Public commentary

[Elizabeth Schott]

The woman takes her finger and points to the painting and says to her male companion "You see this, she says matter of factly, this is called [****] (she spoke some medical term that I had never heard and don't remember) this is caused when the mother drinks heavily during pregnancy." The man then said to me "good job" and they walked off.

Mike I think they were talking about that lovely translucent skin that children have with this in-vitro experience! It is lovely skin colors-which are very hard to capture in any medium! The must have been overwhelmed with the beauty of your painting.

Now if it was the father who drank, that

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Well, it does take all kinds. They certainly don't sound like art collectors so who cares?

There are about one billion people in the world that you do not need to like your work. A couple hundred will do just fine. Think on those and dwell on the nice remarks. You might also consider painting while wearing a side arm. Comments are fewer and much nicer generally.

Mike get to the Philbrook...ASAP.

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Mike, let me tell you another public experience. About 25 years ago I was showing my paintings on the street in a small town. A big farmer came up wearing clean, worn overalls; he had two lovely children holding his hands-something that made me like him.

After a while, he bashfuly walked up to me and said what has after many years at many shows from Scottsdale to Boston has never been said more succinctly, better or more kindly. He said," I have never painted and I don't know much about art, but if I ever did, I would want to paint like this."



We artists must hold to these memories and let the other stuff go.

[Mike McCarty]

I have had a lot of very nice comments since I first started this thread. It must have been some sort of initiation or hazing for public artists.

[Timothy C. Tyler]

We all hang with people we enjoy and avoid the others. But when you are in public you run into some very odd people. If you think about it these people could just have been released from jail or mental institutions. You see these folks in droves at the Grand Canyon. They'll walk up to you and invade your space (personal and artistic) and (not talking to you at all) say, "oh, he's making a painting."

Mike, "get thee to the Philbrook."

[Mike McCarty]

Mike, "get thee to the Philbrook."

This is on my short list of things to do. I have an art friend that said the exhibit was a bit thin.

I shall get me to thee Philbrook.

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Some of my old western buds have a show at the Gilcrease too. Both museums would be a great day.

The Philbrook has 12 very nice works, 15 you can walk past quickly, plus their permanent stuff.

[Jeff Fuchs]

It's called "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome", and it's nothing to make light of. Get that child to a doctor!

Juuuust kidding.

My next door neighbor is a successful artist who paints primatives. He does very well, but I'm sure he's had to endure more than his share of I-could-paint-that-myself comments. He has an endearing personality and is very upbeat, but I have to think it's bothered him at times. I don't think I could take much of that.

If you pros are getting distasteful comments, I don't know if I'd ever be able to show my work in public.

[Michele Rushworth]

It can be nerve wracking to paint in public, but most people can't paint or draw at all, so they are impressed when they see anyone who can, even if imperfectly.

Now, for real "performance anxiety" (as Linda Brandon put it), try painting in a workshop surrounded by a bunch of other professional SOG artists and watched closely by Bill Whitaker. Now that's pressure! (Of course, all their comments were nice. It's what they weren't saying that I wonder about!)

[Linda Fried]

Michele, if anyone suffered "performance anxiety" in Bill's class it was me! Surrounded by so many pros and being self-taught -- I was ready to go home the first day at noon! I'm glad I stuck around, though.

About insensitive people, I pretty much agree with everything everyone else said already. I, personally, will hope to never work in public. I would say that with literally everyone that makes unkind comments, they are completely lacking self-esteem and self-confidence. People who are even relatively self-assured will have only positive things to say to someone, not insensitive or rude comments. When you realize how unhappy they must be, you can only pity them.

And it's true. There's a heck of a lot of people in this world that aren't artistic in the least, and for them the most minor amount of ability to paint is a miraculous puzzle they will never hope to solve. Or even try.

Linda