The Painter's Keys Content Archives
Our archive is a rich art resources of creative content and art advice. The archive contains every one of the Robert Genn Twice Weekly Letters and clickbacks since the year 2000. Our system is to carefully edit a large daily volume of incoming feedback from the letters--and to reduce it to a terse and economical amount of reading. Duplication only occurs by nuance, veracity is checked, point of view is encouraged, and a balanced, timeless collection is the result. By so doing we have formed a world-wide creative art community--a brotherhood and sisterhood where all flags fly.

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For some reason, every Christmas someone's painting falls off the wall. It happened again this year--a small, plaintive voice at the end of the phone: "I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Genn, but our big one of yours fell down and hit the fire-tongs. Read On

On the distant highway I can hear the drone of last minute shoppers. It would not be a good idea to go out driving right now. I'm squeezing paint instead. Read On

Jack London was a man of courage. He held that "it takes courage to go, and courage to stay." His wanderlust had him cram several lifetimes into his 40 years. Read On

If you are serious about making a life in art--and your volume and quality are high enough--I recommend you make an effort to go the gallery route. Read On

It seems to me that our job is to figure out what we're good for, and then go for it. We're not chosen either. There are no chosen people. We choose to choose ourselves. Read On

The unique blend of creativity and chemistry is what makes ours an interesting game. I've always noticed that when artists are fussy and particular they are generally onto something. Read On

Restocking often means the act of seeing again those forms that have become familiar. It also means finding new motifs and claiming them properly. For me, going out always refreshes. Read On

In this exercise there's a memorable and unique hour to be had, and you will know better than ever the value of your gift. Read On

I think it's a good idea to think of your new studio as a place where you are going to be a bit of a pope. Realize that this temple needs to be like no other. Indulge your fantasy. Read On

Today I crawled back into my space... the home of my work, this studio. To the side of my palette I'm making a little list: The sheer sensuousness of the color sitting up and laying down. The privilege of knowing more or less how to draw. The thrill of grabbing the right complement. The realization that most things are a puzzle anyway. Read On

Up here a woman sits at an easel and paints cats in oil. Her gilt-framed canvases are spread around, priced in pounds, dollars, and yen. They're realistic, often back-lit, fresh and sensitive, with a western touch." Read On

Getting material has to be one of the most pleasurable aspects of the creative act: Frame and compose. What's going on here? What's the action? What's the meaning? What's next? For most of us it's a matter of really seeing what we're seeing. Read On

Buddha says we attempt to run our lives through a veil of frustration and anger. We are not pure. We are tempted by distractions. Concentration and a simple itinerary become impossible. Read On

Beautifully dressed children holding lotus blossoms are slowly circling the temple. In the late sunlight it’s an opportunity for a Sorolla-like vignette. I try to grab the essentials of the procession: simplify shapes, one in focus, others less so. Read On

"I'm trying to paint an elephant," I say. He moves closer. "But are you doing the power of the elephant, or the patience of the elephant, or the spirit of the elephant?" he asks. At the point when the visitor appeared, I was thinking I was running low on Payne’s gray, but now I realize I have a force to contend with. Read On

Earlier today I visited with 18 year old Phunnee Sulalongporn. Phunnee is from the north of Thailand. She has come here to be among the bright lights. She works in a room about the size of a closet. Read On

On Monday, the auctioneer, a man who is also donating his time and talent, phoned to say, "Where's the painting?" Looking at a blank 24" x 30", I said, "Not quite finished yet." "Well at least give us the title so we can print it in the program," he said. I pulled a title out of the atmosphere: "Autumn Pattern." Read On

Where it says: "For more info on this artist click here," you are whisked to: "There are no details for Robert Genn at this time." That's about the same as saying the artist has stopped painting, gone into the breeding of pit-bulls, or has perhaps evaporated to the big studio in the sky. Read On

