Why You Will Fail

Larry Smith

 

I just finished watching an amazing TEDx talk of Larry Smith titled "Why you will fail to have a great career" on YouTube uploaded by TEDxTalks.   WOW.  If it is not a smack in the face to wake up, I don't know what is.

 

My best friend called last night and it wasn't long before he asked what number of work I was on for the year.  He cares and is holding me accountable, and I absolutely love that.  My reply was an apologetic, "Not much from when we last talked...I'm on number 16 now."  He gave encouragement by saying, "Think of it this way, that's probably 10 more than you would've done by this time."  He's absolutely right.

 

I've been thinking a lot lately about longevity.  The fact that I'm still painting seven years after earning my BFA is a good thing - a great thing.  I was talking to one of my college pals the other night and we talked a bit about having the motivation and determination to keep going even when it gets tough.  It has been tough for both of us in the last seven years, but we still create.

That in itself is an accomplishment, though I don't necessarily think that it is praiseworthy.  Art is just what I do.  It keeps me sane and I need it.  It is the only way I feel myself, and the only area of expertise that I can confidently say is an expertise after so many years of studying so many different aspects and the long history.  Without it, I would be a hollow shell...what's crazy is I don't even think I'm being dramatic.  I think without it, my zest for life would be gone completely.

Some of our peers have fallen out of love for creating as they once did.  It doesn't turn them on anymore, or they found other interests that became passions more powerful than what they had for art.  Others still enjoy visual art, but maybe are doing other things such as curating or writing about it.  It's not that those of us who are still creating art have any more determination than our peers that are now going in different directions.  I'm hoping that it's just due to their finding other interests and passion in other areas that didn't occur to them before, or are just now getting the chance to pursue.  Other opportunities may have resonated more.

I remember being warned in the first year of college that we would be weeding ourselves out through the years there and the process would still continue out in the world.  Only a small percentage of us would actually graduate in the Fine Arts field (which turned out to be true), and an even smaller percentage would actually still be creating after the diploma was framed upon the wall (which is turning out to be true).  I remember one of my favorite mentors telling us that if you could be successful and happy doing anything other than art, than do that instead.  He was warning us of the difficulties, and preparing us for what we need to have a career - consistancy and longevity.  A brew of passion and determination -  you really have to love it in order to have the diligence to keep at it through the years.

My little prayer to the universe is that we all find our passions and have the ability to pursue them.  What a wonderful and different world this would be.

Love to all! 

The Temporary and the Eternal - A New Work

For now it's untitled...

 

Movement of flesh, metal, the temporary and the eternal...

 

Oil on paper, 24x18"

Krystal Booth, 2013

 

The first of the big idea...hoping it maintains my attention and I can dig deeper to what it is I'm getting at -

 

This was definitely influenced by the music I've been listening to lately - old Smashing Pumpkins, Fiona Apple, and Radiohead (as always).  My hope is that it speaks to you in a way that I haven't yet communicated.  Attempting to find my visual language for the messages...

 

Sneak Peek

I refilled my coffee cup and am looking at the painting in process.  Here's the sneek peek of what's on the easel today.

Painting in Progress, Krystal Booth

Oil on paper, 24x18"

 

So this is what I have to work with so far - it's not a bad start, but yes, there's work to be done.  It's very crude right now, but there are some areas of poetry to work with if I look close enough...straining my eyes and mind, but it's there. haha

 

I think I've stumbled onto an idea.  A big idea.  One of those good ones that I've been dying to get for years now.  I've been circling around it for ten years now when I look back at previous works.  I'm getting closer to what it is I am wanting and needing to paint - at least it feels that way.  That feeling is progress in my book, since I've been grasping at other ideas that don't seem to hold my attention for much longer than a few works.  I am hoping that this is indeed different, and if my intuition is right, it is.

 

Cheers to big ideas - it's time to work, work, and work.  RESEARCH. Do some digging.  Tackle it down before it sweeps up into the universe again - I don't want to wait for it to cycle around again.  So today, I'll be in the studio with music playing and probably a cat on my lap as I try to get it down.

 

Love to all!

