Thoughts on Blogging

Last month I completed 4 years of blogging.  This is surprising to me because I never thought I'd want to do it in the first place.  I follow the blogs of a number of well known artists and I am always struck by the different takes on this platform.  Some seem more like newsletters to me, i.e. posts of works completed since the last blog or a selection of available paintings.  Some contain detailed instruction worthy of a workshop.  A blog can be anything one choses to make of it.  There are no rules.

My goal has been to share any kind of information related to painting that I think will benefit my target audience-  new painters, painters getting back in the saddle after a long hiatus, and those new to plein air painting.  I do not in any way consider myself an expert on anything. One of my favorite things about making artist friends and painting with them is the exchange of tips, ideas and critiques.  I am fortunate to live in an area where one can hardly swing a cat without hitting another artist, but many painters do not.  I want to share what I know, especially with those who lack this fellowship.

Blogging has been enormously fulfilling and often entertaining.  For many it is a promotional tool, but I have no evidence that it has been for me.  I do put my posts on Facebook and I suppose they are read by some of my friends, but my following remains small. I am not bothered by that in the least.

This leads to my suggestion that every artist with time and inclination should consider doing this.  You don't have to be a great writer.  I believe I have proven that!  You don't have to do it on a regular basis.  I've seen bloggers take months off at a time.  Whenever I think of a subject for my blog I jot it down in my office or on my phone for future consideration.  I ask my artist friends for ideas.  I get ideas from the blogs I follow.  Writing is another creative process.  I believe that writing about art is an adjunct to better art. After all, if you aren't making art you should be thinking/writing about art.  (If not, your mind is wandering...)  I consider my blog to be a virtual journal to be enjoyed by others, but most of all by me.

I have a list of some of my favorite posts by other artists, some true gems.  Take a look at the right hand column on my blogspot site under "Favorite Blog Posts by Others".

Here are some of my favorite art blogs-

Terry Miura https://terrymiura.com/blog
Larry Moore  https://www.larrymoorestudios.com/blog
Kathleen Dunphy  https://kathleendunphy.com/blog
Thomas Jefferson Kitts  http://www.thomaskitts.com
Anne Blair Brown http://anneblairbrown.com/blog

These are top quality, check them out and follow!

Because there were no pictures, here is my last painting of 2019-

                                     "A Nearby Pond"  12"x16" oil on linen panel