worked exclusively in palette knife.

When I started doing wildlife shows for a living, my style turned more realistic. Over the years it evolved to include impressionistic backgrounds and whimsical illustrations—all prompted first by what I enjoyed doing and secondly, by how well it paid the bills.

I have always tried to maintain a balance between what I enjoy doing and what sold.

Today, I paint in three different styles: realistic wildlife; moody, impressionistic landscapes; and whimsical, illustrative portrayals of animals.

My style of painting is realistic, impressionistic and/or illustrative in nature, depending on the subject matter. All my paintings, regardless of style, are composed of long, graceful lines and bold, rich colors.

The subject matter has been animals for almost all of my art career, with some landscapes and seascapes thrown in here and there.

Alyice: How have you grown as an artist?

Chris: I’ve grown as an artist by constantly trying to improve myself, keeping tabs on the current trends in art, and by learning new things. And I strive to make each painting I do as good as I possibly can.

Alyice: What do you believe is a key element for creating visually appealing art?

Chris: It should convey the artist’s feelings—their love of the subject matter, their passion in creating it. Art is emotion and when the artist can communicate their passion so that the viewer is so moved, then that piece is a good painting.

Alyice: How do you come up with a profitable pricing structure for your pieces?

Chris: With great difficulty.

It has been very hard in this bleak economy to come up with a workable solution to pricing my paintings. I need to make a living so I price the paintings accordingly; yet I cannot afford to carry the same paintings around show after show. . . I need to sell them.

I need to refresh my booth with new work so it does not look “stale,” therefore I price them to sell.

Coming up with a compromise—one where I CAN actually make a decent living, and one where the paintings are priced so as to generate a moderately quick turnover is very tricky. The value of art is sadly determined by what people are willing to pay for it. Unfortunately, in this era of Wal-Mart-driven, discount pricing, cheap imported goods, and bargain basement online auctions, that value is greatly diminished.

Learn more about Chris Scheidler Pagano and her artwork at her website, WalnutStreetStudio.com, or her Etsy page.

Florida-based contemporary artist Lynne French paints with watercolor and oil, yet rarely picks up a paintbrush. Instead, she uses a technique known as Chinese-inspired Zen Tissue Watercolor.

Lynne’s tissue and watercolor paintings, which can take months to create, are based on the meditation rituals of a Buddhist monk named Hsuan Hua. Lynne found her niche at the Chouinard Art Institute in California, where she studied with master impressionists Millard Sheets and Phil Dike.

As She Materialized, which is seen below, is one such Zen meditation painting. You can see how the watercolor and tissue blend together to create a stained glass appearance, along with an intricate web of texture that adds an ethereal delicacy to each painting.

The colors in As She Materialized are hauntingly beautiful, growing deeper and richer at the edges while still offering a translucent blue in the middle as if the artwork were actually a window in which you could see through.

Lynne’s next painting, titled Winter’s Nest, pairs rich jeweled tones and lighter pastels in the background. Her prolonged use of white space in the body of the bird yields a simple, yet profound, visual effect.

In this particular piece, the tissue paper competing with the watercolor is more crinkled and eye-catching. This creates a texture very much like rough tree branches covered in brittle bark, or perhaps the veins of leaves, which offer a fitting background as the bird glances up shyly from where it had been shielding its head within the tight quarters of its feathered body.

Last of all, Migration is definitely the subtlest painting of today. Although the tissue paper is thick and textural, Lynne used a very limited color palette—primarily purple and red hues—to tell a story that is as old as time.

In this painting, two woman covered from head to toe are quite literally carrying the weight of their world. It is in the chaos and uncertainty of Lynne’s creation—through the complex way she arranged her tissue paper and the monochromatic color scheme—that we understand how these woman are feeling and what they must be going through as they travel into the unknown.

To see more of Lynne’s unique mixed-media masterpieces, or to browse through her more traditional oil paintings, be sure to visit her website.

Even if you’ve been a diehard gallery artist your entire life, this is the year to put your art online. Here’s why:

1. Internet users are everywhere

According to Business2Community.com and the latest US Digital Media Usage Report, 3 out of 4 people in the US will be internet users in 2012. That’s a whopping 75% of the US population, not to mention all the increased usage around the world.

The Internet has become an undeniable force in our daily lives and the role it plays in commerce is key. No other medium reaches that many people a day. If you don’t currently have an online marketing plan for your art, 2012 is the year to get one.

2. The “on demand” lifestyle is on the rise

BetaBeat recently published a list of predictions from prominent internet and social media figures for 2012. Here’s one that relates to the ever-increasing "buy it now" mentality of the internet:

“AirBnb finds you a gorgeous apartment. Uber brings you an elegant ride at the touch of a button. TaskRabbit will fetch you a cup of coffee.