Damn it, it Happened Again. Spring Cleaning.

Time for organizing the studio again...good grief it's a mess.

 

There is something delightful about looking at a mess - it's more interesting to look at than just a minimal white surface.  It offers more color, shapes, and shadows.  Too bad this doesn't quite convince me that I shouldn't clean today.

 

It's spring again, and spring cleaning is due.  I found a great cleaning list that's particularly fast and easy on Real Simple:  Daily Quick Cleaning Checklist .  It's helpful and should take someone about a half an hour to complete and is just a daily routine to keep things under control.  It's maybe not as fast as what they claim on some of the tasks...the first time I did it, it took me about two hours.  haha!

 

I find that on this blog I write and talk a lot about cleaning and organizing.  Maybe it's because I blog most often on my days off and the regular household chores that go neglected are ready for my attention.  Another contributing factor could be that I make a lot of messes.  When I'm in the act of creating I just zone out and make a mess, or contribute to an existing mess.  I suddenly wonder who has made the mess, and what forces left scraps of paper about, how did they get on the floor, why is there charcoal ground into the carpet, and why is my cat covered in paint?  Then I move my fist about in the air waving it forcefully at the gods, and refill my coffee cup.

 

I then find myself in the corner facing a computer screen, writing about the cleaning I intend to do and inevitably get sidetracked with interesting news and fun to be had online, all the while ignoring it the mess.

 

Success.

...

...

...

This isn't quite working either...you know where I'll be for the hour or so.
 

Make New Friends

Okay, so I have a confession to make.  I didn't create last night.  Instead, I did the next best thing and that's laughing.

I've been on bluecanvas.com for a few years now.  Most of the time the extent of communication is an exchange of verbal applauds and thank you's.  There is, by the way, some absolutely amazing artists on there.  Never have I had so much fun on that site and it's all thanks to a couple of new friends on there - thank you to Dustin Parr and Kevin King!  Absolutely fantastic artists who have fantastic personalities!

I spent most of the evening drinking coffee, reading, typing, and laughing with Kevin.  You will see why if you read his artist biography on his wix site here.  If ever there was an artist bio worth reading, this is most definitely it.

It will also explain to you why I was laughing so hard that at times I was sweating.

Here are their blue canvas links so that you can enjoy their amazing works:

Dustin Parr:  http://www.bluecanvas.com/dustineparr (to be enjoyed with hostess baked goods and supersoaker)

Kevin King:  http://www.bluecanvas.com/kevinking (to be enjoyed with a cigar and coffee)

I hope you have had a great weekend with lots of laughs too!  Love to all!
 

Riding, Driving, and Drunk Bycicling

 

What is so much fun about using the Elmonica Max stop is that sometimes you get a special surprise of a fresh empty train coming out of the train yard to begin its day.  It's strange being the only passenger in the entire car, but it allowed me to get several photographs for possible future reference without having to offend anyone.  There were no shouts of "How dare you take my photo!"

 

Last night I had a blast going out with my coworkers and their significant others at a Mexican restaurant in Beaverton called Pepitas.  The decor screamed that it was an acid trip version of Mexico with so many bright colored objects displayed upon the vivid walls of mirrors and multicolored lights.  Absolutely insane and fun place with great food.  We all had a good time, or at least I definitely did as the strawberry marguarita led to a Corona and then another.  One topic of conversation was that bicyclists could get DUIs here in Oregon.

 

I had no idea.  Where I'm from that is precisely the way that drunks traditionally travel.  That seems hilarious to me - I can't imagine getting pulled over while I'm on my junky blue cruiser on the sidewalk for drunk driving.  SO FUNNY!  It does make sense since out here there are far more bicyclists than in Indiana...I could see where there was a possible need for some law out here, but to give a bicyclist the same DUI as you would a driver seems hysterical!  Good thing I don't drink very often, and am now in the know without having to get pulled over first.

