I haven't posted here all that regularly over the last month but for me, and this is the good part, I've been steadily working away on my art day after day in my studio in West Cork. Not only on my art as in painting and drawing, but also contributing to the artists group I'm a member of - Working Artist Studios in Skibbereen, Ireland. ( You can visit our web site here: Working Artists Studios )

Throughout 2009 I'm going to focus on what works and what doesn't in following my 'Calling' as an artist.

Many of my friends ask me how I'm getting on. I make a point of clarifying exactly what they mean. No surprise it's 100% about how it's working out financially for me - all this artist + studio + gallery stuff. Well so far it's truly a blessing to live and work as an artist. Financially it's been incredibly difficult!

I'm going to do all I can to solve this puzzle. My background is in commercial art, graphic design, illustration and commercial photography. In my past life as a company director, businesses paid good money to my company to help sell their products and services. In the world of art will people pay for work that could enrich their lives or has society become so focused on commerce that culture and the finer things of life are passed by in the feeding frenzy? The recent global downturn adds a further twist on the year ahead, especially in the life of an artist.

So in this year to come I'm going to write here in my blog about all of the experiments, discoveries, trials, tribulations and triumphs of making this incredible Journey work in all kinds of ways - and that includes financially. Perhaps you will contribute to it, perhaps you can learn from it, my wish is we all benefit from it.

I'm very committed to working and living as an artist - come what may. So 2009 should be quite a ride and you can read about it here.

Join me here on a regular basis as the this life experiment unfolds. Meanwhile in what ever place you are with your life I wish you all the Best Wishes of the Season that plus unconditional happiness. --- Barry

• Decide who should do what. Pick the best person(s) for the job and let them get on with it.
• Don't try and manage other members no matter how enlightened as to the 'best' way to carry it out you may think you are.
• Avoid having members who are closely related to other people in the group such as partners or family members. It's almost impossible for them not to have a bias in group decisions, discussions or day to day activities, no matter how fair minded they may think they are.
• It's often better to make progress through small incremental steps done imperfectly than to micro manage the 'perfect project' and drive everyone nuts in the process. If ever you doubt this think of evolution or better still think of feeding a small child solid food for the first time. (Make that anytime).
• Ensure when taking on a new member of the group that above all else they are a good, sincere human being. Look at their portfolio second. Then have a trial period of at least three months.
• Mostly it's better to move forward relentlessly with lots of small easy-to-do steps rather than one giant, resource hungry innovation. (Although these kind of steps are sometimes needed).
• Remember why you are part of the group and why everyone else is too. This will, and should, have a strong 'what's in it for me factor'. That's healthy and realistic. Ironically keeping this in mind maintains focus and keeps everyone together.
• Remember huddling around the fire on a cold wet night is more fun with others, especially if they can sing better than you!

These musings are mine and mine alone and certainly don't cover everything. They're also not from the group of artists I'm a member of. If you'd like to add your own suggestions or discuss these ones I'd really like to hear from you.

You can contact me here....

Following on from my last post, I've been mulling over what works and what doesn't for a group of artists. I've been a member of Working Artist Studios for four years now and I've seen the dynamics of the group fluctuate from outright hostility to full on enthusiasm. So here's a 'list of musings' from the frontline. (I really welcome feedback and suggestion on this subject).

Please Note - these are my 'musings' and are not those of any other member of the Group.

Possible Guidelines for an Artist Group

• Don't try and dictate - instead make a suggestion.
• Learn to listen.
• Have an open dialogue between members. Don't let anything mushroom into an 'issue'. To this end avoid leaving notes for others. They can be misread and can turn into a kind of toxic record keeping.
• Don't discuss any other member or group issue in a way that you wouldn't (or won't), do face-to-face with the absent member. To put it another way, don't gossip about other members!
• When proposing to spend money on a project be mindful that members of the group will differ in the amount of money they have available.
• Sticking a list of rules up on the wall doesn't work very well. There are endless possibilities leading to endless rules. Just look at the Euopean Union. Sometimes Guidlines may help which are at a higher level than rules. For example: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you', is a good start. In fact it may be all you need.
• Don't suggest anything you wouldn't be willing to follow through on yourself by taking action. That doesn't mean you should be the one carrying out the suggestion if you aren't the best person to do it. Instead it means you fully realise your suggestion, for someone else, will require their time and other resources. No small thing.
• Keep suggestions to within the reach of the resources of the group. Resources are not just money, resources can be: time, skills, money, knowledge, energy, motivation, experience and more.
• Don't hog the limelight. There is no limelight and you aren't any more important than anyone else.

Continued on my next post....