We’re entering the era of the on-demand lifestyle, and 2012 will be the year that a host of new at-will lifestyle options pop up. . . Startups are realizing the value of bringing at-will luxury experiences to a broader population, and the demand for these types of services is only going to grow.” -Kathryn Minshew, The Daily Muse

We’re a culture of instant gratification. Ideas pop in our head and we want to execute them immediately. And this desire to have what we want right away applies at any price point. Whether it’s a song on iTunes or that $5,000 painting we saw online that would look perfect in our newly redesigned living room, our pre-purchase decision time has become virtually non-existent.

2012 is only going to give us more ways to get what we want in a flash. Make sure your audience can feed their “on demand” appetite with your art!

3. Mobile use is in the millions

2012 will see 113.9 million mobile internet users in the US alone, so making sure your content is mobile-friendly should be a top priority for anyone marketing their art.

Smartphones have enabled us to multi-task while we’re in line at the bank, picking up our kids from school, waiting at the dentist’s office, or if you’re like me, too lazy to get off the couch and grab your laptop (a shameful admission).

The analytics firm Flurry estimates that people spend an average of 94 minutes a day on a mobile application, which means your clients are often checking your blog, Facebook page, and reading your monthly newsletter. . . on their phones! If you don’t have a presence on these platforms, then guess what—they’re checking in with someone who does.

4. Reasons to buy come from every direction

Here’s another prediction from BetaBeat, this time in regard to the buying process:

“My prediction is that 2012 is the year of commerce. I believe social, mobile, in-store and online commerce will all converge into a unified, transparent and personalize shopping experience.

Online shopping will evolve from interactive catalogs to simulated in-store experiences with virtual fittings, social interactions and personalized concierge recommendations. . . a larger percentage of sales will happen online and stores will start evolving into showrooms rather than true retail venues.” -Veronika Sonsev, inSparq.com

I can see this happening myself. For the first time, I did all of my holiday shopping online because I finally felt comfortable purchasing gifts without holding them in my own two hands. Between reviews, improved methods for viewing products, and things I’d seen in retail stores over the year, I felt confident I knew what I was getting.

The modern buyer relies on several resources when purchasing. A text from a friend alerts us to a cool piece of handmade jewelry at a local boutique. We go try it on and post a picture of it to Facebook. After receiving compliments from friends and finding through online research that we share a love of collecting sea-glass with the artist, we go to the artist’s website and purchase the piece. A collective effort of mobile, retail, and social media led us to an online purchase.

In 2012 we’ll see the synergy of these elements working together in commerce.

5. Your online presence (or lack of it) matters

Business2community.com says that “83.9% of Internet users will browse or research products online in 2012.”

Those internet users mentioned above are researching who you are and how others feel about your art. So, even if you strongly believe in only selling your art through brick and mortar galleries, you still need to control your presence online.

This is your chance to tell your buyers what you want them to know about you. It may be a long list of accolades or it may be the adventures of your unruly pet cat. Whatever the case may be, it’s your story to tell. . . and if you’re not telling it, you’re missing a golden opportunity to connect with buyers.

The key is to not wait any longer. 2012 is your year to actively engage in the worldwide marketplace that is the Internet. Take charge, and put your art online today!

For more articles from Dreama Tolle Perry, visit her website . Also check out the rest of BetaBeat’s predictions for the internet in 2012 .

Sometimes it only takes a small adjustment or two to improve your paintings. I’m sure I’m not the only artist who has looked back on their work from years ago and thought, “If only I had done this or that differently, the results would have been so much better.”

We shouldn’t be afraid of making these changes. After all, we all make continuous adjustments outside of art without any problems. We adjust our schedules and our budgets. Football teams make adjustments at halftime. Small adjustments in technique for an Olympic athlete can mean the difference between a gold medal and not even qualifying.

I could go on, but I know you get what I’m saying.

Below are nine areas to look at if you think that your paintings might need a tune-up, and not a complete overhaul:

1. Focal point

Are your paintings featuring a focal point? Is it clear where and what the focal point is in your painting? The focal point is where you can really engage the viewer and present the essence of your idea. It can be bold or subtle. Experiment with different ways and locations to put your focal point in your paintings, but make sure it’s there!

2. Planning

What about planning your painting out on paper in advance? Write down what and where the focal point will be, as well as other visual elements like texture, mood, light source, lines, values, color, edges, shapes, and anything else that you feel is important for the piece to succeed.

3. Tools

Life is always better with a plan and the right tools for the job. Got the right brushes? How ’bout paint? Paper, canvas, lighting, table, easel, etc. Make sure your materials don’t waste your time and let you down.

4. Composition

A good design is the best foundation to build your paintings upon. Great subject matter plus a good design equals a rock solid painting. Great subject matter with poor design will always miss the mark. Break any other rule you want, but the work must have a good composition.

5. Brush strokes

Are you making full use of those brushes? Look at your work and see if you could do a better job showing the world your signature brush strokes. Maybe parts of your paintings could “live” on the surface more. Or maybe not. Think about vertical vs. horizontal brush strokes. Let your viewers get to know you a little bit through your unique brushwork.

