"Colleagues ", 15"x 22" Holbein Watercolor on Fabriano paper.
Vindicated!
Yes, I know that this is a weird title for an editorial but it just seems appropriate as you'll see when you read a little further. In order to truly set the stage for this story I need to go back into my early days of trying to make a living, or at least a second income, from my art. In fact I'm going back about forty years. I was still in Law Enforcement and raising a family. Needless to say, Police Officers aren't exactly overpaid so there was not a lot of disposable income laying around. Most of what we earned went into paying the bills and maybe having enough left over at the end of the month to save for a trip to Disney World with our two daughters when the summer vacation came around. I was an artist in my spare time and had managed to
build a modest business from my painting. I was painting what I knew people in the area would buy so that I could make enough money to buy more art supplies or maybe be able to take another art workshop to further develop my skills. I painted and sold lots and lots of watercolor paintings of barns and lighthouses at art shows and eventually some galleries. All of them were painted in total photographic detail and it wasn't unusual for a piece to take a couple of months or more to complete. Painting a full sheet watercolor with two hair brushes becomes what seems like an endless task. But that's what everyone wanted so you just hunkered down for weeks on end until the painting was finished.
One day I was driving on some back roads looking for more barns to photograph for future paintings and I stumbled across an old railroad caboose sitting beside a train track. It had apparently been abandoned several years ago and was overgrown with weeds and trees. It was so beautiful in an ugly kind of way that only an artist can appreciate. I took several photographs of the caboose and couldn't wait to find the time to paint it. I was excited because I might have just found something that everyone would love and it wasn't a barn. In fact, I had never seen any artist in my area paint a caboose so I would be the first.
After about eight weeks I had completed my full sheet watercolor painting of an old and abandoned caboose surrounded by about 48, 953 weeds and sitting next to a tree with approximately 46, 212 leaves. Now remember, I was a photographic realist so each leaf and every weed was painted individually three different times. First with a base color, then a highlight, and then a shadow side. I won't even try and guess how many pieces of chipping paint or rusty nails that I had to paint as well. Then suddenly one day, by what I believe was an act of God, it was finished. It was beautiful, so beautiful that I made two hundred prints of the painting because it just didn't seen right that only one lucky person can have that masterpiece hanging on their wall. Most of the prints sold quickly and the original painting was purchased before I had a chance to hang it in a gallery. I was now a successful artist and I probably spent a week or so practicing my artsy strut.
A month or so later I was invited to take part in a fund raiser that was an annual sale of art by a select group of local artists. Being selected for this event was quite and honor and each artist donated a painting to be auctioned to raise money for local charities. Each artist also had an area where they could exhibit and sell some of their paintings. This was kind of a high society affair so I took eight or ten of my best paintings and I also took some the remaining caboose prints. As the evening dragged on I realized that this was pretty much like most art shows. There were lots of lookers and compliments but very few sales.
Then it happened. A very distinctive gentleman and his wife came to my table and he picked one of the caboose prints. He probably spent at least two or three minutes just gazing at the print, examining every little detail. Then he asked me if I painted the caboose. Trying very hard not to look too anxious for a sale I replied "yes". He looked at me for a few seconds and then he laid the print down on the table. What he said next was life changing. He stated, "Well, you're quite the technician." Then he and his wife just walked away. I was crushed by this statement because I had never thought of myself as a technician; I am an artist, and a darn good artist. If I had a therapist at the time I would made a 911 call to get some immediate help. As it was, I was on my own. This comment just hung in my mind and I actually became depressed just thinking about it. After about a week of sulking and questioning my artistic abilities I concluded that maybe he was correct. Everything in that painting was a technical exercise but there was nothing at all creative or artistic about it. I merely and painstakingly copied everything in a photograph using a lot of technical skills that I had developed over the years. I never had an instructor explain how to look at the photograph and make artistic changes to the colors, composition, number of brush strokes, and on and on. I spent the next thirty years studying with some very good artists that helped put it all together. In hind sight, I don't think that the gentleman was trying to insult me in fact I think he was paying me a compliment. But that one little comment has been in the back of my mind since then.
So the other day I got my dictionary out and I looked up the word
"technician". One of the definitions was; "a person skilled in the technique of an art or craft".
Then I looked up the definition of the word "artist". the definition is "a person who produces paintings or drawings as a profession or a hobby".
Apparently either of these two terms can be an appropriate means to describe an artist. Maybe he was telling me, "Well, you're quite the artist". I feel much better now. In fact, I feel vindicated. Enough writing, I need to get to work on an artistically technical painting. It's all in the interpretation; right?
Gift Certificates
We have received several request for Gift Certificates recently so Diane and I have decided to offer Gift Certificates that can be redeemed for Videos, Live Classes, Art Supplies, and Paintings. (Not redeemable for workshops)
To purchase a Gift Certificate go to www.sterlingedwards.com. Click "Contact the artist". Let us know that amount you would like to purchase and the recipients name. We will send you an invoice.
On a personal note:
(Please read)
Lately I have seen more and more artists selling copies of my paintings on their artist websites, at my workshops, and in small shops and galleries. This is both illegal and unethical. It is also illegal and unethical to enter a copy of someone else's painting in a competition.
All work that you sell or enter in a competition should be of your own design and execution. Not a copy of someone else's work.
I really don't like having to even write this but it is becoming a big problem and it needs to STOP IMMEDIATELY.
It's theft of Intellectual Property and can result in severe consequences.
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Well, it's official
(At least until I change my mind)
As many of you know, for years I have offered my students a discount on my watercolor paintings at workshops and on my website. I do this because it's a way of showing appreciation for their support while at the same time increasing sales, which every business needs. I've been asked several times if the discount on paintings is available to those who take my Zoom classes as well as those who attend my four and five day on-location workshops. After thinking it over, Diane and I have decided to offer a flat 25% discount off of the listed retail price on ALL of my unframed and unmatted paintings (on paper) to anyone who has attended one of my Live Zoom Classes or on-location workshops. In addition, I will pay the shipping and insurance provided it is being shipped to an address in the U.S.
So if you are one of our students and see a watercolor painting or an acrylic on paper on my website that you are interested in purchasing, go to the "Contact" page and send an email telling us which painting you are interested in buying and what class or workshop you attended. We will email the discounted student price and instructions on ways to pay for the purchase if you decide to get the painting.
This offer is NOT available for works on canvas or Whiskey Paintings
