twitter.jpgAlthough the week of Christmas did not result in any studio time, I was able to extract some time to read. I found several hot topics that I found interesting and wanted to share.

As always, if you’d like to follow my live Twitter feed, I’m at @vsgreaves — or click the Twitter icon in the upper right hand corner above the menu.

Is anyone making a substantial living with their art? I once took a watercolor class from Wayne Spradley, one of the few artists I’ve ever personally met that made a living wage with their work. He has work in the collections of most of the living US presidents. But there are a few that make a substantial amount more than the rest of us:
List of Wealthiest Living Artists in the World 2013 – Artpromotivate http://buff.ly/1jAxnWy via @ArtProMotivate

Luke Haynes is a young male quilter that I met online through a mutual friend. It was a big deal when news of his New York exhibit had a review in the New York Times. I’m thrilled for him and the textile community to have some recognition:
#lukehaynes in the NYT! Memories, Stitched Together, for Gallery Walls http://nyti.ms/K7E2XY 

And in case he wasn’t already basking in the glow of publicity, Luke also had an article published about him in LA Weekly:
#lukehaynes in LA weekly! How to Be an Avant-Garde Professional Quilter http://blogs.laweekly.com/arts/2013/12/quilter_quilting_sewing.php 

I was newly introduced to Edward Winkleman’s blog. He’s an engaging writer and his article about having the freedom to fail as a necessary component of creativity doesn’t disappoint. “Failure is simply part of the process.”
“The Need for Affordable Failure” http://www.edwardwinkleman.com/2013/12/the-need-for-affordable-failure.html

“… success is momentary.” “You are not experiencing failure … You are experiencing life.” Another refreshing perspective on winning and losing in the art world:
It is what it is. The majority of artists — no matter where they are at financially within the art world — will… http://fb.me/6BbhpaQ3s via @BrianSherwinArt

This one was just too funny to not include. Especially working in textiles, I have heard some outrageous comments (the worst probably being a reference to one of my pieces being a placemat — thankfully it sold for a pretty penny so I didn’t spend much time invested in that negativity). It’s always hard to know what to say in return.
18 Things That Artists Hate to Hear – Artpromotivate http://buff.ly/1fWxWoD via @ArtProMotivate

I continue to have a fascination with Banksy and this article of his quotes and pics of his work was interesting. Is his work vandalism or art? “You can win the rat race but you’re still a rat.”
Banksy Street Artist – Amazing Graffiti Art and Quotes – Artpromotivate http://buff.ly/18LJpYn via @ArtProMotivate