It seems to me that the scientific investigation of works of art is going to continue in heightened capability into the future. It's bright indeed for the practitioners of forensic art investigation. It's also a heavy burden on the artist when he or she realizes that some future sleuth may be writing a report on what we were doing wrong. Read On

I've noticed a few things about the condition: It's generally a same-sex activity. The envied person is often perceived as having an unfair advantage. If not checked, envy can last a lifetime. It can destroy. Some artists develop systems to avoid falling into it. Read On

I guess there's about a billion paintings of sky, mountains, trees and water. Beneath these basic and universal elements lie symbols that may empower our work. Read On

My symptoms were chronic: Easily distracted. Daydreamer. Often tactless. Habitually late. Cluttered environment. Avoiding responsibility. Procrastinating. Good starter--poor finisher. Intolerant of boredom. Biting off more than I could chew. Here are a few of the structures which I use to fight my disorder... Read On

The idea of all this criticism is to help shift critical faculties to the artists themselves. Outside opinion denies the inherent right to be true to your own vision. If we succeed in giving students the capability to think on their feet--we will have succeeded. Read On

What's going on here? In our short spans we honor the marvelous specificity of our world. Read On

Rather than just letting the painting evolve, they take charge and take control. They’re able to visualize the end-game. A good example is the one-two knockout method... Read On

I'm seeing students understand how to limit color ranges by predetermining complementaries as well as by monochromatic, analogous and tertiary color systems. I see student paintings with moods from somber to razzle-dazzle because the artists now know what they're doing and are in control. Read On

Everyone comes to these workshops for different reasons, but for everyone the muscles of self-esteem and confidence have to be aroused. Many seem to be damaged and need some small encouragement. Read On

At my place "painting over" is just fine provided it doesn't look like painting over. The problem you have of dragging things out is more serious however... Read On

Hey, it happens when you're relaxed. Quality flourishes in "extra time." Personal invention keeps an artist's personality in the exercise and makes the job more fun. Read On

Next to the quality of our work it's our relationships that give us a purchase on the world. Safe confederates make projects doable. In order to grow and prosper we need folks around us we can work with and love. Read On

We awoke to the realization that the images we were seeing were not special effects, but the piercing of the very heart of freedom and democracy. Read On

A work is given to a charitable organization--in perpetuity. It has a specific purpose and is the will of the artist. What if the organization ceases to be, or even just changes its mandate? Read On

While one might be taught that blue and yellow make green, the formula can also be discovered by a curious mind. It also takes a curious mind to devise the vast varieties and subtleties possible in green-making. Read On

Being happy with your life is one thing--being happy with your work is another... Some, it's said, have a simple instinct for getting into the joy mode. Read On

My studio is now silent. Visitors have evaporated to their own spaces. It's late at night. The brush dashes here and there. Is it habit, addiction, pastime, a need to connect again? Why am I so absurdly happy? Read On

Incubation is the business of anticipating surprise. Sure, there's calculation in trying this and that in the studio of the mind--better pattern, more light, tone down, subtraction, injection. But there's also the matter of letting the thing hatch naturally. Read On

Apart from the basic question which all creative people must ask themselves--"What do I want to do with my art?"--there’s the need for limitation. Read On

Down deep I think there shouldn't be a "don't" left in the world. In some ways, in art, there isn't. So at the risk of sounding authoritative, I'll just whisper the word... Read On

There are times in the days of artists when we rise to our easels or workstations with a sense of heightened sensitivity. Why?--It's a bit of a mystery. Read On

Imagination rules this island. Painted roosters metamorphose into priests. A crocodile is fashioned from several iron saw-blades. Acrylics have so much sand in them they sparkle and glow. Read On

At no time in our progress do we stop wondering what the secret is. Sometimes I think just knowing that there's more than one way to paint a tree is the main part of it. It's the idea that every work of art has to be worked out in its own way. Read On

It often seems to me that the business of being an artist is simply having a steady procession of good days. That includes being able to do something about the bad days when they come along... Read On

