It's great when I find an artist who embodies so many of principles of success.   Longevity is the result of an artist who continually strives to stretch the boundaries of their work while maintaining their integrity.  I find Richard Notkin's work to be of that caliber.  I know I've spent a lot of time talking about him, but aside from that fact that is work is incredible, his journey holds the key to success for emerging artists.

As he presented his slide lecture he was very clear that although the subject matter of his work might change, the form was constant.  His use of the teapot as a jumping off point is similar to experiencing an artist archaeological dig.  You can see the strata in his work as his work has progressed over the years.  You can see the continuity over time without his work being repetitive, that's an accomplishment.

I encourage artists I work with to do their own retrospective.  It's a great opportunity to see how you've evolved as an artist when you lay them out along a time line.  Often when I visit artists I ask them if I can play a game of picking the order of how the work was created.  It's interesting to see what part of the work the artist chose to continue with on their own journey.  It's also a great opportunity to see where the disjointed parts of their lives intruded in their art.

What I find when seeing evolution in art like Notkin's is the mastery that comes out of the process.  Mastery in design, mastery in execution, mastery in technique are the rewards of allowing your work to evolve in an organic manner.

Constantly evolving...
Greg

helping artists create successful and sustainable art businesses