6. Values

Are you using a dominant value in your work? A dominant value will give you stronger paintings and a better design. A dominant value can be either dark, medium, or light. Do a few small value sketches before you start your next masterpiece, and block in those dominant values to make sure it works on a small scale before tackling your main canvas.

7. Edges

Adding a greater variety of edges in your paintings can really strengthen your work. Lost and found edges are a great example of good variety. By placing a hard edge in a key area, you indicate to the viewer that this particular edge is important and that they should look at it. By losing, or softening, an edge you will do the opposite. Experiment with different brushes, palette knives, and/or anything else that you find helpful to achieve some variety in your edges.

8. Paint quantity

Using more paint will make your brushstrokes more visible and add great surface texture to your paintings. Don’t be stingy; mix more than you need before you start. There is a certain freedom that comes with not worrying if you are going to run out of paint before you paint that sky, building, or that certain shape that you want to get “just right.”

9. Self-check as you go

Have a mirror handy while you paint, and use it to keep checking your work in reverse as you progress through the painting. Get into this habit; it will help you tweak and correct things as you go, instead of getting all the way to the end and finding a mistake. There are no guarantees, but from my experience this one tip will really cut down on those “oh s**t” moments.

10.

Where’s number 10? The title just says nine small adjustments, so what gives?

Number 10 is for you to fill in for yourself. Paint more, go to workshops, and ask your art teachers or mentors for advice. Soon you’ll be coming up with your own small adjustments, which you can pass on to others.

I know I’ve just scratched the surface with this list, but even so, I hope it helps. . . and now it’s time to go paint!

For more articles by Craig Shillam, please visit www.cashartblog.com.

Monday in Painting Tutorials - Drop by tomorrow for Craig Shillam’s list of simple adjustments that any artist can use to improve their paintings. Nothing big or flashy here, just good painting advice for just about every artist.

Tuesday in Selling Art Online - Dreama Tolle Perry will be sharing 5 fact-based reasons why 2012 is the year to get your art online (and I have to say, there are some very compelling stats and quotes referenced in this article).

Wednesday in Featured Artists - This week, whatever you do, don’t miss seeing the lovely and ethereal mixed-media artwork of Lynne French. As always, if you’re interested in being featured yourself, please submit your work here.

Thursday in Artist Interviews - With an art career spanning 34 years, it’s no surprise that Chris Scheidler Pagano has some excellent insight to share. Check out her interview with Alyice Edrich this Thursday on pricing, painting, and creativity.

Friday in Art Opinion - Dealing with critiques has always been a big part of being an artist. Learn how Michelle Morris deals with that side of the artist’s life in this week’s reader-submitted opinion piece.

Last week’s articles on EmptyEasel:

5 Tips for Professionally Finishing the Canvas Edges of your Paintings

David R. Anderson: Light, Life, and Landscape Paintings

7 Reasons Your Art Blog Needs an Overhaul

Go on. . . Dip Your Toe into Digital Art!

Is there something you’d like to share on EE? Send it in!

EmptyEasel is proud to publish reader-submitted articles nearly every week. Please submit your own article here or learn why you might want to.

Being a hardened user of traditional media (and not the most techie of folk) my involvement so far in the world of digital art has simply been to admire those who are clearly extremely proficient in its creation.

Over time, however, my interest has increased—and with it, I’ve gained a strong desire to create some of the incredible visual effects that only digital art can offer.

Photoshop is quite intimidating and was also out of my budget, but after watching many online tutorials, videos, and works-in-progress, one of my customers suggested a 7 day download of Xara, along with an offer to do some lessons over the telephone.

That was it—the timing was spot on. I was ready to become “A Digital Artist!” Xara offers both web design and graphic versions, but as an illustrator I needed the graphics version. The tutorial I received from my customer enabled me to do some reasonable line art drawing, moving the lines, refining, cutting out and using some of the tools available.

Left to my own devises for the next few days of the trial, I became slightly addicted to “drawing” with my mouse, but at the same time I felt limited by knowing very little of the programme’s full capabilities. I read reviews on the different versions available and earmarked a copy to purchase. Then I actually bought a tablet and pen—I was totally committed!

The tablet I bought had a free version of Art Rage software, which was something my customer had also recommended I try. This was great! I watched more tutorials, adding favourites, writing notes and mentally committing to spending as long as it would take to become at least moderately proficient.

I decided before buying Xara I would try the free Art Rage starter download (there’s no time limit on this free version.) Art Rage is a very different type of programme, in that you can use many different types of medium and tools. Most of all, it allows artists to use their current art skills rather than requiring the more technical skills that programmes like Xara and Photoshop do.

For those already proficient in digital painting, Art Rage also provides more painterly effects. I was able to pick out tools and medium without too much anxiety or knowledge, as well increase/decrease the size of my brush/pencil/marker, and the amount of paint on my tools. I was also able to easily pick out my colours as needed.