This river, in all its greatness, has been an opportunity to confront shortage with an attempt at personal abundance. There have been lots of places here to ransack the mindscape. Read On

Here in the Mackenzie Delta the wildlife enriches--Arctic terns, Loons, Scoters, Trumpeter swans. The tree-line ends and the tundra begins. At a deserted place called Reindeer Station where the reindeer experiment flourished in the early part of last century, we remain only briefly--repelled by a thundering herd of mosquitoes. Read On

Over a hundred artists are making watercolors, acrylics, beadwork, jewelry, gloves and moccasins of beaver-down and musk ox wool. Sculptors are set apart in tents which swirl with soapstone-dust and whine with the unfamiliar sound of power tools. Read On

Observation is an art that's easy to lose--but a painting is, after all, what is to be seen. Something is gained by having all the time in the world. Contemplation is golden. Composition is king. Read On

It's something to do with the acceptability of change. In the floating easel, work can take place during purposeful movement. The landscape and its various motifs unfold so there is not the inclination for one particular view. Read On

I keep asking myself how do I convey this northern wind--the same that early explorers felt? What is the brush you use for "storm?" In my heart I know that these experiences are transferable to others. It's called "art," it's difficult, and it's timeless. Read On

We all know the feeling when looking at a work-in-progress or even a blank canvas. You have an idea how the forms and spaces will evolve, how a look or a feel will be. There's a sense of exploration about to happen, yes, but there's also the "rightness" of your particular process. Read On

Realistically, it’s a tough world out there, and there'll be disappointments. Competition is deadly, and getting worse. The pursuit of a balance ought not to degrade one's passion or interfere with the necessary quiet focus. Read On

Hold onto your seat--it has to be one of the following: Lack of desire. Self sabotage. Stale inspiration. Misguided inspiration. Creative inadequacy. Technical incompetence. Outside interference. Poisonous relationship. Talking too much. Listening too much. Artistic bankruptcy... Read On

Some people have done it. Perhaps they were cut out for it. I’d say that in most cases they taught themselves some tricks... Read On

Think of your project as an internal adventure but make sure your library card is up to date. Get lots of art materials in advance, particularly supports. You may plan on a format or a set, but be prepared to change your mind... Read On

One by one I see everyone at close range. One by one I'm even more convinced. Extraordinary. Everybody here is a specialist. Read On

The work speedily materializes in front of him, as if by some sort of magic it focuses into a state of being to the wonder of observers. Why is it, I've often asked, that guys like Don seem to "have it" while others stiffly struggle to fill their spaces? Read On

A contrarian is a person who bets on the opposite of the conventional wisdom. We really ought to be doing one thing--but very often our intuition or our perverse inclination is to do another. The habit can get us into a lot of trouble, interfere with our progress, even keep us poor. Read On

I'm thinking of concepts like "struggle," "rebirth," "monumentality," "humility." There are hundreds of these words, and, whether you recognize them or not, they can be found in the crevices of your individual personality. Read On

In "Fahy's Pub and Undertakers" in Dingle Town, with a background of smoke and mirrors and Bob Dylan recordings, I'm lifting a Guinness with Seamus O'Mahoney. He's a retired art teacher, now a "water-dabbler," who has bicycled out here from Dublin. For some reason I mention my letter-writing activities and he says, "So what's the secret of art success?" Read On

There's something to be said for the simple solution. On the road I was on a campaign to "look three times, think twice, paint once." Here in this simple cottage I'm trying to think a bit and paint simply. Specifics? Read On

It's something to do with the perfection of the moment... We all have them... It's about the rightness, the sort of organization or design of it all. I often think if an artist has ten good ones in a lifetime--that might be enough. Read On

"Home" is one of the basic elements of sentimentality. You can have the light-in-the-window, cozy kitsch, or a more subtle suggestion of the idea. In realism or abstraction it's a matter of walls, roof, windows, doors, but it symbolizes one of the three basic human needs--shelter. Read On

