Yet another "create art because you love it, not to get rich" post.

[dpaint]

I wondered how long it would take you to respond to this. Surprisingly gentle too.

Thats the new me, a big fuzzy gentle giant.

I mean dismissing the most important change in painting in the last 200 years is beyond ignorant. Turner, Constable, Corot, Monet, Van Gogh, Sorolla, Sargent, Levitan Munnings and on and on. Outdoor painting defines the last couple of centuries of representational painting; its what separates it from what went on before outdoor work.

[vineris]

[I]
Maybe there's his problem. The greatest paintings of our times? With all due respect for those plein air painters but since when are plein air paintings the greatest and most interesting paintings and should go for huge amounts of money? Most plein air paintings are just that, plein air paintings and nothing more.

Since when is the location where a painting was painted the defining characteristic of whether it's great or not? Most paintings are neither great nor interesting. Most paintings are not hanging in museums or great galleries. Going by your argument, we can pretty much dismiss all painting as being unworthy because 95% of it is not significant.

[Jonas Heirwegh]

That's as ignorant a statement as you could make. Those paintings are just like any other they depend on the abilities of the artists making them not on their subject.

True, true but I didnt mean it like that. I'm not talking about the subject matter, which can be anything you want.
I'm talking about his statement that those plein air paintings from Laguna are the greatest paintings of our times, which is simply not the case.

Levitan for example is brilliant because his landscapes aren't just landscapes, they go beyond the landscape. Allot of those plein air paintings from that gallery don't go further then just a landscape. It doesn't have anything to do with the subject. It has more to do with the way it's painted and why the artist is painting it.

Thats the new me, a big fuzzy gentle giant.

I mean dismissing the most important change in painting in the last 200 years is beyond ignorant. Turner, Constable, Corot, Monet, Van Gogh, Sorolla, Sargent, Levitan Munnings and on and on. Outdoor painting defines the last couple of centuries of representational painting; its what separates it from what went on before outdoor work.

Agreed, and I'm certainly not dismissing it. I just explained myself badly

[Noah Bradley]

I don't think you understand landscape painting as much as you think you do.

[bcarman]

You know Noah, every time I see your new avatar I expect it to move and for you to sniff a sifter of brandy.

[Ryan_B]

I was shocked at that part. How did he survive?
That barely covers rent for a basic 1 bedroom place here (Australia).

Probably bought his house before the housing bubble. Rent and house prices today can be misleading.

You can also move away from urban centers and pay much less for shelter. Selling your art on the internet makes this easier than it was in the past.

While reading his blog, my manager pointed out some article about Facebook shares and how some people are getting richer etc.

Careful. For every David Choe there are thousands of artists that got nothing from their shares in a company. Look up "Survivorship Bias"

Example: I worked at a game company and had a lot of shares from stock options. I quit and sold my shares at almost the perfect time (about 5% off from peak). Many of my co-workers ended up staying at the company and the stock price tanked leaving their stock options underwater and worthless. If you just looked at my return, you would think stock options from a game company were a brilliant idea.

Thanks for the link Manlybrian. I enjoyed reading Doug's blog posts. I'm always happy to read about an independent artist who is successful even if it took him 20 years of hard work to do it.

[Shayn Li]

If you love art, then there is a big reason you do. There are many life roles. The role of the artist is the creation of images or product that convey power and beauty; also, it is to inspire.

[shiroboi]

I've always enjoyed art but realized that even if I did get a job as a graphic designer, I would be struggling just to make ends meet. I work in the IT field and earn double what I'd be getting if I were doing art for a living. I'm happy keeping art as a hobby but am always a tad jealous at those who are very successful doing what they love for a living.