So, have I been converted? Have I demoted my lifelong love of pencils to a rack in the spare room, gloried over the savings I am going to make on all the materials I no longer need to buy, buoyant in the feeling I’ve finally joined the 21st century?

Well. . . I’m afraid not.

Someday I’d still like to build on this small dive I’ve made into it digital art, but for now I simply struggled with the technical aspects too much, and the more I did, the more I started to miss the tangible aspect of my paper, pencils and the actual making of something by hand, unaided by technology.

I do have even more respect for digital artists, now. . . it’s clear that not only do they use their creative skills, but they also have phenomenal technical skills. Hopefully, though, this article will give some encouragement and reassurance to any other artists who are considering digital art, just like I was.

So if you’re curious about digital art, have a go with one of the software mentioned above!

After all, that’s probably the best thing about digital art—you can easily dip your toe in and try it out, with very little cost other than the time you put in and the energy to keep your PC running.

When was the last time you gave your art blog a design overhaul? Three years ago? Five? Well, it may be time to spruce things up a bit!

Below are seven signs that your art blog may need a re-design:

1. It looks outdated

While “outdated” is a general term that can mean so many things to so many people, here are a few things to consider when deciding if your art blog is outdated:

• Your header isn’t a banner showcasing your art or logo but rather simple text on a plain background.

• There are no buttons or text links to social media outlets.

• Your sidebar still has a random list of tags to use for navigation instead of category listings, or some other form of easy-to-navigate linking structure.

• You’re asking others to “swap links” with you instead of displaying a “guest posts wanted” page or a “guest blogger available” page.

• You have music playing in the background, or animated gifs that have absolutely nothing to do with the posts or the overall theme of the blog.

• Some of the most recent topics covered on your blog are “old news.”

• Instead of being centered on the screen, your blog sticks to the left side.

2. It doesn’t reflect your current business goals

When you first started your art blog, you had one goal in mind: to get readers, and to get your art noticed.

You blogged about the life of an up-and-coming artist, and you shared insight in how you created your art. You desperately tried to connect with your readers in hopes of earning their trust; trust that would later result in sales.

Now, some years later, you have a following and a fan base, and many of your goals have changed. Your posts today should reflect these changes and what’s going on in your career right now. If they don’t, your blog desperately needs an overhaul.

3. It’s full of broken links

Whether the link is to another page on your blog, to another website, or to a painting in your online store, broken links always send a poor message.

A blog with too many broken links feels abandoned, with content that is old, outdated, and unimportant. You don’t want your blog to come across that way, do you? So when you see a link that doesn’t work, fix it!

(And it doesn’t hurt to go looking for those broken links at least once a month.)

4. It loads too slowly

Pretty blogs are wonderful eye-candy, but if they take too long to load, you’re losing more potential (and returning) customers than it’s worth.

Blog designs don’t have to be image heavy to please visitors; in fact, the simpler the design, the better! You want readers to focus on your blog posts (including your products and services) not the beauty of the design.

If you like to share a lot of photos of your art, you have two choices:

Option A - create a slideshow, load it to YouTube.com, and then insert the code into your blog post.

Option B - resize and save your images as web-friendly, low-resolution images, and limit yourself to no more than five images per post. (Click the following link to read more about how to prepare your images for the web.)

5. It isn’t updated frequently enough

Blogs should be updated a minimum of once a week, preferably three times a week. If that kind of blogging schedule is too difficult for you to maintain, it’s probably better to change the overall theme of your blog and keep readers coming back than it is to continue posting to a blog that can’t maintain its readership because your posts are too infrequent.

6. It lacks focus

When people visit your art blog, they won’t understand that you’re an accomplished artist who sells your art for a living because you write posts that are all over the place and have absolutely nothing to do with your art or your art business.

The fix is simple—tighten up your blog’s focus and talk about your art!

7. It lacks an up-to-date copyright notice

Okay, so this is a minor tweak, but it’s one that drives me batty. . .

If you’re going to put a date on your copyright notice, make sure it’s updated annually. If someone is viewing your blog in 2012, then the copyright notice shouldn’t read [your name] © 2003.

Thankfully, most of these changes can be simple to make.

If you’re using Blogger or any other major blog hosting company (like Wordpress, for example) you can probably revamp your art blog in one afternoon, while still keeping all your blog posts and other content online.

Or, take a cue from me. . . after 4 years of whining, I finally revamped my resume site, online magazine, and art blog—totally restructuring everything. If you’ve got the time to spare, you might as well start from the bottom up and give yourself an art blog you can be proud to tell others about!

If you paint on canvas—either in acrylics, oils, or watercolor—you’ve probably noticed that your unframed paintings look much better from the front than they do from the side. Anytime you catch a glimpse of those raw canvas edges, they look startlingly white against the painted front.

Worse yet, during the painting process, bits of the colors that you used on your painting get on the sides and create a “design” element that is jarring against your carefully planned and executed front.

