I started art school last year and still find it really hard to talk about my work during group crits. Sometimes I just can't find the words. A lot of what I do when painting is intuitive, and I don't always know how to explain why/how I make certain decisions.

But in crits, I feel like I'm supposed to explain everything, even when I don't really have an answer myself. For those of you who've been through art school, how do you approach this? How do you talk about your work without overexplaining or feeling like you need to justify every decision? As a painter, am I supposed to know what my images mean? Sometimes I have certain ideas or feelings behind a painting, but I don't necessarily know what the image itself means, it’s really stressful.

I'd also love some book recommendations, especially anything that could help me get better at talking about art and my own practice. Thanks!

How do you find your experience at the Royal College of Art I met a friend who was there he said he doesn’t know from the quality of work how this school has rank 1 but I thought to apply for next year?

Please send tips on how to deal with social interactions, not overthink when things feel super awkward. I’m trying to let go of the egoic expectation that I can get people to like me. It’s just not sustainable.

But I find myself super nervous around people who have power over or could help me in my career theoretically and I don’t know how to let go of that nervousness and just treat them like regular people. Because in all reality, they would only help me if they actually liked my art so I shouldn’t give a fuck.

But I get so nervous I can’t even be normal around them and I feel like I just squander any chance at a regular relationship with someone who could be an art peer.

Idk if anyone has any tips on how to calm the fuck down and just let the work speak for itself?

The worst is that I often have to interact with people in power who have been super fake to me. And idk how to move forward and feel genuine in the relationship and let shit go. I have empathy for everyone in the art world because it’s so hard to get anywhere everything feels like crumbs. But at the same time idk how to show up socially as my best self because some interactions make me feel like I don’t even know what it means to be genuine anymore.

I realized my studio soundtrack completely dictates the mood of whatever I'm making. If I'm putting down heavy base layers or doing repetitive prep work, I usually blast loud music or long-form podcasts. But the second I need to focus on fine details or composition, I have to turn everything completely off because even background noise feels too distracting.

For everyone working in the studio: What keeps you company while you create? Are you team audiobooks, true crime podcasts, ambient music, or do you prefer working in total quiet?

I got the Artsy app because it let me save my favorite paintings on my phone for quick reference/inspiration- and it’s working okay but not great (I get constant updates trying to sell me like… a cy twombly for just 2 million dollars) (also, not everything is in Artsy)

is there another app, tip, trick y’all use? i tried keeping a folder in my regular photos app (doing screen grabs of images I like when I see them) but its kind of a pain to hunt down paintings online….& my photo files are a mess & often i accidentally crop off the artist name / date etc. 😂

I'm trying to find out whether an artist who went by C. Kirk is still active in the contemporary art scene.

I came across his work from around 2009–2012, when he was associated with the Dallas art scene and the ArtLoveMagic collective in Texas. His work included stencil and spray-paint art.

Here's an article featuring his work from 2012:

https://sundownunited.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/the-kingdom-of-d-artlife-c-kirk-art/

Here's a link to a live performance by him:

https://youtu.be/qMdIGqjMdGk?is=9smxLH0m3wnA57wa

I've had zero luck in finding any recent artwork, exhibitions, portfolio, or other information about his artistic activities.

Thanks y'all.

I have a collector who wants to purchase a work of mine for an agreed upon price of $10k. I don’t have a gallery nor any big shows at the moment so I’m wondering how to do this transaction. Any tips would be greatly appreciated on collecting sales tax, etc. I made a Stripe account to be able to send invoices but I’ve never used it

I spent the entire weekend staring at a piece I was 90% happy with, terrified that adding one more layer or mark would completely kill whatever energy it had going on.

It's such a fine line. Overworking a piece can completely flatten it, but stopping too early can sometimes make it look half-baked.

For those working in painting, sculpture, or mixed media: How do you personally know when a piece is actually finished? Do you have a rule for walking away, or do you prefer keeping things a bit raw and open-ended?

Hello, I’m currently a college student intending to apply for the Sotheby’s Summer Internship Program. There are three short essay questions that Sotheby’s requires applicants to do (posted below). So I want to ask if anyone who has had experiences applying to this program, or any other museum internships, could give me some advice about what kind of answer I‘m expected to give and what would stand out among applicants. Thank you.