I share a building in Skibbereen with three other artists, called Working Artist Studios. Each of us have our own Studio and we share three Galleries. As a group we decided to rehang the Galleries and generally spruce the place up. My first reaction was a feeling of frustration at having to take a large amount of time off from drawing and painting. This frustration grew as the days for the re-hanging approached. But I must say once we all got going it turned out to be a very satisfying experience indeed. This is one of the many benefits of working within a Group. The support and motivation can be great, just so long as we all communicate clearly, thoughtfully and openly and don't let anything become an issue.

I think we all share a guarded optimism about the year ahead. Lot's of possibilities without becoming too carried away. One step at a time. We don't take on more than we have the resources to handle. And resources means, time, money, skills and motivation, it's not just money. It might be of help and interest to other artists groups to write more about how this group of artists functions as I think it takes a certain resolve and perhaps certain life experiences of sorts, to make it work and work well. Right at this time I think being a member of this group is a very positive experience. I would especially welcome hearing from other artists groups Internationally. You can contact me here. I'd love to hear from you.

Barry

Tags: Galleries and Studios

Decided to devote today to bring my web sites up to date. Quite a job as I have a lot of them!

As a writer and artist it's a challenge to keep communication with the world 'out there' going. Sometimes I want to just head into my studio or travel out into the towns and countryside here in West Cork to sketch and paint. Not just for one day but for weeks on end in a kind of extended artist's retreat. There are times in the past when I've done just that but I've learned that a balance of art activity and communication is best.

My writing and artwork is not something to be kept in a darkened room, it's a form of communication. Sharing one way, my way of experiencing and seeing this world, my world, our world. My words and images - they don't even have to be liked or even appreciated. But perhaps something seen or read will stimulate and add a certain richness to someone's day. Or perhaps not, that's not my responsibility. All I need do is to turn up, to make the effort day after day.

So that's why I've put this time aside to update my web sites. To fulfil my obligation as a writer and an artist to communicate in what ever way possible.

Barry

Tags: networking

Re-organising the Studios and Galleries has taken me away from the trend I was on prior to the changes within our Artists Group, (mentioned in my last post). I've also taken it on board to develop and put up a web site for the group. A first for Working Artist Studios. You can see it here....

It uses a specially developed CMS, (Content Management System), this means each artist can add their own pages and edit the site. So it's going to be interesting to see how it develops in the months to come.

Meanwhile, over this very wet and stormy weekend, I've decided to work on much smaller sketches and paintings in the weeks to come. Previously all of my work was on 48" square panels. Really liked working big but it's slow and the resulting work takes up a lot of space, it also means the price of these pieces are high.

I've made a start already and hope to get a lot of fresh work up on a few of my sites. Crimson Salamander, which is my main online Gallery and Barrys Drawings which is.... pretty obvious!

Another result of this regrouping period is we've decided to dedicate one of our three Galleries to smaller more 'affordable' works. This should make our work accessible to a lot more people financially.

So plenty to get on with in the weeks ahead.

B.

Tags: Journal

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I've been writing in my journal quite a bit about the subject of my last post 'How can I best not only survive but prosper as an artist'. Rather than to add more to the list started on that post, (as no doubt a lot more could be added), for me underpinning my work as a writer and artist is a clear sense of Vision and how my work my art connects with Spirit.

It's not done for commerce or as a distraction but as a Sacrament, allowing me in some very modest way to express the Mystery of life through paint on canvas, marks on paper or whatever materials come to hand on the day.

Following this Vision as faithfully as possible with no agenda compromised by what's popular or what sells.

Turn up, do the work and let go the outcome.

To be able to do this over and over again all the days of my life.

Amen.

So it's one thing experiencing the chaos of the 'recession' and the daily madness reported by the politicians and financial sector I wrote about in my last post, but the real challenge right now in these difficult times is how to keep on going and to prosper in every sense of the word, (not just financially), as an artist.

I was tempted to write about such things as time management and networking and other hardy annuals of those who 'work for themselves', but since I'm sixty on my next birthday, rent my house, write, draw and paint, and live on my own, there are more fundamental issues to take care of first.

I'm going to list some of these fundamentals from some journalling I did last night. Most of them might appear not just basic but obvious, but the older I get the more important these basics become. So here's the start of my list.

How can I best not only survive but prosper as an artist?

• Keep everything simple, but not too simple.
• To keep myself and my house and studio clean and tidy.
• To maintain a good level of health by eating wholesome food, stretching, walking or cycling at least every other day and getting a sound night's sleep every night, including not oversleeping.
• To keep careful track of my finances. To cut out any unnecessary expenditure, save if possible no matter how modest and avoid debt (crucial).
• To help others when possible and to not be afraid to ask for help.
• To not get isolated, though I'm very comfortable with large amounts of time on my own, which is just as well but I do need to be careful. A fine line between alone and lonely.
• To turn up every day to my Calling, a synergy of drawing, painting, sculpture, printing and writing.
• To keep up to date by replying to communications such as texts, emails, post etc. In turn for me to take the initiative to communicate with others in a timely and appropriate way.
• To be continued....

