An Unlikely Connection

Networking

While pursuing like minded artists, I found myself on an international site called Paintings I Love http://www.paintingsilove.com/ - basically an artist social network where you upload your paintings and the community vote and comments on each other work. I think for isolated artists (many are) it's a support group and at some level a way of receiving validation. 

Cyber mates

The community is a very good mix of entry level and professional artists. PIL had another aspect, international connections. I made many cyber friends, but one in particular, a young emerging British Impressionist I’ll call "Night Painter". We teamed up, formed an alliance and became cyber painting mates. We chat art on a daily basis, swap information, support and mentor each other. I push him he pushes me. It works because we have identical goals and in truth completely committed to careers as fine oil painters and will do what it takes!!  To date I’ve found few with that commitment and when I do, those are the emerging and successful ones. I think many are caught up in the romance of art and the idea of being an artist and once they understand the commitment (if they ever do) have to make a decision pleasure or professional, and what they expect from art. If not, it’s a recipe for absolute failure. Being an artist as it turns out is a very complex undertaking. For me its 24/7, for night painter it’s not, his challenges are greater than mine. He also has full time employment and I might add very demanding at that! Yet he still tries to paint daily or if nothing else catch up on favorite links or watch one of his art DVDs waiting for his weekend of painting. His situation is typical for an emerging artist. Even so he’s making serious progress building his base. I’m 24/7 and as result moving faster and one might say “plowing the path” night painter gets a glimpse of his future.

This unlikely connection allowed both of us to cross international lines, In my case London with the Venice in Peril Exhibit at W H Patterson and him International Salon at Greenhouse Gallery. San Antonio, TX. We both enter juried online and brick & mortar gallery exhibits. We do this because we know if we stay "isolated" as many artists do, we won’t grow and develop into truly fine oil painters, our main goal. You have to know what your competition is and match or better it!! The best way to do it, enter prestigious national and international shows. These events are always at the better galleries, hence the “best exposure” and the “best company”

While our plan is simple the goals are monumental, but like anything if you break it down into workable pieces it becomes manageable. It's different for each of us but we both choose to build a proper foundation,  a good product first! There's no point marketing a bad one. Developing your craft, receiving validation, making connections, joining like mined groups and organizations needs to be in place first!