Why do some of us persist in this habit? What's the purpose? Why does this convention endure?... Read On

This pub has private stalls that fill with smoke from smoldering peat. When my bounce flash goes off the atmosphere electrifies and patrons look around corners to see what's happening. "What type of art do you prefer?" I ask. Read On

I'm dealing with the limits of an island, the appeal of a contained landscape, the value of microcosm... The 8x10 is a convention which lends itself to the island's artifacts. Minor size for minor subjects. Read On

In watercolor, what is, is. It's carefully chosen by looking for a while at the condition, then a commitment to a complexity of Winsor blue, gamboge, burnt sienna, alizarin. With acrylic I'm too used to guessing wrong and adjusting later. There's a discipline in watercolor. Read On

Ancient limestone walls follow rolling contours in all directions. The fast-moving clouds seem to be below the horizon and the air is full of linnet's wings. I'm hunched beside the car, under the wind. A red-haired colleen with an oversized Irish wolfhound drops by to say hello. Read On

Observation: It's not important to some of us, but it's very important to a lot of us. Take the human head for example... Read On

I'm marveling at the current phenomenon of plein air painting--the togetherness and yet the apartness. I see how the dynamic of a group gives security and a reason to work and remain focussed. Read On

In life, in art, a major problem is failing to see the big picture. Individual parts may be just fine but the overall doesn't get off the ground. Together with your individual sensitivity and your own vision, what you're looking for is strength, pattern and character. We're talking art here... Read On

When you raise your camera to your eye in order to photograph a picturesque scene--the composition is run through the sieve of everything you know. Nothing wrong with that--but it's an idea from time to time to avoid the predictability of the sieve. Otherwise we just see things we know we can do. Read On

In a self-employed private studio application the artist wanders around and allows himself to be drawn to this or that in progress--or to start new projects as he sees fit. The best way to describe what happens is that you simply notice something--and an improvement comes to mind. Read On

Creativity is an organ that improves with use and when fully engaged is difficult to wear out or to get stopped. You put your heart into the adventure and try to keep making new demands on yourself. Read On

We dream, conceive, plan, assemble, execute, and often distribute--with little or no help from anyone. Two or three failures in a row, in lifemanship or in our art, can depress and cause a setback. It's always seemed to me that a main part of our job is maintaining some sort of self-delusory defense. Read On

Beginning with early critics such as John Ruskin, ("Modern Painters," 1843) a new language was created that became impressed with its own importance and gravity. It soon infected academia. Today, some of the more spectacular examples are in artist's statements. Read On

Sure, there are many who get the cash and make a significant contribution. The grant may even help to open doors to opportunities such as teaching or curating. But the rule is that it seldom helps them to become artists. For many it's the kiss of death. Why? Read On

Those who have read my book "The Painter's Keys" know that we workshoppers wander over subject matter like a rudderless ship. There's so much to learn. Lofty subjects such as inspiration are transformers into the esoterica of how one actually holds onto a brush. Here are a few of the insights from these exercises... Read On

Many artists, it seems, drift blithely along giving equal value to a butterfly on a flower--and the state of our bank-balance or other practical concerns. We tend to live our lives as a series of undifferentiated experiences and happenings. Read On

While it's great to go at our projects in concentrated leaps of action, and stick to them until they're signed--there's yet another way. Studios can be filled with works in progress; inventions in a state of development. Read On

My idea was to be free to travel, keep stimulated, change if I felt like it, paint madly, and not be too concerned with what was selling. I wanted to be an island of my own dignity. Read On

It always strikes me that many artists are largely unprepared and have a sketchy idea of the practical stuff that is required if one would make a career in art. I mentioned that I thought proper dealers were a necessity and that 10% of the dealers sell 90% of the art. Read On

Sure, there's a place for intuition and just letting flow--but there's also a need to bring in all of the strategy we can muster. I call it triple-think. Here are some examples... Read On

