2023 May
Welcome back on this beautiful month of May! Where summer is not so hot yet and the cold winter days are over. My friends and I still go camping overnight. Swimming, kayaking, wall climbing and others are done until 9am and will only resume by 5pm. When the summer heat comes everything will be indoors except at night time. Construction workers also work at site during the night only. Climate change yeah…
Since April up to May, most exhibitions were themed Sustainability and Earth Love. Paintings were made on recycled objects. It’s a bit icky and I don’t think buyers will buy art that is made from garbage. But I digress. I joined one exhibition (hosted by Creative Cubes- a new curator I am working with) and I painted sea turtles on a shower curtain. The subject is the Ocean Cleanup System showing the lush marine life that it protects. I painted it well using spray paint and acrylic but with the presence of plastic bottles garbage on the subject and the medium it was painted on I don’t think it’s best to put on my portfolio or sell. It was a great social media content informing people on the effects of microplastics and how cute sea turtles are - reason enough to save them.
Coffee Island which has branches in 27 countries will open its first branch in the UAE. I will be one of the 8 selected artists who will do the live art during the opening day. The paintings will be displayed for 2 weeks. They do these live paintings and selection of diverse artists for marketing promotions. I am now confident painting with an audience because of my outings with Susan, my Iranian friend. We used to paint on the beach and in parks.
I emailed my portfolio to several local galleries. There is no harm in trying, right? They responded that they will consider in the future and some have a membership fee. I don’t think an artist should pay to exhibit. Oh well, we need to start somewhere. I’m willing to pay to kickstart this career. I also paid another magazine to feature me, I consider it a marketing expense.
I’m glad this art career is going now to the commercial direction. Collaborating with coffeeshops, a hypermarket and a bookstore (scheduled maybe this June). In my opinion, art should be treated more as a business than a personal expression. There is a balance of course but we should be pragmatic. When AI and technology erase most jobs in the future, creators will remain steadfast and prolific. Artists will be the new rich. Yey!
I’ve been watching online courses on improving the speed of painting without compromising quality. I am a slow painter because I believe that the details make all the difference. Details give the impression of professionalism. Blending… Smoothing… Perfection… No! That takes away the brushstrokes and the imprints of emotions. That takes away the abstract individuality of the artist. That takes away the development of the artist’s process and style. Just like everything in life, it’s all about momentum. Momentum on the right track always leads to success.
I’m sounding a bit ambitious for today. Dream on babe.
Xoxo,
Nelly