“We must cultivate our garden.” -Voltaire
Consider life as a garden in which you till the soil, plant the seeds and tend the crops. Your harvest yield depends upon the energy you choose to invest in cultivating what you have sown. Beware the weeds that overtake your good intentions. Although some may bear beautiful flowers, they, too will sap your precious resources. Keep to the garden paths so as not to interfere with new growth, but be sure not to miss the blooms when they come to pass.
Andrea Belag has an upcoming show at Morgan Lehman Gallery in New York City. At first the show was slated to be a group show but in the end wound up as a solo exhibition. This is Belag’s first show at Morgan Lehman.
Belag believes it is important for all artists to show their work and says that her career has been driven by her network. She maintains a studio that is large enough for her to do works that are five to six feet in size. Belag’s work, while large in scale, is produced using color and gesture and yet maintains a certain confidence.
To hear more about Andrea Belag’s work, exhibiting and more including how she paints with liquid ceramic, listen to the complete interview.
Oliver Kalb is a songwriter and producer. He recently recorded a solo album called The Rose Gardener, but he also tours with a band. He has been writing songs for over a decade and often participates in month-long “song of the day” projects wherein he writes a song every day for a month. Kalb says this is a good way to trick his creative juices into flowing. Kalb makes his living from his music, albeit modestly, through album sales and touring with the three or four bands that he is in.
To hear more, including a few tracks such as The Rose Gardener and Stupidest Things, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
Your garden grows as you choose, for you are the cultivator of your own destiny.
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Andrea Belag is reading Becoming by Michelle Obama. Oliver Kalb is reading Orfeo by Richard Powers.
International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) offers residencies throughout the year. Residency period is typically three to twelve months in duration and artists and curators from anywhere in the world are encouraged to apply. At present, ISCP is accepting applications for the Lenore G. Tawney Fiber Arts & Textiles Residency. There is a monthly stipend available for chosen artists. For complete details on this and other opportunities, and for application instructions, visit the website. Deadline for Lenore G. Tawney Residency is April 15.
Deadlines
Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.
Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists; Making it in the Art World, New Markets for Artists, The Art World Demystified, Fund Your Dreams Like a Creative Genius, Sell Online Like a Creative Genius and the forthcoming Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius.
Signed and doodled copies of these books can be purchased from Praxis Center.
Golden Artist Colors began publishing the Just Paint newsletter in 1989, a source for information about painting techniques, product information, and the latest research in art materials. Now online, JustPaint.org has become one of the most exhaustive resources for technical information in fine art. With the new Just Paint Experience, GOLDEN is expanding the concept to provide artists with quick-reading, studio-oriented content to help bring their visions to life.
When you subscribe to Just Paint Experience (free), you’ll receive access to exclusive content. GOLDEN will also notify you whenever there is new content added to the site.