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Friday, January 11, 2013

Simple Goal Setting for Artists

'Endless Inspiration'        8x10       pastel     ©Karen Margulis


oil stain underpainting for 'Endless Inspiration'

I want to keep things simple this year.  I had not even set any art goals because I was looking for a way to simplify them. Every year I have a long involved list of goals which became hard to manage.  I put off make a goal list this year until I found Richard McKinley's recent post on setting art goals. It was perfect and just what I was looking for!

Richard separates his New Year's goals into three separate categories....Craft, Creative and Career.  So simple and doable!  It was so easy to plug in my thoughts about  my goals into these three categories. If you still haven't set your goals it isn't too late.  Have a look at Richard's post and write your thoughts down! I'd like to share my own goals starting today with part one CRAFT

CRAFT refers to the goals you have regarding the technical aspects of painting....the skills involved in drawing and painting.  Richard suggests evaluating this area and understanding your weaknesses.  Your goals can address working on these weaknesses.  Here is what I wrote down for CRAFT goals

  • Last year I started to work in oils. acrylics and recently gouache.  I am still very new to painting with a brush!  I would like to improve my skills in these mediums especially oil. I need to work on a plan to paint more often as I know that it takes miles of canvas to see results!

  • I am primarily a landscape painter who occasionally will paint animals or still life.  I have a definite weakness for drawing or painting anything with structure such as buildings. I avoid them.  One of my goals is to tackle this weakness. (I have an idea for a project to help...more to come)

  • I try to schedule one workshop a year and I choose an instructor who's work I admire and who I believe will be offer me something that will help me improve.  I have been so fortunate to have had the opportunities to study with some wonderful artists/teachers. This year I will be attending IAPS and taking 3 sessions. I also just registered for a Doug Dawson workshop in Florida. I am excited about this as Doug's book on Capturing Color and Light in Pastels is one of my most consulted books. 
Tomorrow I will share my goals relating to part 2...Creative.

ABOUT TODAY'S PAINTING: This is a view into the marsh on Stan Sperlak's Crow Creek Farm. I took the photo at a workshop a few year's ago and those photos provide me with endless inspiration. I used an oil stain underpainting.  If you want to learn more about this process consider registering for my class at the Art School in Sandy Springs. Class begins next Tuesday!

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