You Never Earn Your Time: An Artist's Dilemma

Art and artists tend to be low paid workers. Look at Van Gogh. He sold one painting out of over 1,000 paintings and even the simplest sketch today is worth millions. Or say Keith Haring, the master of graffiti art. As a NYC friend said, I wish I had torn down his graffiti art when I lived in NYC. "I'd be worth millions!"

Artists, with exception of a very few, live hand to mouth. In fact, you might wonder if some "art" is really art at all. I'm sure that was the initial reaction to Jackson Pollack's "splatter art," whose painting's today are worth tens of millions. I remember Life Magazines features of his nude models rolling around in paint. Heady stuff to a 10 year old.

For most of us, art of any kind is a lonely profession. At some point young or old, consider Grandma Moses, many get the bug to create...be it paint on canvas, pottery, jewelry, sculpting, welding. These are creations that originate in the mind. They are yours and yours alone.

Over the years I have written about my journey and most recently about how my art has changed and, well, grown. It's a personal and often lonely journey that thrives on recognition no different from an actor on stage, or on a movie screen, writing a novel or playing a Beethoven Sonata. Recognition is the oxygen we crave. For every adulation while alive so many more arrive after one's death. There will be no more so we look again.

While alive though we rarely get their salary for the time and effort to just create the piece. This was brought home to me when my partner pointed out I spent as much time on a small birdhouse as a far larger one that is more likely to sell.. In fact maybe even more time as you work in and out of tiny spaces. Everything is scaled down but just as much effort is spent with smaller strokes and tinier spaces.

With that in mind this year I looked at my collection of small birdhouses, boxes and thought, should I just throw them away? At most the investment would be no more than $50.00 so why burden myself with them? For whatever reason, I couldn't. Instead I decided to finish them for small gifts. Friends think I'm crazy anyway, so why not let my junk be their junk? Fodder for Christmas White Elephant parties?

When I started craft painting after a few tries I quickly graduated into buying sets of threes. I would hand sketch the same design on them and paint away. By the time color was painted on the third item, the first was dry. Well, they may have been the same style birdhouse and they all had, more or less the same sketched design but by the time they were finished they were all a bit and sometimes radically different. Then, when I started in the 2010's "mini" birdhouses sold at Michael's for one buck ($1.00) I couldn't resist stocking up on those too. It was only when my partner, watching me work said, "You're spending as much time on those little ones as a big one and I stopped.

Last year I dug up all my Michael's 25 cent after Christmas ornaments, painted them and stuck ALL 40 in my annual Christmas cards. Viola, all gone. This year I used 20 wooden hearts painted in a cubist king style with 13 colors each that will go in my cards complete with hangers, all ready for the tree.. Speak of using up the inventory!       

Is this a waste of my time? Who knows,? I'm 80 and retired with plenty of time on my hands for projects like this. I feel it keeps me young at heart! One thing I do know for sure, after too many days out of the studio I find I get snappish and testy! Don't let that happen to you.Creating is our oxygen.

Thank you for reading my blog! Please be sure to visit on a regular basis or contact me at KrugsStudio@gmail.com. New blogs are added all the time. In conjunction  with my store I feel that “design” is an important part of our lives. Everything we use or live by was designed by someone. Please tell your friends, artists or anyone who appreciates design about my blog.

OWN or GIFT an original work of art this year!