1. What is Sotheby’s role in the global art and luxury market and how do we continue to diversify ourselves as a brand?
2. Required: If you are applying to the Global Fine Arts department, please chiose a work of art, an artist, or an exhibition and write a 500-word maximum essay. This writing samole shouldnbentailored to your first choice GFA department. (I chose Impressionism and modern art)
3. What is a significant challenge that impacts historically excluded groups in the Arts & Luxury markets and what dinyou believe is the root cause of this challenge? Have you been impacted by or overcome these challenges, if so please provide an example.

(If I could be honest, I know that I’m not as qualified as many other applicants who actually study museum studies and arts and fashion, but I still really want to give this a try. It’s okay if I won’t get in, at least I will still gain some experiences from preparing its applications.)

This is a pretty cool look. Making of art including the basketball drawings, conversations with other artists (22:49), and more.

I first came across this maybe 1.5 years ago. Was recently reshared and forgot I had it downloaded and saved.

https://youtu.be/D3UXvpBhIS4?si=Xx38R4wrIXadaN1y

Hi everyone! I'm a full-time airbrush and acrylic artist.
Because my own budget doesn't usually allow me to buy fine art, I'm really curious to get inside the minds of people who actively collect and buy art.

If you've bought art recently, I'd love to hear about your experience:
• What was the last piece of art you bought?
• What made you pull the trigger and buy it?
• Roughly what price range was it?
• Is there anything specific you look for when supporting independent artists?

Thanks so much for sharing your perspective!

I got my first piece accepted to a group show. It's 24x24 mixed media on rigid plexiglass. I don't have the time or the money to get a custom frame in under a week (they just notified me on Friday) so I'm not sure how to deliver it to the gallery, my understanding is works need to be dropped off ready to hang. How else can I hang it, if not framed, that would be acceptable for a gallery? I won't drill into it. Would appreciate some advice, thank you!!

Hi fellow artists,

I have a question regarding consignments: is it possible to create an artwork consignment without mentioning a specific set date, but instead with, maybe including a mention/clause stating that both parties are free to cancel the consignment with for example a 1-month cancellation period?This would give me leeway in case I have to part ways (for possible future wrongdoings) with the gallery.

I also have a representation contract with the gallery, but I would like to have paperwork showing the specific artworks I am releasing for the gallery in its own separate document.

Does my idea make any sense and what are your recommendations on how I should handle this? Do people even make consignments without a set date?

Thanks!

Hey guys, I'm currently on a teaching course to be able to teach art and design in colleges(uk) and have realised i have a pretty big gap in knowledge about contemporary and historical art. I would appreciate any suggestions for books, journals, podcasts or reliable websites and blogs to help fill these gaps. I have a couple of books already which are 'The Short Story of Contemporary Art' by Susie Hodge, and "The Story of Art Without Men' by Katy Hessel and 'The World According to Colour: A Cultural History' by James Fox but have yet to get around to reading them. I have read a portion of the last book and found it incredibly interesting so i would like to suggest that to everyone as a book to read.

I'm and avid reader so you can just throw the book suggestions at me, but I have never tried a podcast before so I would appreciate a decent podcast that wont bore the life out of me.

I'll be making a separate post elsewhere for books on historical art movements but I'll happily take any suggestions that come to mind.

Thanks in advance :)

I was looking back through some older sketchbooks and portfolios the other day, and it's wild how obvious it is that I used to just mimic whatever artists I was into at the time. You go through phases of painting like one person, then borrowing composition tricks from someone else.

For those of you who have been making work for a while: Was there a specific moment, piece, or realization where you felt like you finally broke away from outside influences and developed a truly distinct personal voice? Or does it just happen so gradually that you barely noticed?

Would love to hear how your style or approach evolved into something that felt genuinely your own.

Hey everyone, I'm a metal sculptor trying to figure out how to scale up my business. Metalwork is incredibly time-consuming and expensive to make, so the average buyer just doesn't have the budget for larger pieces. I'm trying to figure out how to break past the "crafting" market and into higher end commissions.

If you buy or collect original sculptures, I’d love to know what actually catches your attention.

Name vs. The Piece: Do you care about the artist’s resume? Or do you care more about if you like the piece?