Not finished with this yet, more to add in my next post.

I'm hoping these posts will not only clarify my own thinking and actions but in some small way it may also help others. I hope so. If you'd like to make any comments or to add your own suggestions to this list, please use my contact form.

B.

Tags: Personal Challenges

Watching the news last night I was very impressed how Age Action Ireland spoke out against the crazy government budget decision about Medical Cards, (Ireland October 2008), in a meeting in a church in Dublin. They voiced the frustration and anger felt against a political system which has for a long time now been completely out of touch with the ordinary people in the street.

I think anger about the budget is only the tip of the iceberg. To bail out banks is perpetuating a system built on greed and deception. The banks fuelled a sizeable sector of the community in Ireland, who road the crest of this wave until it crashed and devastated a lot of the Irish community. In trying to revive a sick system our Government is trying to rally the surfers for yet another go at this sick game.

For years now, like so many others, I have experienced the rampant endless hike in prices, the ever growing EU driven paperwork, the incompetence and indifference of bureaucrats and local authorities. In the media the Sunday supplements and articles celebrating the 'never, never' world of endless credit in the form of second homes, fitted kitchens and exotic holidays, facials and fast cars in a 60 mile and hour limit country, all washed down with expensive highly taxed wine!

Surprise at the recession, the greed driven excesses of banks and financial institutes laid bare and the attempted resuscitation of institutes that should be allowed to die?

What surprise!

And there's a lot more manure coming down the pike!

Tags: Action

So much work is going on with my various web sites at the moment, mostly Trails of the Spirit. I had scheduled in adding a total of over 15 pages to this site alone. As the design and layout was already established it was mainly content required. At first it was hard work then as it progressed I found myself really getting into it. Around nine years ago I wrote a book called STOP which was published by Collins Press At that time it was the same, at first hard going and then I got my second wind, so to speak, and the writing became almost compulsive, as I filled notebook after notebook.

So I'm enjoying my writing again, like meeting up with an old friend. I even invested in a piece of software to help make the whole process easier, especially at the beginning. It's called Scrivener and it's working out well. I find a standard word processor not to be writing friendly, at least to me it isn't. Scrivener helps by having facilities such as notes and ways of logging brainstorming sessions with lots more besides. Having a program that supports my way of working is great.

I've got to be careful I don't suddenly go overboard with my writing as already I've so many ideas for new publications I may have to give up sleep. I think I already have as I notice it's just gone 1:30 am in the morning here in Ireland, according to my trusty MacBook. So apart from writing my web content, my first printed Book/Booklet is going to be, 'What you need to know about visiting Peru, before you step onto the plane!' This is the working title. I think I'll have to come up with something a bit better! I plan on having this completed by September 7th 2008, I'm about one third the way through.

If you'd like to be kept informed about the progress and exactly when it'll be available, you can always use my contact form.

So on with my writing. I would like to keep it up as a daily practice, but that's completely up to me and my motivation. I've so many things I'd like to do on a daily basis already!

Barry
(Barry McCullough)

Tags: Journal

Spent the complete day working on Trails of the Spirit website. To get good results with the search engines requires meticulous attention to detail. It's not as fun as design or producing great images but it's vital to getting visitors. The site is up to 50 pages and rising so trolling through the code is no small task. A great spin-off benefit is finding lots of little (and big), things that need changing, grammer, spelling, headlines, more info etc etc.

Feels good at the end of the day, but this iteration of the site won't go live for another 5 or 6 days. Building a good website is like developing software. It's about level after level of refinement and adding new features and information, I enjoy it it's like eating peanuts when I start I can't stop! More web stuff tomorrow.

Barry -btw here's the link to the site I'm writing about http://www.trailsofthespirit.com

Tags: website development

Spent quite a bit of time setting up a new web site called http://www.postcardsfromtheamazon.com where visitors can select an ePostCard and send it with their message to anyone they like - free.

I've a lot of photography I shot during my last trip to Peru last year (Sept/Oct), and decided to put some of it online in some kind of useful and interesting way, hence eCards. I plan on adding some of my own original art work over the next few days and I've invited some artists friends from the Amazon region of Peru to also add some of their original paintings to this site -, so it should get even more interesting.

It's a nice way to brighten up an email to a friend - check it out.

B.

Tags: website development

Updated another of my web sites http://www.barrysdrawings.com It's a sister site to this one and focuses on art stuff, (surprise, surprise with a url like that).

Next thing is putting up some fresh artwork, hopefully by this coming weekend. Finding the time to communicate is important and a challenge as it's time consuming.

