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Achieving the “Artist Look”
We’ve all seen her at art shows and craft markets, and too many potential patrons silently dismiss her presence, either knowingly or unknowingly.
You’ll walk past her display of colorful, powerful and passionate work that is notably devoid of potential buyers. She might be a painter or jewelry maker. People see her and keep walking, the stall is empty.
Her appearance is unremarkable. She’s usually middle-aged, often overweight, dressed in her latest loose fitting top from Ross or Marshalls. Her short hair coiffed into a time capsule from 10 years ago. She seems better suited for a Tupperware or party or PTA meeting than a gallery show.
We make a lot of unfair assumptions about her. We assume her life is one of domesticity. We judge that her work is somehow in conflict with who she is and what she “should” be doing. It’s assumed that she has a husband or partner who provides her with funding, or that she is retired. In the world of serious artists, she is discarded as nothing more than a hobbyist. We better visualize her at work on a jigsaw puzzle or sudoku than at the easel. She is low-impact aquarobics, Live Laugh Love, and Bingo. The most noticeable thing about her is just how unnoticeable she is.
If you’d stop to take a closer look, you’d see how brightly her work shines. You’d see the hours, days, and years she has…
