In the meantime Rebecca is working on a couple of commissioned pieces and both of us are getting excited to go to an art auction for Artist Trust (a Seattle-based arts resource and funding institution) this weekend. I donated a smaller work but am especially looking forward to seeing artists I know and to meeting new people. The auctions are fun to go to.

We are also looking forward to the Seattle Erotic Art Festival. I just finished a derivative drawing of Ingrid Bergman and Rebecca is hard at work on a painting of Rudolph Valentino. I suppose we’ve been watching a few too many older films lately. I thought initially that I would do a painting, but this image and the drawing really grabbed me, so I felt compelled to complete the drawing instead. Funny sometimes how these decisions are made.

This has been a good month for decision making, in the midst of the gloomy and cool Seattle Winter.

One of the hardest aspects of being a couple comprised of artists is the challenge of making a living. Bringing enough income in is tough for any artist, especially when the artist is trying to also make sufficient time to be creative and productive. Nearly everyone is seeking the nearly nonexistent benefactor or the hard-to-come-by grant. More often than not, the artist is forced to compromise by renting their time to a day-job. This is the path Rebecca and I have been on.

Lucky for us both, I am finally bringing enough money in from the “other career” to allow us more flexibility. A couple of weeks back, I spent a couple days playing with the multiple variables of income, art, time, and long-term goals. Certainly, in the ideal world, both Rebecca and I would be painting full-time, and that would be enough to allow us to pursue other potential goals. The reality is more of an inversion.

Starting in mid-March, Rebecca will be painting and pursuing her goals full-time. She will be building the art-business (which has of late become more active with numerous commissions) full-steam and will free herself from the day-job. We have a modest income goal to make; in a year we can re-evaluate and see how it is working for us. Needless to say she is quite happy.

As for me, I don’t think my artistic output will decrease from its current state – it already dropped quantitatively following the switch to the new workplace last August. In fact, it likely will increase, as one of us will be home to take care of some of the additional support aspects (running errands, setting appointments, cleaning home, etc.). So, I see it as a win-win outcome. If she does very well after a number of years we may both be working on art full-time. Ah! The dreams of artists! I’m very thankful to have a second profession that allows us the flexibility to make these kinds of life-choices.

We have also been thinking about home and studio! We are doing some research and moving towards home ownership. Along with buying a home, we have begun talking with a number of our fellow “art-nighters” about the possibility of working together to get a studio building. Now, most artists when they think about a studio building consider a commercial space or warehouse, which, when one gets down to the numbers, is far too expensive, building and land together. We are actually considering forming an LLC and buying a house instead. One of the art night participants is also an architect. We could get a house and convert the rooms to suit art making (install good lighting, take out some walls, add others). The head spins at the possibilities. And the best part of it is that rather than paying money to rent a cold, unfriendly studio that could be sold out from under us, we would actually be building equity. One day, perhaps the group could upgrade to a more commercial building in a mixed-zone location. I think it is a great idea, and I am certain that it is the ideal model for artists. I’m surprised that not more artists are currently doing this.

We have been daydreaming of common capital purchases of darkroom equipment, printing presses, etc. I hope that it all happens…

Best to all, until next time…

-demi

Website http://demiart.com if you are so inclined...

Image 1: Monster v.12 © Demi Raven 2005, 24" x 24" x 1.75", oil on panel
Image 2: Ingrid ©Demi Raven 2006, 10" x 11" x 1.5", graphite/ink on acrylic/wood,