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06-05-2002, 07:11 AM

Peggy,

The thought was there but I did not write it. I would rephrase this sentence as follows:
"I don't think the [typical] business exec is [necessarily] an art aficionado and the commissioning of a portrait is [often] out of their field of expertise." Replace this sentence in the context in which it was written.

(When you are trying to make a point sometimes you do not realize that what you have said or written is worded in a manner so open for interpretation.)

For some people painting is their job or a hobby. In my experience art is a spiritually dynamic, profoundly honorable and enriching process. I often feel the intoxication of being in love and connected to some sort of center of all things when I paint. I have known other artists who share these feelings. I also know people who do not create art but who love it and experience these qualities when viewing fine art pieces. I feel a kinship with these people.

I do not think of telling a mechanic how to repair my car. I would not tell my dentist how to fill a tooth. How do you think either of these people would feel if their clientele wanted to direct their work? Unless they had sufficient background knowledge it probably would not go over very well.

I make a living in graphic design because it is about as deep as I can tolerate working with laymen in this arena. I have worked with hundreds of people. A whole lot of dealing with people is congeniality. People will choose you because they like you and you are entertaining to work with. I can handle the tugs and pulls people can throw at you as long as it is relatively superficial and graphic design does not demand the all encompassing investment of soul that fine art is for me. If you have children you might relate this experience to how you might feel if someone harmed your child. The same love, innocence and purity is alive in my creative experience as it is in the created child.

This is a forum for portrait artists. I have been under the impression that this included a wide range of participants, from beginners to people who paint portraits for the experience alone without any monetary interest. If this is correct, you will encounter opinions, such as mine, that do not fit within the restraints of professional portraiture for hire. I am not built inside for portraiture for hire. It goes against my grain. I admire many categories of fine art that may include portraiture.

I do not paint to make friends or to make a living. I paint because I was born an artist and it is the experience of all experiences. It is just what I do along with thinking there are a lot of poorly painted suits in portrait art.

I did not start out so I could go off the deep end and I did start out so I could go off the deep end. You saw something behind my words and offered sound advice. I would benefit from such an adjustment in thinking if I hoped to paint for a living. This has been fun.

06-05-2002, 07:11 AM	#13
Michael Triple Guest Posts: n/a	Peggy, The thought was there but I did not write it. I would rephrase this sentence as follows: "I don't think the [typical] business exec is [necessarily] an art aficionado and the commissioning of a portrait is [often] out of their field of expertise." Replace this sentence in the context in which it was written. (When you are trying to make a point sometimes you do not realize that what you have said or written is worded in a manner so open for interpretation.) For some people painting is their job or a hobby. In my experience art is a spiritually dynamic, profoundly honorable and enriching process. I often feel the intoxication of being in love and connected to some sort of center of all things when I paint. I have known other artists who share these feelings. I also know people who do not create art but who love it and experience these qualities when viewing fine art pieces. I feel a kinship with these people. I do not think of telling a mechanic how to repair my car. I would not tell my dentist how to fill a tooth. How do you think either of these people would feel if their clientele wanted to direct their work? Unless they had sufficient background knowledge it probably would not go over very well. I make a living in graphic design because it is about as deep as I can tolerate working with laymen in this arena. I have worked with hundreds of people. A whole lot of dealing with people is congeniality. People will choose you because they like you and you are entertaining to work with. I can handle the tugs and pulls people can throw at you as long as it is relatively superficial and graphic design does not demand the all encompassing investment of soul that fine art is for me. If you have children you might relate this experience to how you might feel if someone harmed your child. The same love, innocence and purity is alive in my creative experience as it is in the created child. This is a forum for portrait artists. I have been under the impression that this included a wide range of participants, from beginners to people who paint portraits for the experience alone without any monetary interest. If this is correct, you will encounter opinions, such as mine, that do not fit within the restraints of professional portraiture for hire. I am not built inside for portraiture for hire. It goes against my grain. I admire many categories of fine art that may include portraiture. I do not paint to make friends or to make a living. I paint because I was born an artist and it is the experience of all experiences. It is just what I do along with thinking there are a lot of poorly painted suits in portrait art. I did not start out so I could go off the deep end and I did start out so I could go off the deep end. You saw something behind my words and offered sound advice. I would benefit from such an adjustment in thinking if I hoped to paint for a living. This has been fun.