Dear Artists, I was a late bloomer. I look at Lauryn who has already had a solo exhibition at a NYC gallery. Then again, I had a baby and a toddler when I was in my early 30's, and was working tirelessly in academia. We all know how that turned out. A few days ago I turned 50. My older kid is in college, it's not until after 6pm that I see signs of life from my other one. Being an artist really can be about timing. After devoting years to supporting an entire generation of art school...
2 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Artists, What's your #1 challenge as an artist right now? Common challenges I see: Your piece isn't finished, but you don't know what to do next. accountability & staying motivated The more you work on a piece, the worse it gets. You're not seeing any progress, no matter how hard you work. Reply with yours, it doesn't have to be what I listed above. Share a bit of context for you're struggling with, and I'll send you something useful. Or, get a video reply from me here. xoxo Prof Lieu...
3 days ago • 1 min read
Time to rank your gallery goals Dear Artists, Before you do anything else related to galleries, let's rank what's most important to you. 1) Private collections 2) Museum shows + collections 3) Money 4) Prestige Maria A. Guzmán Capron at Lyles and King My answers: #1: Prestige is the one I care the most about, probably leftover from my years in academia. Or, maybe it's because I want all of my enemies to eat their words... #2: I do want to be in more museum collections. I'm only in 1 (Hood Art...
3 days ago • 1 min read
The magic potion Dear Artists, Many of you ask me how you can stay consistent with your practice. My answer is that staying consistent is nearly impossible. (I would fail in 3 days) Instead, focus on what makes your practice sustainable. Sustainability is about showing up. We have a staff call every Wed at 6pm. While we are there to work, Cat once said that she likes us simply being together. Plus, we get cat cameos. Binging videos provides information, but it will never give you a warm...
4 days ago • 1 min read
with Leslie Weissman at Futur Fair Dear Artists, Last month I was in NYC and visited Leslie Weissman at her Loft Projects booth at Futur Fair. I was happy to see Haejin Park's painting there. (her work is above my head) Haejin was in my freshman drawing class at RISD and ended up doing her MFA at Yale in painting. Anyway, I figured I'd mention while we're here... I have 3 spots for mentoring this month. with Haejin Park Here's how it works I review your artwork before your call, and you tell...
7 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Artists, I’m 50 today! Halfway there if I’m lucky. 🤩I started a book, and I’m very proud of the community here. ❤️ However, what has been most meaningful to me in the last year has been my studio practice.The last time that I had a personal body of work was in 2014. That was fine with me, as I had plenty on my plate. At that point, I saw Art Prof as being my swan song. Zombie from The Walking Dead Then came a turning point. My family was obsessed with the TV show The Walking Dead, and...
8 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Artists, When Jordan posts his webcomic sketches, I gasp. His compositions show SO much depth. Yet over pancakes, he kept telling me how weak his skills were. Huh??? Same thing happens with Mia, Lauryn, Deepti, and Cat. As accomplished as they are, they still have imposter syndrome. Over cheesy grits in NYC, I gave Deepti a nudge to do the commissions she's been thinking about. Over cocktails in Miami, I told Mia that she absolutely was ready to show at galleries. A few months later, she...
10 days ago • 1 min read
One photo Resin Charm Jewelry Dear Artists, I told Cat last week that I needed some big red earrings. I send her ones I'm thinking about. I stumbled upon these gorgeous resin drop earrings, (above) but as cool as they were, I didn't buy them. The reason: there was no photo of a person wearing the earrings. I had no idea what the actual length was, and that was enough for me to walk away. When I work with artists to increase their sales in Art Club, I figure out what the culprit is, and then...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Dear Artists, When you don't have a mentor or art teacher, you're probably asking your parents for help with your art. Or, maybe you're not asking, and they telling you how to make your drawing better. The problem is, sometimes you really truly have no idea whether the colors in your painting are any good, no matter what you try. When it comes to your art school portfolio, unless your parents are professional artists, don't take their advice. (you can tell them I said that too) Having worked...
15 days ago • 1 min read