As an artist, social media creates a whole new set of pressures and anxieties.

I’m not really sure what to do in order to post effectively. Am I supposed to hashtag a bunch of keywords as part of the post? Am I supposed to follow a whole bunch of people and then unfollow them as soon as they follow me? That seems to happen a lot in the often insidious world of followers, and likes. People can be so awful and disingenuous on social media. It makes me crazy.

The pressure comes from an expectation that you have to promote yourself and specifically your art on social channels like Twitter and Instagram and that you have to constantly grow your audience. Your following has to be big and constantly getting bigger. Size matters.

The anxiety comes when I post something and then compulsively feel the need to constantly check to see how many likes and or retweets the post has gotten. So far my social media savvy has proven to be underwhelming. But like I said, as an artist, I am made to feel that this is a necessary avenue of pursuit and something that needs to be mastered. Ahhhhh!!!!!! – L/C

IG: @loosecanine

T: @hummygoo

Pulling silk screens takes way more effort than I remember. I haven’t done it for a very long time and I suppose I was hampered a little from my recovering, but still injured, shoulder. Anyway, it was a fun and very satisfying endeavour.

The motivation was partly (read mostly) financial. I am participating in this thing called the Tour Des Arts this coming July. I am a newby (read terrified) to the whole experience and thought I had better have something that was more affordable (read easier purchase decision) than just paintings. Art is typically an impulse decision and it’s easier to talk oneself out of a big-ticket item than it is a small one.

My assistant (read wife) and I pulled two different editions within a week. The first one had a few more mishaps than the second so it is smaller in total number – 60 versus 70. We pulled a 3 colour eagle image first and then a 2 colour house cat. Just have to photograph them properly and get them on the site.

I have a feeling that we’ll do some more print editions soon. – L/C

As much as I enjoy his work, my favourite thing about him is that he is the ultimate outsider. The artworld seems to really want to appropriate him but he remains a true independent. He is a disrupter.

The artworld got busy trying to intellectualize his shredder stunt at the Sotheby’s auction house as performance art. I prefer to think that he did it because it he thought it would be funny. I think he was making fun at the expense of the high-brow, hoity-toity fine art establishment. And it was really funny.

Ironically, it likely doubled the value of the piece which had been sold only a moment earlier for the sum of £1m (including buyer’s premium). After all, the stunt made news and history and will, no doubt, eventually be displayed in an enclosed glass display case in a museum. – L/C

Work is temporarily postponed due to a physical injury. My shoulder is broken as the result of a nasty fall. Of course, it was the right side which is the side I write and paint with. I can still type, though. I will leave it at that.

I’ve been accepted to participate in something called the Tour Des Arts. It happens in the Eastern Townships which is a wonderful area east of Montreal. It’s supposed to be a very well organized and successful event so I’m very happy to be a part of it.

I recently bought a little house in the area which I will be making my permanent residence before too long. It’s a lovely property and has a great little studio space on the main floor. It will be nice to get out of a basement, where I currently work.

I didn’t know what to expect of the tour when I first applied but have since been told that I could get between 1,000 and 2,000 visitors over the course of the 10 days in July 2019. My little house is very much in the centre of Knowlton and that is likely to contribute to getting big numbers. Yikes!

I wasn’t expecting that but then again, I wasn’t expecting to break my shoulder either.

https://tourdesarts.com

If the internet and social media offer such an amazing opportunity to be independent and reach a wide audience, why do I find it so intimidating? Making a painting makes sense to me and I enjoy the (often ugly) process of getting there. However, as soon as I have to post on social media or try and figure out how to make my website work, the anxiety takes hold. Even though posting on social media is no great technical challenge, I rather pathetically end up checking every few minutes for likes or (better yet) shares.

Even though posting on social media is no great technical challenge, I rather pathetically end up checking every few minutes for likes or (better yet) shares. Needy or what? Facebook seems easier to navigate than Instagram although I have yet to create a ‘Professional Artist Page’ which is apparently something I should do. Add that to the list. So far I’ve just been putting stuff up on my personal page. As an interface, Instagram seems a little awkward to me and I probably need to start throwing a lot of hashtag words around when I post something. At least, that’s what the ‘power users’ seem to be doing. I assume that is in order to enhance exposure in the Instagram world. We’ll try that next time.

As an interface, Instagram seems a little awkward to me and I probably need to start throwing a lot of hashtag words around when I post something. At least, that’s what the ‘power users’ seem to be doing. I assume that is in order to enhance exposure in the Instagram world. We’ll try that next time. In the meantime, it’s @loosecanine.

Twitter is so far just a thing that I scroll through at night to make me fall asleep. Lately, it just gives me nightmares.