The Most Boring Art Blog

But before I explain, you had to see the reference photo I used for the Coleus X3 study. Purple and deep greens versus the actual reds and burgundies I saw out in the yard is the difference between a cloudy and sunny day, a digital camera and reality,a digital camera and a computer rendition. I want only sunny days in my triptych, so I pushed the reds in the study, followed the photo loosely, doing no preliminary drawing and using no water. The drawing was so intense, wetting the markers would have made a mess. So much for that.





Okay. Drawing-of-the-day done.

I reserved the name for a new blog: The Most Boring Art Blog. I got the idea from Hugh Macleod, a cartoonist, wine company CEO and connoisseur, after reading his blog post "Why Most Art Blogs Fail." In a nutshell, he said: Art blogs don't get a lot of traffic, which discourages the artist/bloggers. People aren't really interested just seeing a picture, reading how it was done and learning how much it costs to make it their own. People are interested in what the artist/writers have to say about anything else. Art bloggers needed to be interesting writers if they wanted to increase their traffic.

I think he made a very good point. I also think his cartoon sales might be down and maybe his wine sales as well? He seems a bit bitter like the rest of us out here in this lousy economy not making as many sales as we'd like.

I think art blogs are boring too. Most of the ones I've visited are about making sales or are trying to teach their visitors--other artists--how to make art, which is ludicrous. Buyers, I guess could be visiting--but most of the art I've seen for sale are tiny pieces made for easy, inexpensive mailing, I assumed). Then the somewhat larger more complex works are expensive--and what they really look like isn't totally clear given the pixel translation, (Just look at that coleus photo. It's no where near the colors of the coleus I stood outside and photographed). It's scary to buy art for big bucks when you don't really know what it looks like.

My reasons for blogging were not about sales or teaching anybody anything. I started blogging: 1) to push me to drawing or painting everyday; 2)to amass a number of drawings and paintings to leave my children and grandchildren should BC win and I lose; and 3) because I'm basically out of work as a residential architectural space planner and needed to fill my time doing something I feel passionate about. My third reason was a bonus; blogging as a job, just happened. The first and second were the real motivators.

Then last week there was another bonus I never expected: my art turned out to be cathartic and therapeutic. I got rid of a lot of angst that day I lit into Summer 2009. Bottom line: art blogging has been good to me, boring a writer as I may be.

After giving Hugh's blog post a lot of thought, I thought: play up the boring blog. I registered the name. I have no idea what I'm going to do with
The Most Boring Art Blog. But it should be humorous--critique--but that could be too Don Rickles? I could invite artists to publish their most boring posts and tell why--but would they? Artists can be a lot like designers and gallery owners and collectors--full of themselves, egotistical, snobby, and totally unable to make fun of themselves. But if it was a collective blog, the contributing boring bloggers could benefit by the double exposure. Anyway, the title is mine and it's in my think tank. If you have any ideas toss 'em my way. I have a feeling this title with a funny angle would have a draw. You'd think a cartoonist would have thought of that. Lighten up Hugh.