 

So when I arrived home, I listened to a forgotten band that I liked in highschool and shortly after - Garbage.  I was looking up music and there they were.  It is so weird how music can make one remember how it felt to be younger, the experiences, the feelings, the routines, and the events as if it just happened yesterday.  One can close their eyes and it as though their bodies remember what it was to feel so young and what they were doing then.  It took me to a nightscape of driving alone on 200 West and Buck Lake Road in Angola, Indiana with the music turned up in my '81 red mustang (I think it was an '81).  I named it Lucifer due to everything about it being red - red exterior, red interior, and even the lights on the dash were all red.  Something about all red seems very devilish, so Lucifer seemed to apply. 

 

I loved driving on those particular roads that led out to the lakes from where I lived.  They had cornfields, old houses, new houses and on Buck Lake Road there was an old abandoned farm house that was dilapidated.  My friends and I decided that it was haunted, but really, I am doubtful of that now.  It certainly did look creepy at night.  Just beyond that was my favorite part of the road - where the trees bent over the road to form a canapy of branches like a tunnel of webbing during the winter months and comforting arches of cool green shade in the summer.  Granted, when driving through it the awesomeness of that certain part lasted about 6 seconds going at 35mph.  It wasn't exactly a long enjoyment, but at least it was.

 

Coming back into the now, this afternoon I spent time redesigning the banner for this blog, etsy and my facebook artist page.  What do you think?

 

I'm about to clear off the drawing table and create a mess again by doing possibly four small paintings simultaneously.  How's that for overachieving? haha  Really, my main goal of doing it like this is to experiment with different views of the same subject with the same palette.  We'll see if it works, or if it becomes a complete disaster.  It will be fun either way, so cheers to that!

 

Hope you enjoy your Saturday night too!  Thank you for reading and whatever you do, don't drive drunk - not even a bicycle.  Love to all!

 



 

An American Woman

The finished work -

An American Woman, 2013, Krystal Booth

Oil on paper, 18x24"

Etsy Listing:



http://www.etsy.com/listing/127026313/original-oil-painting-18x24-woman-at

(Detail)

 

 



(Detail)

For this piece, I wanted to bring back some narrative and share what I've been feeling and thinking lately.  I've tried to ignore my feelings of isolation in public places, and alienation in our culture in terms of my gender, but decided that it is worth sharing in this form.  I feel very revealed, but at the same time, I don't want it to be a concrete "this is the way you should read it" type of narrative.  I hope that it allows for the viewer's individual experiences to influence it's content.

Today I will be applying gesso on some more paper to get ready for oil painting.  I should have done this yesterday, but after waking up so early and working, I couldn't do much but sleep when I arrived back home.

As for the 100 works goal, I'm not too far behind.  I'm about to begin on #15 for the year.  I slipped a little over the past couple of weeks.  I have 286 more days to create 85 more works.  Looking at it in terms of days makes me realize that it is completely possible.

This is the first day of Spring - a rejuvenation after a long winter.  I'm ready for it, aren't you? 

Love to all, and thank you so very much for reading and allowing me to share my work with you.


 

Thank you

A couple of my friends from college posted this on facebook this morning.  They are artists as well, and good friends to have though we're spread across the country now (don't talk as much as we should).  Thank you Farah and Rahbird!

-Kevin Smith

 

 

I have to add here that I am EXTREMELY grateful for the support I have had - like you all who stop here to read this blog.  It is enouraging and keeps the motivation up to keep pushing ahead.  Thank you so much! 

 

I am very lucky to have crossed paths with you -  friends, family, mentors, readers, and comrades in the art field.  I can't thank you all enough and I send my love to you via good thoughts (and continuing to work my keester off).

 

Virgin No More

This is what I've been working on today - an experience that I've never had before:

Oil Painting on Paper!  I am no longer a virgin on paper...dun, dun, cha! (drum taps and cymbal in appreciation for my lame joke).

I really have been having fun with it.  I gave a good couple of layers of gesso, let it dry overnight and began this afternoon.  It's a work in progress that I'm planning to get done tomorrow.  At first it was a little weird trying to get the paint to spread around the way I'm used to, but I'm getting more used to the texture.

I just switched back to Turpenoid Natural again (was using regular Turpenoid) - that may have to do with it as well.  It has a lot more body to it than Turpenoid, so I'm acclimating to that again as well.  Turpenoid is just too toxic for my workspace, and for me!  I got a bit dizzy last week while I was working - BIG wake up call to change products.