I'm writing this letter from the location of the old railway station at Lake O'Hara in Canada's Rocky Mountains. This is where John Singer Sargent, the subject of my last letter, got off the train in 1916. Read On

Sargent's surfaces give evidence of a dynamic activity where decisions are made during the struggle, and where no struggle is allowed to appear. Fresh at all costs. Quality is alive and well and hanging on walls in Seattle. Read On

I used to think that anybody planning to go to art school or contemplating a creative life ought first to take a hemispheric test. Many, I thought, would save themselves a lot of trouble if they found they were drawing on the wrong side of the brain. Read On

The brush is, after all, the point of connection. It's the end of "you-the-artist" and the beginning of "you-the-thing-you-make." You may be the guide of the connection, but it's the place where the wheels hit the ground; where the needle's on the record. Read On

Easels are our main tools and a source of personal pride. A requirement is a steady unit that you can push against. The capability to tilt and crank are also handy. Read On

As a product of an art school I have a pretty good idea what art students are facing. I've noticed they can be divided into two camps--those who would be artistically literate--and those who would be artists. Read On

It's often been said that writing is re-writing. Why then cannot painting be repainting? Because, for some silly reason--like a concert pianist's reason, we have a need to get it right. Read On

From time to time I've noticed that it's possible to will a work to be better than average. While normally dependent on the serendipitous flow of the muse--there are occasions when intensity and direction are an asset. I've always said that an artist requires an iron will and a butterfly mind. Read On

The name of Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) may not be familiar to all, but in the early part of the last century he was perhaps England's greatest children's book illustrator. He painted masterful fantasies of gnomes, goblins, fairies, weird creatures, innocent and beautiful children. Read On

Unlike the Roman, the British, or any other Empires under the sun, the Empire of Art rises from grass roots just about everywhere. While its citizens speak a variety of tongues, they are understood pretty well universally. Read On

There's some odd dynamics in the pricing of created works. It's useful for an artist to understand some of what's going on. Art doesn't necessarily follow the standards of supply and demand. Read On

Live in your paint, attend to quality, and work like it's your last day in the studio. You'll get more joy and satisfaction when you manage your muse. Read On

Women now get going at any age. They can and do open their own doors. The expression of creativity is not the rare commodity it once was, nor is it the sinecure of men. Read On

If you have abundant ideas that stretch to the horizon and all the energy and enthusiasm in the world to keep going on them until you drop--I recommend you don't waste your time reading this particular letter. Read On

Do you ever wander back to that time when you first started thinking about making art? Do you ever think of the vision you first had--how your art would be made, its themes, its look? How simple it all was then. Read On

Let's review what we've found out so far about the current state of selling art on the Net... Read On

Limitations become advantages and new and unfamiliar phenomena become fresh challenges. I have only this--and this day to do it. Come to think of it--this goes for pretty well any space. Read On

On the sleepy lagoon there's a kind of languid flow. It's a sort of "doesn't matter" feeling that permeates everything from when you get up to how you mix your colors. This casualness is in contrast to the home studio where busyness and frequent constipation are the rule. Read On

Many artists know all about Intuition and depend on her for long-term and minute-to-minute guidance. Self-employed persons may even take her for granted. She's a beautiful partner who goes anywhere with you. Read On

A flight of plover on yellow sand reminds us that some things are still natural. Life beneath the water goes on the same--opening a world of wonder and specificity. While artists can retreat into these sanctuaries there is still the dance of humanity... It seems more than can be easily handled or ingested. Read On

It's not only that there's a brotherhood and sisterhood out there, but the phenomenon is without the constraint of time. It's a plenum of inspiration and working-out from time immemorial... Read On

A man phoned while I was working in the studio the other day and announced that he had bought one of my paintings in a Salvation Army Thrift Store. To add insult to injury he told me he paid $7 for it. Read On

Mentoring art is a delicate art. For me it has been a bit of a study. It's not like demonstrating a DVD or checking someone out at the controls of a 747. There's another ego in the way. Read On