In the past, what the sides looked like didn’t matter as much because everyone assumed that a finished painting was a framed painting. Framing your paintings is still great, but being forced to find frames that fit and really complement your work adds a layer of complication and expense.

Today there are several options that can save us time and money, and allow our unframed works to feel more finished and professional.

Here are 5 suggestions for unframed paintings:

1. The quickest way to make your paintings’ sides look more finished is to use black duct tape (called Gaffer’s tape in Ireland & England) to cover your canvas’ sides.

Ideally, you’d do this before you start painting, but you can use this technique on a finished painting whose sides you left white. Its downside is that the tape I’m recommending here isn’t acid-free—which upsets some collectors, and museum folk, but it’s a good choice for studies and in works you’re planning on showing in your home or more casual settings.

There are several things to keep in mind when doing this:

• You don’t have to use one continuous piece of tape, but the fewer seams you have, the better.

• Your tape should be somewhat wider than the side of your canvas so you can wrap the tape over the canvas’ back edge. However, don’t overlap the canvas’ face—or the tape will interfere with your painting’s look and, if you later choose to remove the tape, leave a jarring white place on the painting itself.

• Finally, to ensure the tape looks its best, use a hospital fold on the corners (like you do when you are stretching a canvas) and make sure to press the tape down firmly. Also, be diligent to clean off any stray paint that gets on the tape as you’re painting.

2. The cheapest way to finish your paintings’ sides is to paint them black before starting your painting.

There are three things to remember if you choose this option:

• Acrylic paint is best for this, no matter what medium you’re using to create your work (acrylic, oils, or watercolor.) It dries quickly and cleans off easily. However, if your canvas is stapled on the side, you should first gesso the sides to prevent rust problems later.

• Avoid letting black paint get on the front of your canvas. If it does, wipe it off immediately to prevent a ridge line showing though your paint. A rag is OK with oils and acrylics, but if you’re using watercolors on canvas, use a Mr. Clean Magic Sponge on the wet paint to ensure that all residue of the acrylic paint is removed from the front of the canvas.

• Diligently clean off any stray paint that mars your black sides. Dry paint is harder to clean off, but if that happens sand the dry paint and carefully touch up the marred area with your black acrylic paint.

3. The most interesting way to finish your painting’s side is to continue painting your subject matter on the canvas sides (best done on deep, gallery-stretched canvases without staples showing on the sides.)

Here are three tips you’ll want to know when using this technique:

• Don’t forget the bottom. It’s tricky to do this because your canvas sits on the bottom edge, so you might want to wait until the top is dried enough to safely flip the painting onto its top edge so you can work on the bottom edge.

• Use a sketchier painting style on the sides. The sides aren’t the star of your work, so viewers aren’t concentrating on them. Thus, you just need to have enough detail for your viewers’ eyes to “fill in” what they expect to see as they scan from the front to the sides.

• You can choose to paint the sides of a narrow-depth canvas, but it won’t look as good as deep-sided canvases will. Furthermore, if the sides have staples showing, you will need to gesso the sides to prevent rust problems later.

4. Always use hanging hardware and bumpers when displaying your work with finished sides.

The top of your canvas really isn’t designed to carry the weight of your painting over the long haul. Instead, place hangers on the canvas’ side stretcher bars (about a hand’s length down from the top.)

And why should you place bumpers on the on the bottom edges of your work? Because they do a great job of helping your paintings stay straight on the wall.

5. If using a shadow-box frame, do finish your painting’s sides in some way.

Yes, the reveal won’t allow the viewers to see much of the edge, but finishing the edges still creates a more professional, finished look.

To read more articles by Tracy Feldman, please visit her art blog.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the US, so there will be no new articles posted tomorrow.

Tuesday in Painting Tutorials - Tracy Feldman will explain several ways to professionally finish the sides of your paintings so that they can be displayed unframed.

Wednesday in Featured Artists - Drop by and see some beautiful landscapes by plein air painter, David Anderson. And of course, while you’re at it, feel free to submit your own artwork to be featured on EmptyEasel as well.

Thursday in Art Marketing Tips - Does your art blog accurately represent you? Or is it a bit out of date? On Thursday, Alyice Edrich will share seven signs that your blog might need to be revamped.

Friday in Art Opinion - At the end of the week, Karen Middleton will talk about her experience trying out digital art for the first time. It’s an interesting read for anyone considering adding digital art to their repertoire of mediums.

Last week’s articles on EmptyEasel:

VIDEO: Controlling your Paint on Yupo Paper

Am I an Art Bigot if I Don’t Like Most 20th Century Art?

Usha Patibandla: Abstract Paintings Exploding with Energy

An Interview With Mixed-Media Artist, Carolyn Madvig

Is there something you’d like to share on EE? Send it in!

EmptyEasel is proud to publish reader-submitted articles nearly every week. Please submit your own article here or learn why you might want to.

