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mach123456 [2005-07-01 03:37:46 +0000 UTC]

Another friend said this,

"I'm not sure my advice will be of any use. Are you creating a collaborative piece where your patrons (and all of the people on this e-mail) are also participating in perfecting the final product? Or are you asking for advice on how to get out of the twisted mess when you first take on a task believing you are the expert (artist in this case) and find out that you are really just a laborer (painter).

You have many options: (a) just finish as quickly as possible and take as much direction from your patrons and hope they are happy (this is being a robot, not an artist); (b) take your time and make it YOUR piece and try to forget all of the patrons adice, hope your patrons can't tell the difference; or (c) say "I don't need no sticking help" and just paint, man, paint.

I know nothing about how the masters were able to receive commissions. But, part of it, is that the artist was allowed to use their judgement in what the product will be. Many times the patrons end up unhappy. It's an imperfect relationship . . . unless you get a collector that wants ANYTHING you can come up with (Warhal only had this following after many years of work.)"

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mach123456 [2005-07-01 03:37:12 +0000 UTC]

Another teacher said this,

"I studied your finished painting carefully--and I don't think you should touch it. It's beautiful and finished. To change it would be like changing a finished piece of ceramics. Keep the painting for yourself-- to be sold sometime in the future. it's a really good painting.

Which leaves you with some options:

Offer to paint another canvas for your friends, and pay them for the first canvas, if you haven't already done so. Discuss in advance how much of the color sketch and how much of the first painting should be incorporated into this new painting.

And/or

Sell them the color sketch

Or

apologize profusely, get all humble, and beg them to accept the color sketch as a gift in lieu of doing another painting.


But I don't think you should touch your finished painting."

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mach123456 [2005-07-01 03:35:57 +0000 UTC]

A former art teacher wrote me about the work and said,

"It's nice to hear that you got a commission. Your clients are just being clients. If they really want something like the sketch my advice would be to first of all explain to them that they can't expect a duplicate, but that you will try to evoke the same feeling if that's what they want. It's always good to make sure they know you are trying (even if you still do your own thing in the end). From what I remember of your painting style, I would just put the sketch up on the wall while you work and focus on the direction you want to take with the big painting based on the sketch. If you remember we did this in class with your Soutine portrait when you were working on.



Since the painting is almost finished, go slowly. Maybe not so much needs to change. Of course, you may get into it and change the whole thing. Anyway, you can still paint intuitively, but just have a certain focus in mind and refer to the study as often as you need. Actually, it looks mostly like you need to heighten the colors a bit which you can do by layering semi-transparent paint (with medium), so that you don’t completely lose what’s underneath. It’s different if they want to change the shapes, so that they are more like the sketch, but the sense I got from your email is that they are most concerned with color and texture. I have to admit that the study seems more vibrant and inviting to me as well. I know that sometimes when we get into a big painting I tend to overwork it, so I often end up with a final layer that's more immediate and gestural to counteract that."

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gelfling822 [2005-06-30 17:43:32 +0000 UTC]

they both have strong points about them....the left one is something i can easily see myself doing (actually i have something like it blue) but if i had to said which i liked better and thought was stronger, i would actually have say the right one...
i agree with the woman, the study has much more life....the left one is very controlled....it hard to say, not being able to see it in person, but my first reaction would be that you were going for something fluid, no? the design and shapes and the way it makes your eye move around the work, leads me to believe that....but being that it is so controlled, so perfect, it loses that fluid movement and becomes rather static and dull...it uses warm colors but it is cold...i know that that can be frustrating, like i said, i work like this too sometimes....there is something very comforting to me to be right on top of a painting, controlling everything about the piece and the paint...it puts me a zone and i can be there for hours working so hard to make it perfect...but when i step back from all my hard work (and comforting work) i realize "fuck, it's dead...there is no life in something that i just work so hard on, something i just poured so much of my life into"....so honestly, i don't really know what the answer to this problem is...but my advice would be this....

just paint

well you say, how do i do that without thinking too much about it....

just do it....clear you mind and just paint...don't focus on the fact that you are getting paid for this, you will psych yourself out if you do that...just take a deep breathe....and just paint....it's alot easier then we let ourself believe....

your, sister

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gelfling822 [2005-06-30 17:43:15 +0000 UTC]

they both have strong points about them....the left one is something i can easily see myself doing (actually i have something like it blue) but if i had to said which i liked better and thought was stronger, i would actually have say the right one...
i agree with the woman, the study has much more life....the left one is very controlled....it hard to say, not being able to see it in person, but my first reaction would be that you were going for something fluid, no? the design and shapes and the way it makes your eye move around the work, leads me to believe that....but being that it is so controlled, so perfect, it loses that fluid movement and becomes rather static and dull...it uses warm colors but it is cold...i know that that can be frustrating, like i said, i work like this too sometimes....there is something very comforting to me to be right on top of a painting, controlling everything about the piece and the paint...it puts me a zone and i can be there for hours working so hard to make it perfect...but when i step back from all my hard work (and comforting work) i realize "fuck, it's dead...there is no life in something that i just work so hard on, something i just poured so much of my life into"....so honestly, i don't really know what the answer to this problem is...but my advice would be this....

just paint

well you say, how do i do that without thinking too much about it....

just do it....clear you mind and just paint...don't focus on the fact that you are getting paid for this, you will psych yourself out if you do that...just take a deep breathe....and just paint....it's alot easier then let ourself believe....

your, sister

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ileana [2005-06-27 13:44:48 +0000 UTC]

I LOVE THEM! BOTH! LIKE THE WAY THEY ARE COMBINED!

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froger3 [2005-06-27 09:02:10 +0000 UTC]

i like the left one

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ecstasy90 [2005-06-27 04:23:50 +0000 UTC]

haha, sounds like quite a predicament. no real recommendations, i realy like it so far. hope everything turns out great

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