Tags: design

Designing and putting up a decent web site requires loads of work. I've finally settled on a design for my Trails of the Spirit website. Now I need to concentrate on writing loads of interesting content. I am really looking forward to taking a group of people deep into the Amazon in Spring of 2009, I need to let people know this is available.

It's funny how one core idea needs so many skills to bring it to fruition. Like art, to do it purely for it's own sake is relatively easy (as long as I can overcome procrastination), but to then show it and share it with other people requires those loads of skills, website design and development, writing, emails, business cards and on and on. Better get used to it Barry!

If you'd like to check out the web site I'm referring to above, here it is http://www.trailsofthespirit.com

Glad I'm back posting on my Blog - it's been awhile.

Barry

Tags: Amazon Rainforest

Concentration - hours of work, working on programming the portfolio section of my new drawing web site ( http://www.barrysdrawings.com ). I even turned on the tv later in the evening to take a break and ended up working my way through it - the joys of a MacBook laptop. Tomorrow I'm getting out and leaving my computer at home, even if it's to my Studio to work on an almost completed large painting. Hope to have this drawing portfolio site finished by this coming Sunday. Keep going Barry, it won't program itself.
B.

I'm doing a lot more drawing recently and was thinking about my choice of subjects to draw. I'm finding less and less satisfaction in searching out pretty landscapes, classic still life or portraits. I'm going to push the edges of what drawing is and has been for me up to now, more experimental more edgy more true to my way of seeing and experiencing my world.

Yesterday I took a day off, except I found myself thinking about the subject of experimental drawing. I had to do some domestic stuff so I went into Skibbereen. After doing the supermarket thing, I called into the local West Cork Art Centre to browse their current exhibition which is called 'Degree Zero Archive' which to cut to the chase is 'a touring archive of curators' work'. (Why not make that the title lads?). Anyway, the gallery area had loads of artists and curators books, dvd's cd's etc. I browsed the show for around an hour. It helped to refresh my own ideas on drawing. I want at all costs to avoid becoming becalmed into a kind of unknowing complacency in my work. Right now I think I've too much of a sense of urgency for this to happen.

Last night I started to explore some ideas about pushing the edges of drawing. I drew a simple head and shoulders based on a photograph taken of me by a friend, scanned it and started to run it it through a special computer algorithm. I left it running on my laptop all through the night as the rendering takes ages. This morning when I got up, I stopped the rendering and saved the image. Here it is. Small it's more recognisable as a head and shoulders, but when you enlarge it..... (Click on it to see the larger version). I hope you can see at this larger size, (the original is A4), the base rendering algorithm replaces all the tone/pixels with a rendering of hair, which also looks like a form of tight scribbling. I'm going to push the edges of my drawing and techniques in various ways over the weeks and months to come. Exploration time. I'll post some more drawings and notes on the results from time to time. Drawing (art), can be radical and exciting, it's up to me!
B.

Tags: drawing

Well not exactly a new web site but a complete redesign of the first Gallery site I put up around three years ago. This site is my main online Art Gallery http://www.crimsonsalamander.com

Next thing I need to do is to get up some new work onto the Gallery, which is waiting in the wings. Need to photograph three new large (48" x 48"), paintings along with some smaller pieces for this new site, but not to get ahead of myself. Meanwhile I managed to get in a small experimental drawing to keep in touch. Hard to stay in today working on my MacBook in such a bright, sunny, fresh, spring day.

Tags: website development

That's why I spent most of my day working on a series of web sites based around my work. I hope to have them completed over the next 6 to 8 weeks, (although a web site is really never completed). As every artist knows balance is important. Over the last few years I have put my main focus on my paintings, drawings and sculpture - time in the studio. But now I need to communicate and it needs to happen now. So this is a voyage of discovery. I'm going to explore what's possible using mostly, but not exclusively, the Internet. Not exactly a break through idea in itself ; ] but I'm going to find/invent/discover ways that work using this media. Not so easy but I firmly believe it's doable with a generous helping of focus and determination.

I've a tiny budget, which is another way of saying 'no budget'. From my previous vocation I've the experience and expertise to develop, design, and program web sites, so this is the only practical media for me right now and I'm willing to put in the time. I'm very aware, just putting up a web site alone won't do it, it's going to take a lot of innovation. So watch this space for a blow by blow report on how I get on in the weeks and months ahead. It's going to be interesting. Meanwhile I managed to squeeze in a small semi-abstract drawing today to balance out all the work today on my trusty MacBook. I'm determined to establish a balance between time working on my art and time letting the world know I exist. I'll post my web site addresses here as they near completion. If you've any ideas that have worked for you please let me know.

Tags: drawing

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Tags: art classes

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