Carolyn Madvig worked in corporate America for 25 years, often feeling unfulfilled. But when her employer decided to downsize, she saw it as a sign to turn her hobby business into a full-fledged, money-making adventure—and she has never regretted it.

Creating art fulfills her, makes her feel alive, and relaxes her all at the same time.

Alyice: You’ve been creating handcrafted pieces of art, using various forms of paper and embellishments for over ten years. Today this medium would be known as mixed media art. Was this the name for it when you got started or did it go by another name?

Carolyn: I think if it had a name, it would have been called “Outsider Art” since mixed media was just becoming a recognized art form in the craft world.

There can still be a sense from some—although it’s improving—that mixed media and handcrafted items are not “fine art.” What I know about the hard work and amazing creativity of some of our artist friends convinces me that is not the case, however.

I almost see the growth of handmade items as a re-birth of the Arts & Crafts movement! We have had increased interest in our products—as have most of our artist friends—as the economy has suffered. It’s as if the public has decided that if they can only afford one item, they want it to be the BEST and most unique item possible.

Alyice: There’s a lot of mixed media work on the market these days, how do you differentiate yours from the rest?

Carolyn: I don’t know that we go in with the idea of making items that are specifically “different” from others. . . part of the reason may be that ALL of our designs are one-of-a-kind, even our greeting cards.

As a result, even if we use a particular piece of paper, or vintage lace, or hand-stamped images more than once, they are never in the same combination.

I think we do have a style though; people will tell me that they saw our items and that they could tell they were Sleeping Dogs Studio products. . . but it is a style that has morphed into being based upon what we like; and the type of products we like to use.

Alyice: Artists often wonder if there are any copyright infractions to worry about when using specialty papers in their art. What has been your experience in this area?

Carolyn: This is an important consideration in mixed media work. We are primarily protected by the fact that all of our items are 100% handmade and one-of-a-kind. Most stamped images, papers, etc. are made to be used in this way, and provide what they call “angel policies” that cover such usage.

In addition, we try to go above and beyond by ensuring that any vintage images we use are more than one hundred years old (typically, the copyright has expired at that point) and are purchased through reputable dealers or are from our own families.

Whenever we aren’t 100% certain that an item is “safe” to use, we ask the dealer! Better safe than sorry. . . but again, our specific usage of the items tends to avoid any problems.

Alyice: What is the most challenging part about creating mixed media art?

Carolyn: I enjoyed all of the questions posed—they were very thought-provoking, but perhaps none more so than this one!

I feel as if I’m cheating, but the honest answer is I don’t find it challenging. I find it broadens me artistically, perhaps more than any other artwork I have ever done.

Mixed media is so very “free” and open.

You want to sew on your piece? Go for it! Add silk flowers? Why not! Use an old typewriter to print the perfect finishing touch/slogan? Perfect! For that reason, I think I’d have to say that to me, mixed media is the most freeing of media I’ve worked in.

Alyice: What is your creative process like?

Carolyn: I don’t practice a technique every day, although I know many artists who have found this to be an excellent way to break through a “block.” In general, I find the best option is to just dive in! Particularly when one is feeling uninspired, just getting down to it can provide some amazing results!

I do sometimes find that one particular method works well and that is to pick an embellishment or piece of paper that I have been avoiding using a force myself to try something new with it. Typically, these exercises result in some of my favorite end products!

Alyice: As you know, art is very subjective in nature. What some people like, others do not. I’m sure you’ve received both positive and negative feedback in your career, but what I want to know is how you handle the negative criticism, especially when it hurts deep down within your soul?

Carolyn: I have what is probably a weird philosophy about this because every item we make is one-of-a-kind, I make them to please myself, and my own aesthetic.

My hope is obviously that someone else will also enjoy them, and say “That’s beautiful!” or “That makes me feel happy!” But my goal is to make whimsical, fun, heartfelt art that I love. As a result, if someone doesn’t like it, I am not crushed as some artists might be.

In addition, we make so many items and styles that often a customer who doesn’t find one item appealing will like something else. But I think it’s really when you make what you love that the “magic” happens!

Alyice: You sell your art through various specialty shops. Can you tell us how you got started?

Carolyn: It began in our hometown. Several local stores asked if they could carry our work, then, as we attended art fairs, other stores saw our products and asked if they could carry them as well. That led us to believe that perhaps if we actually marketed our products, other stores might be interested too.

Today, I have my own marketing plan for each year, as well as a sales rep that helps us find new locations for our work. The growth has been awe-inspiring and very gratifying!

Alyice: Some specialty shops require you to sign a consignment agreement (where you loan them your work and you get paid only when a piece sells). How do you feel about consignments?

Carolyn: We still have several stores with which we have a consignment arrangement. It is not unusual for us to enter a new relationship with a store on a consignment basis, and after success is proven, move to a wholesale basis instead.

