While we have a couple weeks before shouting “Happy New Year!” and welcoming 2022 with bright hopes—perhaps of lessened global pandemic woes, moderate climate disasters matched with extreme response to interrupt human-based climate change, and/or a halt to our crumbling democracy—more significantly, here’s where we’ve been with artmsr.com and the business of art in year two of the pandemic and since our last New Year’s celebration:
The website entertained almost 10,000 “Unique Visitors” who visited almost 24,000 pages. Most (57.6%) got there via Google Chrome, although 6.2% fell under “? Unknown.”
The cost of doing business includes art supplies, computer programs, equipment, responding to calls for art, research, entertainment, shipping, packaging, studio upkeep, mileage, and the web site. For 2021 the Response to Calls for Art were down about 75% from normal (11 call responses); business mileage (125 miles) was down even more (from 95% of normal). We did manage a few donations to various cultural institutions. Workshop costs were noticeably lower (50-80%) and included a special workshop “Career Documentation for Visual Artists” that led to all kinds of extra effort. Of course the workshops were Zoomed.
All in all this worked out to presenting 75 new artworks and 9 (including this one) blog posts here on the website. I have no idea how this might compare to other working artists since such details are rarely discussed.
Of the artworks, 52 were done on paper and considered drawings and 23 on canvas. Twenty-eight went into the Geometric Gallery; 26 into Painterly; 2 into Fantasy/Narrative; 10 into the Minimalist Gallery; and 10 refused easy categorization and fell into the Other Gallery.
Sources of inspiration are somewhat covered in the May and June blogs “Gratitude” and “Sharing.” Since then we’ve also been inspired repeatedly by Rumi and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s book “In Love with the World.” Additional translations into abstract artworks have been inspired by Pema Chodron, Epicetus, several intuitive visions, Wise Heart, Alan Vargo, Nietzsche, Winston Churchill, Tobias Emery, Buddha, and Hugh Sidey after a conversation with Chelsea Emery.
Topics address life, chaos, why birds sing, perfection, community, judgements, feeling undone/off center, knitting, talent, character, art itself, a rumpled spirit, death, wrongdoing/rightdoing, future, personal loads, becoming, disruption/confusion, clouds, sheltered living, spring, tempers (lost), stupidity, shadows, emptiness, knowing oneself, woe, social re-entry, joy and frustration, absurdity, struggle, ambiguity, seeing, centering, heat stress, acceptance, connecting the dots, despair, movement, uncertainty, beliefs, freedom, earthquake, friendship, caution, fear, self-portraits, humanity, sweet eyes, truth, gravity/control, light/shadow, nothing, amor fati, success, glory, being comfortable, and sense of humor.
It’s been a very full year. Hope you’ve enjoyed the ride. 2022 coming on up…..
The website entertained almost 10,000 “Unique Visitors” who visited almost 24,000 pages. Most (57.6%) got there via Google Chrome, although 6.2% fell under “? Unknown.”
The cost of doing business includes art supplies, computer programs, equipment, responding to calls for art, research, entertainment, shipping, packaging, studio upkeep, mileage, and the web site. For 2021 the Response to Calls for Art were down about 75% from normal (11 call responses); business mileage (125 miles) was down even more (from 95% of normal). We did manage a few donations to various cultural institutions. Workshop costs were noticeably lower (50-80%) and included a special workshop “Career Documentation for Visual Artists” that led to all kinds of extra effort. Of course the workshops were Zoomed.
All in all this worked out to presenting 75 new artworks and 9 (including this one) blog posts here on the website. I have no idea how this might compare to other working artists since such details are rarely discussed.
Of the artworks, 52 were done on paper and considered drawings and 23 on canvas. Twenty-eight went into the Geometric Gallery; 26 into Painterly; 2 into Fantasy/Narrative; 10 into the Minimalist Gallery; and 10 refused easy categorization and fell into the Other Gallery.
Sources of inspiration are somewhat covered in the May and June blogs “Gratitude” and “Sharing.” Since then we’ve also been inspired repeatedly by Rumi and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s book “In Love with the World.” Additional translations into abstract artworks have been inspired by Pema Chodron, Epicetus, several intuitive visions, Wise Heart, Alan Vargo, Nietzsche, Winston Churchill, Tobias Emery, Buddha, and Hugh Sidey after a conversation with Chelsea Emery.
Topics address life, chaos, why birds sing, perfection, community, judgements, feeling undone/off center, knitting, talent, character, art itself, a rumpled spirit, death, wrongdoing/rightdoing, future, personal loads, becoming, disruption/confusion, clouds, sheltered living, spring, tempers (lost), stupidity, shadows, emptiness, knowing oneself, woe, social re-entry, joy and frustration, absurdity, struggle, ambiguity, seeing, centering, heat stress, acceptance, connecting the dots, despair, movement, uncertainty, beliefs, freedom, earthquake, friendship, caution, fear, self-portraits, humanity, sweet eyes, truth, gravity/control, light/shadow, nothing, amor fati, success, glory, being comfortable, and sense of humor.
It’s been a very full year. Hope you’ve enjoyed the ride. 2022 coming on up…..