Thoughts on Artists' Assistants A while back Hazel Dooney was trying to hire an assistant and someone evidently questioned her about it, as evidenced by two defensive tweets.

Sometimes artists need a little help. open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...

The Discomfort of Creativity I remember several years ago a woman telling me how much she enjoyed the show that I had just directed.

Making art is not without difficulty: open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...

Artist Statements, Program Notes, and Curtain Speeches Several years ago, Bill Davenport posting on Glass Tire called the artist statement the “scourge of the contemporary art world” and encouraged other artists to not do them.

Let the work speak for itself! open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...

More on Art Reproduction A few days after I wrote about the potential deceptiveness of art reproductions (”The Real Thing,”), I ran across an article in a magazine that was touting an online photography contest.

Still thinking about art reproduction: open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...

The Real Thing The other day I stumbled across a web site that consisted of a set of reproductions of da Vinci paintings—well, sort of.

No reproduction can rival the real thing. open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...

Titles and Captions The other day I got an email with a photograph as an attachment and a note, “The caption makes the photo,” and, of course, it did.

How important are titles & captions? open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...

Likes, Dislikes, and Quality One of the best pieces of advice I ever got came from an English professor when I was an undergraduate student.

It’s not just a matter of taste: open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...

The Appearance of Effortlessness One of the things we have come to expect from good art is the appearance of effortlessness.

An aspect of art not often discussed: open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...

The Importance of the Audience In graduate school, I read a book (the title of which is long gone) by Stephen C.

Art requires an audience: open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...

The Visual Artist's Dilemma One of the most daunting tasks facing the visual artist is selling their work.

One of many problems for the visual artist: open.substack.com/pub/unnatura...