10 Lessons to Take Your Art Where You Want it to Go! 

Most of the really important lessons in life are learned through lived experience. We often learn things the hard way by making a mistake or two (or 50) that eventually lead to a better, smarter way of doing things. But sometimes there’s a friend or mentor who offers a key bit of advice at just the right time—an idea that leads to an a-ha moment of enlightenment. This is certainly true for the journey of an artist. The 10 winning artists from last year’s Artists Over 60 Competition shared some of the ideas that led to important creative breakthroughs in their creative work. Check out their winning artwork and their advice, and see what lessons inspire new actions for your own creative practice!

Kathleen Denis

PALM BEACH SHORES, FLORIDA          

Take Time for Your Studies

Taking the extra time to prepare preliminary studies is vitally important for me and has made a huge difference in my work. If I start a painting directly on the canvas without first working out composition, value shapes and colors, it’s unlikely to be successful. Also, having worked out these initial steps, I can enjoy the painting process more once I get to work on the canvas. I always return to the value study before finishing to compare and make necessary changes.

Chuck Fischer

NEW HOPE, PENNYSLVANIA

Be Bold

Some great advice in the beginning of my career came from the designer Albert Hadley, who said to me, “You’re an artist. Be bold, loosen up and know when to stop.” My artist-mentor, Bruce Dorfman, always asked me to identify the counterpoint in a piece, which is a conversation I still have with my work every day.

Linda Clark Heath

SHINGLE SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

Shake Things Up

Years ago, feeling my work had plateaued and hoping to regain the excitement of creating art, I began making non-objective abstracts—something quite new for me. The advantage was not knowing where the pieces were going, and so these works seemed to create themselves. When I began working realistically again, my approach to subjects and compositions had changed. Finding something that shook up my approach to art was just the kickstart I needed. If you’re lacking inspiration and motivation, consider trying something different.

Anne Hightower-Patterson

SALUDA COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA

Plan Your Own Art Journey

I counsel my students not to compare their art journey to another’s and offer this advice:

Peggy Magovern

DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA  

Trust Your Vision

Well into my fine art career, it was still difficult to avoid seeking the opinions of others, but recently, I’ve ventured into a personal connection with my work. I identify with my unique expression and consider it an authentic representation of who I am as an artist. Some of the struggle is still there, but I have to believe in my personal, aesthetic view and express it without apology. Thankfully, the more I affirm that my work has a rightful place in the vast field of art, the less I question my purpose—and my vision. “The lead will produce the vision if the eraser doesn’t fight it.”

Margaret Minardi

NORTHPORT, NEW YORK

Get Your Work Out There

For most of my years as an artist and educator, I put my work in the closet. My focus was showing my students’ work and helping them get into the colleges of their choice. I was basically afraid of promoting my own work. Then, in 2015, a friend encouraged me to get my art out into the world. I’ve since participated in more than 150 solo, small-group and juried shows. It began with one juried show at a small museum, where I won an award. The museum then asked me to exhibit in a group show. Currently, my work is on view in a variety of venues, including the Heckscher Museum of Art, on Long Island. In light of my experience, I’d encourage others to participate in as many juried shows as possible to get your work out there and seen. Participate in art walks and library shows to get started. Every show is an opportunity to meet other artists as well as curators and gallery owners.

Jon Bøe Paulsen

OSLO, NORWAY  

Let Your Voice Shine Through

I’ve learned that it’s not useful to be too strongly attached to artist idols or masters of the past or present. Of course, they’ve created amazing artwork, which you can study and learn from, but you are an independent person. Find your style. Even if your efforts appear technically helpless at first, keep at it. Your artistic energy and temperament will shine through. Don’t create work in which your artistic ambitions have been compromised. I’ve found that the times I thought I had created an image that would sell better, it ended up being the exact opposite.

Patricia McMahon Rice

WARRENTON, VIRGINIA  

Keep Painting, Even on the “Bad Days”

In 2008, all of my children were in the military and scattered all over the world. I leased a studio, and committed to painting six days a week, 10 hours a day. As I logged long hours behind the easel, I began to paint more intuitively. I made the decision to paint whether I felt inspired or not. I’m convinced that the good days of painting result from painting on the “bad days.”

Anda Styler

SANDY HOOK, CT

Draw and Observe

Drawing is the absolute essential foundation for painting. Take time to study the patterns of nature—how the darks make the lights and the lights make the darks. These patterns create form, depth, texture and light. Observe nature or whatever subject you’re drawn to keenly. See more than just the object; intuit the feeling of what it is. At some point, put away the reference and dive deep into your own creative process.

Sue Welsby

CLERMONT, FLORIDA AND THE UK  

Learn From Others

I think my ‘a-ha’ moment came while watching Anne Abgott demonstrate. I was stunned by the amount of water and paint she used. Her approach was so different from anything I’d done before. I’d never used such a large brush. Everything I learned in that lesson will stay with me forever. I keep the painting from that workshop in my studio so that when I’m having a bad painting day, I can look at it and say to myself, “Look how far you’ve come. You can do this.”