Regarding contracts I would say:

- Make sure you AND the store sign one, and that it includes the answers to all questions you might have, including who will be paying for shipping, etc.

- If you have a concern, add that into the contract. (While we have had great luck with store owners, I think having an item in writing can ensure that there is no potential for misunderstanding.)

- The consignment arrangement should be 60% to the artist and 40% to the store. I’ve had some stores who prefer 50/50—but this is not the norm nationally, and because you are taking on the full risk (i.e., they are only paying you AFTER the item is sold), I think this percentage is fair.

- Any items that remains unsold after an agreed-upon period of time should be returned to you in good condition.

- A consignment arrangement also typically means that the store agrees to sell at your suggested retail price, a dollar amount which you set. While wholesale clients are purchasing your items outright, and as the “owners” of the products can determine their own price, a consignment store should definitely agree to sell at your prices. If they do not, any mark-up represents a skew to the 60/40 split.

Alyice: If an artist wanted to approach a specialty shop in hopes of becoming a wholesale client, how should he or she go about it?

Carolyn: First, I would do research—online or in person—to determine stores that you think might be a good fit for your products. Once that determination has been made, I would not simply walk into a store without an appointment and try to show your items. My experience is that store owners are VERY busy people, and may not be able to give your items or presentation the attention it deserves.

As a result, I always communicate first with them by e-mail. And perhaps I have to send them 3-4 messages before I get a response, and/or make it through their spam filters! Those that have no interest will typically respond in that regard. Others will ask to see more: a catalog, a sales sheet, a web site, etc.

We often provide samples of items to stores that are located a long distance away. . . a picture may tell 1,000 words, but in the age of Photoshop, a vendor really can’t tell exactly what your item looks like until they see it in person. If a store owner wants to see samples, it is almost guaranteed that they will decide that they want to pursue at least a small, starting order.

With these simple steps, we have been able to grow from just 9 stores at the end of 2010 to almost 70 by the end of 2011.

Alyice: You’re very good at diversifying your art income: commission pieces, online sales, retail shops, art fairs. How has diversification helped your business and what have you learned about making it all work together?

Carolyn: Part of the diversification you mention is simple paranoia, and not wanting to give up on any income stream in a bad economy! Nonetheless, if you can find time to give all of these items attention, it can really be worth your while.

For us, the two areas that have slipped are art fairs and online sales. The art fairs are expensive to attend, particularly for a product that is paper-based, and if it rains we simply cannot take the risk (even if already in town ready to set up!) of putting our items out for fear that they will all be ruined.

The online stores are simply an issue of inventory—I find it difficult to maintain the items online, do the online marketing necessary to truly succeed, etc., and still meet our outstanding retail store orders.

So after a year of doing it all, those are likely two areas we will concentrate less upon in 2012.

But we based that decision upon cold, hard facts after trying it all, sucking it up, and knowing that we were going to be over-worked in 2011. . . I would not have wanted to make that decision without the statistics to back it up.

As a result, I’d say diversify slowly and keep track of what works and what doesn’t. Then concentrate on those venues that provide the biggest return upon your investment most fully. . .

Learn more about Carolyn Madvig and her art at www.sleepingdogsstudio.net.

If you like art with a whirlwind of exciting, dramatic colors and emotions, then I guarantee Usha Patibandla’s abstract paintings will blow you away.

In her Energy series, Usha experiments with startling color combinations, far-out forms and flat-out otherworldly ferocity. This next painting in particular, entitled Energy 7, stood out to me through its sheer magnitude of color.

Those brilliant, liquid hues are absolutely astounding. . . it’s a painting that appears to be permanently in motion, like an atom exploding, an ice ball burning through space, or a topographical map teaming with contours.

Each of Usha’s paintings combine a strong composition with solid color schemes, forms and perspective. This is especially true of Merging, which captures the splendor of a flower in close proximity with Usha’s own distinctive flair.

As colors and shapes delicately butt heads within the tight frame, reality flies out the window. What I was once sure was a flower is now a butterfly—or is it? One thing is clear, however. Usha has an amazing ability to breach new territories within our imaginations.

From fierce to flowing, we’ve already seen the range of Usha’s creativity. This last painting takes her abilities one step further, though.

In Guitar, she actually uses four corresponding pieces of canvas to emphasize the bold, modern colors and composition of the piece.

What I enjoyed most, however, was finding the outline of piano keys along the guitar’s body. . . which nicely ends our exploration of Usha’s artwork on a high note.

Take a few minutes today and expand your own universe just a little bit, by visiting Usha’s website. You’ll also find some remarkable portraits and figurative work alongside her abstract pieces.

Why do I hate so much of our 20th century visual art with such a passion?

I’m certainly not that way with music. I have everything from Mozart to the Sex Pistols on my iPod, and if I hear some awful music, I don’t rail against it. . . I just ignore it.

But I really do hate so much 20th century art.

I’m talking about, of course, the really ridiculous stuff that gets thrust in your face but only leaves you scratching your head. Why does it get under my skin so much?