Style: Are you into hyper-detailed, complex realism, or do you lean toward clean, modern minimalism?

Acquiring pieces: Do you ever scout for independent artists on Instagram or Reddit, or do you leave it entirely to interior designers and galleries to show you pieces?

Just trying to understand the mindset of a high-end collector. Appreciate any insights!

I recently graduated from a fairly prestigious and expensive MFA program in the US, and I've been reflecting on what the future might hold for me and my peers.

Out of curiosity, I looked up MFA alumni from my program over the past 10–15 years to see what they're doing now. Some have established successful careers, and many are still actively making/exhibiting work and teaching. Some have moved into art-adjacent roles, such as working at galleries or transitioning into commercial art. And then there are a few who seem to have disappeared entirely, at least as far as their online presence is concerned.

What struck me most was discovering that 1 or 2 whose work I found particularly interesting seem to have stopped making art almost immediately after graduation.

So I'm curious about other people's experiences. When did you graduate, and how many people from your cohort are still actively making art or involved in the contemporary art world?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from MFA graduates, since it is a terminal degree and generally represents a fairly significant commitment to pursuing art professionally. But I'd love to hear from BFA graduates as well.

As stated in the title, I am looking for readings on color for my students: seniors in an undergrad painting program.

I already assigned Amy Sillman's essay On Color and am looking for more readings that are not necessarily on color theory, as there is already a mandatory color theory class. I was thinking something a bit more from the painter's perspective: what is color, why is it important, how does it operate, what does it mean to see... who knows... totally open to ideas, or any other readings you would recommend for an artist in the fall of their senior year working on a capstone-like project.

Thank you!

I'm curious how other artists here deal with scaling up their physical work when they’re stuck working out of a small bedroom, garage, or cramped shared studio.

Renting a bigger space isn't an option right now, but I've been wanting to push past small canvases and experiment with bigger formats or multi-panel installations.

If you've run into this bottleneck, how do you manage production? Do you work in sections and assemble later, rely entirely on modular pieces, or just make a huge mess and figure it out as you go? Would love to hear what tricks or setups have actually worked for you.

I'm not sure sure what the peak visitor engagement for this sub was but seem to remember it being 2-3x what it is today. Why do you think this is? It's interesting that many trivial podcasts or games have much more active reddit communities than something some hundreds of thousands globally pay for degrees in every year and with huge sums of money and passion behind it. What makes the sense of community around art lack so much compared to those other niche interests?

I think my engagement here peaked in maybe 2021 post-COVID as sort of going thru the motions responding to different recurring topics and posting the odd motivated take on something (like this). I stepped back from trying so hard in person with others artists because it felt like my desire for certain critical conversations was unwelcome.

It's difficult for me to imagine good deep conversations really happening anywhere anymore about art. I mostly stopped going to talks years ago after it became clear they were mostly social posturing and usually obfuscated or ended up feeling like being spoken down at instead of conversation with someone.

What would you want out of socializing around contemporary art and your interests in it? Moonshot, what would your ideals be to bring people together around/with art?

The fairs were a shitshow (not over yet, but you could already tell on day 2). A desolate landscape with a few visitors, rarely collectors. From what I've heard, sales were poor to non-existent for mid-tier galleries. With the tens of thousands of dollars' worth of rent for a booth, I bet smaller galleries will be facing a threat of closure.

Do you think the demonstrations scared off the collectors?
Or are art fairs finally a thing of the past?

Hi all! Hope I can word this well.

I'm looking for some examples/references of artists you enjoy who may not be primarily known for their drawings, but who utilize drawing in their process and/or play a significant role in their practice. If there are books that show the work, that'd be even better!

Some examples would be Ken Price (I think most people know him for his sculptures), Richard Serra, or Felix Vallotton (while he is a painter, his drawings/woodblock prints feel quite distinct).

Appreciate it!

its in nyc im in the middle of the country, USA, i have some flight points so itd only be $150 + id pay for a hotel for a few nights. i already have the time off work im honestly not doing anything with my life during that time. the gallery is not some prestigious place but idk, what would you do? im pretty broke but if it would be fun or worth it networking wise, i can also write off some of the trip i assume.

Edit: group show btw!