I dedicate this song to Painting on Paper.  Enjoy a little INXS, and recall the 80s with me.

And of course I don't own the rights to this, didn't create it, didn't film it, and blah, blah, blah.

:)

 

 

 

Rules for Artists on Social Media

1)  Be as aloof as possible.

2)  If someone likes your work on social media, by all means never say "Thank you".

3)  If other artists follow you, by no means should you follow them back.  Only one can be a disciple, and don't let it be you.

4)  Don't give compliments or encouragement to other artists that you know unless you absolutely must (in some rare occasion that their creation excites you).  They will begin to think they are more accomplished than you, and you must maintain that upper hand, don't you?

5)  There is no comraderie.  There is only competition.

You want to ensure that they think you are better than them, and that everyone else knows it too.  It's about power and since they bowed to your feet by giving you a compliment, pushing the "like" button, giving a star, or favoriting your work, you have the upper hand.  Maintain this gain by maintaining distance.  Be cold by not responding.  This communicates that you are beyond them, or that they are so below you that their work or studio practice doesn't even register on your radar.  You are trying to prove that you are not equals and you are the superior artisan, artist, craftsman, curator or insert whatever title you must.


I believe that this advice is never said, but carried out and believed by artists that want to really go somewhere with their art.  All of this is shit.

Of course, I don't see this from people that I admire.  They are always supportive of other artists and people.  They give attention as they are interested and realize that yes, there is so much room for art in this world that we can and should encourage each other.  They are confident enough in their own studio practice to encourage others.  They genuinely want others to do well.

Have I been laboring under the wrong idea that I'm only in competition with myself?  I think if I believed that I was in competition with others that I would have put down the brushes and pencils long ago as I looked at the works of the Masters, my Mentors, and my peers.

Awhile ago I saw a post on Etsy and a seller was freaking out that another seller who did similar work favorited several of her works and her shop.  She interpreted it as a copyright infringement in the works, and questioned the integrity of such a seller that would like her work so much.

I thought that was sad.  I understand the root of her thought, but don't believe that anyone wishing to infringe upon her work would be so boldly stupid.  I think it was very conceited of her to have such a reaction.  Whatever happened to comraderie?  Was there ever comraderie?  The Impressionists formed bonds with one another.  The Abstract Expressionists did the same.  They visited each others studios, worked side by side at times, taught one another, and went drinking together.  They understood that they were the few of the majority and they needed to stick together.  They understood the power of a comraderie.  They appreciated their shared or similar philosophies, and gained energy from it for their individual studio practices.

Has the globalization of art and art marketing wrecked all of this?  Instead of being delighted with a similar styled artist who "likes" our work, we instead see it as a red flag.  What is happening?  Am I misunderstanding all of this?  Am I revealing how naive I am?

At this point I don't care about revealing how naive I may be.  That's alright - I'd rather be that than jaded.

I'm not writing this to be some micro-picky observer that is judging social media behavior and misconduct.  Everyone misses things - I've failed to see comments and emails on several occasions, or didn't get to see a new work by an artist I liked until way after the fact.  I'm not talking about honest mistakes.  I'm also not encouraging being a whore with stars, follows, likes, or favorites for the sake of it.  It's alright to have a discerning eye.  There is no fault in that.  By all means, don't sacrifice your authenticity in order to appease someone.  If you don't like it, then don't like it - just move on.

I'm just pointing out something that I've noticed with some successful artists and the mimicking of this behavior on down the ladder.  I worked as a tattoo artist for awhile and even noticed it there in the form of never returning calls to interested clients by the talented artist I apprenticed under.  The clients would have to call repeatedly and luck out if he was there and happened to answer the phone.

Does it just all boil down to false ego?

What do you think?


 

Closer

"I see myself as standing very much in battle against a whole lot of others who have found a way of working which for me denies the central essence of art, its humanity and its humanness.  Their art doesn't tell us about the deepest and most profound ideas of human beings in contact with other human beings."

 

-Leonard Baskin (1922- 2000)

 

A work by Leonard Baskin.

