Use Accomplishment as a Spring Board: Carolyn Lord on Learning and Setting Art Goals
This is part of the end of year advice series. Guests from the show offer suggestions on how to use an hour a day to get better at painting and share some of their own goals (and how they set them) for the year ahead.
A plein air artist since college, Carolyn Lord (Ep. 21) was influenced by the 20th Century California Watercolor Style of Millard Sheets and his peers which often features bold color and strong design.
On an Hour a Day:
This is what I did when time was scarce and I was over-committed in life:
Decades ago, before I became a parent and was naive, this one-hour-a-day concept seemed do-able. Ha! When my son was very young, I realized that what I craved most was to stop drawing or painting when I-w-a-s-d-o-n-e: not when the babysitter was leaving, or the school day ended, or the clock said so.
I think about art all the time, but it’s carving out time for the hands-on part that takes effort.
I prefer to have at least a 3 hour block of time to draw or paint. To organize my days, I’ve found it best if I separate the busy-bee, linear-thinking me, and the “dreaming in the presence of nature” me. As a result, I’ve set aside the same day of the week for housekeeping and gardening: if it doesn’t get done it waits until the next week. Then there’ll be a day or 2, or 3 depending what’s going on (like today!) where all I do is desk work and errands.
“Success comes from persistence so I’m not going to worry whether or not I’m consistent.” -Carolyn Lord
This sense of accomplishment in the linear realm, allows me to go to bed with a sense of accomplishment, anticipating the next day because it’ll be my art day! (Yup, that’s what I’m doing today! Tomorrow’s project is to start making personalized Advent calendars for my brother and his wife. I made Advent calendars for their kids a couple of years ago and they were a big hit!)
During this season of sheltering-in-place I’ve tripped across all sorts of interesting things on the internet. One was a webinar by Kristen Carder. She demolished the idea that success only comes from being consistent and failure is a result of being inconsistent. She says that persistence leads to success and the only way to fail is to quit. For me, it’s affirmation that how I manage myself is valid, though it’s different from what most motivational speakers suggest!
If one’s schedule doesn’t allow more than an hour a day, circumscribe one’s efforts to reflect this. When my son was in 2nd grade, he and several other children would play on the schoolyard equipment after school. While they played, I read Robert Hughes’ tome “American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America” (ISBN 0-679-42627-2).
It took me several months to read the book because I was keeping an eye out for the children but this also gave me time to ponder Hughes’ writings. Audio books have been a boon is shoring up my understanding of art history while driving. The most recent was Arthur McCullough’s fabulous “The Greater Journey: American in Paris”.
Only an hour a day? Read Gerald Ackerman’s forward in “Drawing Course” (ISBN 978-2-86770-166-5) Make compositional studies based on art history. Copy drawings. Direct observation close to, or in your home will develop your skills, preparing you for when you do have longer stretches of time to work. Have a set-up, so you are ready to go when your hour starts. Work in a charcoal, pastel, or watercolor because you can literally put them down and walk away with no damage to the materials.
Setting Art Goals:
I set goals while considering any constraints I might have. I don’t see this as limiting. I see this as a way to get a decent return of investment of my thought, my time, my money, my talent. I expect to get rejected from half the shows I enter and I feel comfortable taking a risk by entering new shows or events because it’s balanced out with success in entering familiar shows.
I make a handwritten list of shows to enter and put it in my bills-to-pay file. The first week of the month I open this file, pay bills and enter the shows that have deadlines that month.
“I think about art all the time, but it’s carving out time for the hands-on part that takes effort.” -Carolyn Lord
When our son was young I was a hands-on mom and my goal was to participate in plein air events because they advanced my career and were “my” time! Once he was in high school, our son would take care of the house and cat while my husband and I traveled so I could participate in art events or teach workshops
After the 2008 financial crisis, I wanted to continue entering art shows but money was tight. I decided to only enter ones where the work could be hand delivered, eliminating packing, shipping, and handling costs. To further curtail car expenses, tolls, and time spent driving, I coordinated with another artist-mom who lived near-by. I was able to resume entering and shipping art to far-away shows after the financial crisis abated.
My goals are to show ‘n’ sell, in commercial and civic galleries and at art events. I’m attentive to my galleries’ requests: for example this past spring, when we recorded our podcast, I was preparing a grouping of garden paintings for my Carmel gallery because I know she likes to show and sell my these life-affirming motifs. This fall, 2 galleries had small paintings show so I prepared work for them to show, and this week, I’ll be responding to another gallery’s request for their upcoming virtual group-show.
To build my resume and expand the number of people that know my work, I consider what shows to enter, both membership and open juried shows. There are too many shows to enter so I narrow my options by considering : Where is and who is producing the show? Who is the judge? Have I been in prior shows? Who else has been in prior shows? What size are the awards? How long is the jury/delivery/show commitment?
“To organize my days, I’ve found it best if I separate the busy-bee, linear-thinking me, and the “dreaming in the presence of nature” me.” - Carolyn Lord
If it’s defined by theme, geography, media, or aesthetics, would my work fit in? I seldom paint a specific motif for a specific show because I usually consider what paintings I have available that meet the show criteria listed on the prospectus.
My goals for teaching drawing and painting have been up-ended with Covid, especially since my focus is on direct observation and plein air. I live in Northern California and had settled into teaching weekly classes within a 1 hour drive from my house, and teaching multi-day workshops within a 4 hour drive. Typically. I’d travel by myself allowing me to stay focused on the teaching and keep it all business.
Occasionally, I’d be invited to teach a workshop further afield and that’s when I’d use it as a springboard for a trip for my husband (retired architect) and me. For example, in 2016 I was invited to teach a workshop in conjunction with the ANEAW, American National Exhibition of American Watercolors. We turned it into a multi-week trip, visiting museums and historical sites in Albany, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Detroit.
This year we had plans for a month long trip: after teaching 2 workshops in Ann Arbor, MI. We had hoped to enjoy a grand tour spanning from Michigan to Saint Louis, Missouri culminating with my solo show at my college alma mater, but that was derailed by Covid. That’s okay, this makes me very grateful for all the art travels we have had in the past.
Without the demands of travel and teaching, my 2021 goals are to paint; continue to build my following with e-newsletters, entering shows, and maintain connections with my peers, and collectors. Since I’ll be home week-in-week-out, I’ll use this constraint to dote on my garden in anticipation of painting next spring, organize my career’s ephemera, and organize the numerous drawings and paintings that are in storage.
Truthfully, the ennui of sheltering-in-place has affected me and there are days where it feels like I’ve accomplished nothing but as I wrote earlier, success comes from persistence so I’m not going to worry whether or not I’m consistent!
Learn more about Carolyn Lord here:
WEBSITE / WORKSHOPS / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK
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