Every time I ponder that question I see the implication that I must be an art bigot or snob of some kind, yet at the same time I feel like I’m a pleasantly open-minded music appreciator.

So why am I not consistently open minded (or consistently vehemently apposed)in both cases?

I believe I know the answer.

It’s because the real musical equivalent of ridiculously bad post-modern “pretend” art is called atonal music, and it simply gets ignored. Just one listen is all it takes to turn you off it for good.

(This first dawned on me thanks to THIS ARTICLE—definitely worth a read.)

In that article, Spengler points out that the reason atonal music is not often played to audiences is because once it starts, you’re in for an aurally painful experience that you can’t quit. You can’t pretend to like it for a token 10 seconds, and then quickly wander off.

But with art, hanging in a gallery, you can.

And so the visual equivalent of atonal music—post-modern art—keeps getting pushed in our faces.

Imagine for a second, this alternative reality. . .

Let’s say that amazing music museums exist where you can go and experience live performances of any musical experience that the museum sees fit to exhibit, even if the performers, conductors and composers are all long dead.

Somehow (unlike a DVD) it would be exactly like the real thing. True virtual reality.

Let’s also say it costs a fortune for the museums to acquire the exhibits, and not only that, but your tax money is often used to buy them. And yet they insist on buying loads and loads of the atonal stuff—music carefully conceived to sound awful, with no identifiable rhythm, harmony, or tune—and they give you lengthy explanations of its genius, and how you must basically be a moron if you don’t want to come and experience it.

Let’s not forget, these curators and critics can’t play a note of anything themselves. . . but you still have to take their word for it that they know more about serious music than you do, even if you’re a musician.

No, make that especially if you’re a musician.

And if you kick up a stink, well what are you? Stupid? Everybody knows that if you’re truly serious about enjoying music, why, this atonal stuff is what you should really be focused on!

Oh, and of course the atonal authors are getting paid enormous amounts for their cacophony. Museums and collectors keep popping up in the news since they are paying such absurd sums to acquire it.

Not that any of it would live in your music collection, at least not on any playlists you actually listen to. No, the music you would listen to, made by competent musicians and bands and orchestras, is being marginalized and diminished in value in favor of this atonal stuff.

Their rare gifts and wonderful performances are being pushed aside and belittled, and in place of that, some person’s home-made recording of pots and pans being dropped on a mattress at random intervals is glorified and hailed as genius.

That’s a crazy alternate reality, right? Right??

And IF that reality were true, wouldn’t the usurped and outraged musicians, along with those who appreciate their music, rightfully become music bigots?

Personally. . . I think it would make perfectly good sense if they did.

Check out Steve’s blog or check out his website at SteveWorthingtonArt.com.

In today’s video, George James will demonstrate a few methods for minimizing that running, blending quality of Yupo watercolor paper.

True, sometimes you want that watery effect, but other times you don’t—take a look and see how George creates flat fields of color (as well as gradients) in just seconds:

NOTE: You can get all of George’s Yupo techniques on DVD at Creative Catalyst.

Monday in Video Tutorials - Tomorrow, George James will be demonstrating how to create smooth, controlled watercolor washes on Yupo paper—a surface which is normally known for its tendancy to mix and bleed colors together without control.

Tuesday in Art Opinion - Steve Worthington sent in a thought-provoking article the other day which I think is well worth publishing. In it, he compares modern art with modern music, and contrasts the general public’s taste in music with its taste in art. Read the full article on Tuesday.

Wednesday in Featured Artists - I’d also encourage you to drop by mid-week to check out some incredibly energizing abstracts by Usha Patibandla. The sheer visual impact of her paintings is truly amazing.

Thursday in Artist Interviews - Alyice Edrich and Carolyn Madvig (a successful mixed media artist) will discuss the business side of selling art by consignment, as well as what it takes to create one-of-a-kind pieces over and over again.

In addition, this week our friends over at ArtistsWanted.org have extended an invitation to all EmptyEasel readers to participate in their 2nd annual “Artists Wanted : Year In Review” competition.

This competition is open to all mediums and styles of art, with the goal of finding the best emerging artists of the year. Prizes include a $25,000 Grand Prize and a featured booth at the SCOPE Art Show in NYC this March. If you’re interested, submit your work here, and include the promo code ArtistsWanted20 to receive 20% off your entry fee.

Artwork will only be accepted until midnight, January 31st, so the clock’s already ticking, folks. I should also mention that there are a bunch of other awards up for grabs, too, like the People’s Choice Award, and awards in specific categories (Photography, Painting, Design, etc). Head on over to their info page for the full contest details.

Last week’s articles on EmptyEasel:

It’s Never Too Late to Discover Your Creativity

How to Write an Art Purchase Policy

Daniela Reed: Complex Emotions in Ink and Spray Paint

6 Email Templates for Replying to Guest Posters on Your Art Blog

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