 

 

Over the past few days and several train rides of thought on the Max, I'm rethinking my approach to the September Issue series, or continuing the root of thought in a different direction.  Maybe this is a transformation of the series or maybe just a different viewpoint - one more personal.  I'm thinking going more personal is always a good thing - a closer view is more interesting than looking from a distance most of the time.

 

Today I'm not feeling as awesome as most days - a sore swollen throat and an achy head can do that.  I am confining myself to the comfort of our home and a couple of books I've been reading - the Audrey Flack one I mentioned a couple of posts ago and getting more education from "The Business of Art" by Lee Caplin (30th Anniversary Edition).

 

What have you been reading lately?  Hope you have a good day, and thank you for stopping in.

 

 



Now Offering Custom Portrait in Oils

Just wanted to share this new offering at my Etsy shop for 9x12" custom portraits!  Everyone should have proof that they were here, lived, laughed, and loved - why not in the form of an oil painting?

Here is the listing if you are interested in commissioning a work:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/126065288/custom-portrait-original-oil-painting

I look forward to creating for you if I'm so honored.  Thank you so much for reading and checking out the new listing!
 

Slob

Today I ventured to the art store armed with a Trimet pass, a debit card, and a lousy sweatshirt.  It is an absolutely beautiful day today in the Portland area and a winter coat would have been too much.  I believe every sweatshirt I own now has paint on it, but at least I was going where paint smudged clothes are the norm.

I picked up a new tube of Flake White Replacement made by Gamblin, and a tube of Burnt Umber courtesy of Winsor and Newton.  I haven't used the Flake White Replacement yet, and so I'm wondering how it compares to the Flake White that I usually buy from Winsor and Newton.

A few months back, I bought a Monarch Winsor and Newton #00 round brush, and despite my torment, it has kept up nicely.  I decided to purchase the #2 short filbert today and will be using it tonight on a commissioned work.  I'll be interested to see how well it holds up over the next few months and I'm hoping for some good luck.  Brushes can be so expensive!  Regular retail price for this one was over $16, but Blick offers it for a little over $11.  This isn't even close to the expensive high quality brushes that are found online and in stores, but it's of good enough quality for now to get the job done...hopefully several.

Of course, no shopping is complete without checking out a bookstore.  I found Audrey Flack's "Art and Soul:  Notes on Creating" (1986) for $1.50 at Powell's.  Yes, please!  That's amazing.  I'm excited to read some of it tonight after painting.

Promptly when I got home I accidentally laid my purse strap into my pallete of oil paint.  Burnt Sienna and gold was all over!  Just when I thought I had it all cleaned up, I hung up the purse, and when I pulled my hand away, a huge smudge was on my hand.  I ripped the purse off the hook, and there a huge clump of oil paint lay on both the back of my purse and on Matthew's winter coat.

See how fast it can happen?

Anyway, the sun is shining!  Have you seen all of the buds on the trees?
(I am practicing my diversion tactic for when he gets home.) haha

I hope your enjoying your Saturday!  Is anyone else a terror to clothes?

 

The Seven Year Itch

I just completed this portrait of my sweetheart of almost seven years -

Portrait of Matthew, 2013

Oil on canvas, 9x12"

Krystal Booth

 

 

I can't believe we've been together that long - time has gone by so quickly!  He's the most kind-hearted and patient man I've ever met (besides my father), and I'm a lucky gal.  (Hopefully a Marilyn Monroe type will not move into the apartment building soon- no thank you to the Seven Year Itch phenomenon, though it was a lovely movie).  He's great looking (my friend Sarah and I nicknamed him "Hot Matt" when we first met him), so I'm sure she would fall in love with him.  Thank goodness he thinks so much of me - I try to show him how ridiculous I am, but he loves me despite my lack of patience when I'm tired at night, and my seeing humor in anything and everything that could be inappropriate or boring to others.  Luckily, he's just as bad as I am.  Humor is the tie that binds as we laugh like bastards at lame jokes and at the bad dancing/singing we do in our living room. :)

 

On a different note, over the course of this next week, there will be a new listing in my Etsy shop for custom portraits.  I look forward to creating these small paintings for others and their loved ones.  I'm truly excited to create for others in this way, and will keep you posted about when it is up and running.

 

Cheers to love and creating!  Love to all -

 

 







Ode to Friendship

A new portrait of my best friend, Samm.

Portrait of Samm, 2013

Oil on canvas, 9x12"

Krystal Booth

 

 

I'm very excited about sending this to him.  Until then, I'm still waiting for the paint to dry a bit more.  I also would like to try to get a better photograph of it before sending it off. 

 

Samm and I love to tell people that we were born together.  Our mutual friends are all probably very sick and tired of how special we think it is, but darn it, it is special.  We were born in the blizzard of '78 in January.  Our mothers knew eachother, but were surprised to see eachother in the hospital - "Pat!  What are you doing here?"  "About to have a baby!  What are you doing here, Karol?"  "About to have a baby too!"  They were probably the only two mothers laughing while in labor during a blizzard.

 

Samm and I ended up being the only two babies in the nursery.  His cone head, and my scratched up face with new mittons covering my hands, we enjoyed spending our first few hours on earth side by side.  Well, maybe not exactly enjoyed, but there has never been many minutes that pass when we are together that have not been spent laughing and genuinely enjoying each other's company. 

 

What's also funny is that when we look back, we don't remember anyone ever telling us that we were born together when we were little.  We always just knew as we went through elementary school together.  Maybe we're romantic in thinking that way, but I really think that we are some sort of partners for life.  Maybe we had it all planned out before we even arrived.

 

Currently we live across the country from one another, but modern technology is the greatest of things.

 

Thank you for allowing me to share this with you, and I hope that you are blessed with friendships and love that no amount of distance or time can erode.

 

Goodnight, and love to all -

 

 

 

 



New Painting: Self Portrait

A new oil painting that I finished last night - a self-portrait.

Self-portrait, 2013, Krystal Booth

Oil on canvas, 12x9"

 



Etsy Pricing is for the Birds (So Put a bird on it)

I did some major research at the end of last summer about pricing artwork for my Etsy shop.  I researched different approaches, watched an extensive Etsy online lab about it, and researched the local and online markets.  All of the research made me fairly confused due to the major difference between online prices for art compared to that of my local art community in Portland.  In order to remedy this, I decided to give it a go for the Etsy approach.  This is the formula they suggest:

Materials + Labor + Expenses + Profit = Wholesale Price (The Price for Stores)

Wholesale Price x 2 =  Retail Price (The Price for the Public)

For Further Explanation of this Formula -
http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/a-simple-formula-for-pricing-your-work/


I made up my mind to stay true to this formula no matter how uncomfortable it may be.  It meant having respect for my product, process, and time.  It also meant being a responsible business owner.  I understood the importance of their formula, and I used it, regardless of how I personally felt about the high prices in my shop.

After the past few months of holding those prices in my shop, I did not stop cringing.  I thought I would grow comfortable as the process of arriving at the price was just and had integrity.  The danger of undermining this price formula is that if a buyer from a store approaches, they are automatically going to ask for about half of what your retail price is.  If you decide to do that, you are only going to wreck any chance of financial success as your profit crumbles to being in the red.  If you don't seize the opportunity, you miss out on an exciting opportunity to reach a bigger section of the public with your product.

But then I asked myself, do I really have a product that would be for wholesale buyers?  Would I want to handmake tons of the same to suit them?  My paintings would be easier to mass produce than creating jewelry due to the ability of posters, gliclee prints, and the like.  I wouldn't be handmaking them individually.  Perhaps my understanding is a bit wrong, but this is the trace of thought that helped me decide to instead use the first part of the formula and omit the wholesale multiplied by two price.

Maybe later I'll have different products to which the Etsy formula would better apply to as they would be more for handmade wholesale, but for now, I can sleep better at night.  The price is accurate for my product.  It doesn't make me feel silly, foolish, or pompous.  It is not undervaluing my work or business plan, nor is it undercutting the prices of other sellers.  It simply makes sense for me, and as far as I can tell, those at Etsy would agree with that sentiment.