The danger of glamorous fakery: how social media affects artists

From mental health to financial problems, there are many negative ways in which social media affects artists. But little is said about how unreal these platforms are. Riddled with bots, inflated numbers and influencers who are paid to advertise products they don't use to fake audience, they're nothing more than glamorous fakery with little reference to reality.

The beauty of reflection: Avant-garde Czech and Slovak glass

Coming across art that truly mesmerizes me is rare. The Czech and Slovak glass art is my biggest discovery this year, the Kunstmuseum exhibition in The Hague blew my mind.

Lex Horn, bikes & unexpected art

From Lex Horn sgraffito murals in a bicycle parking garage to Pejac's trompe l'oeil paintings in a prison. art can be found in the most unexpected places.

David Bailly vs deadly hands of commercial portraitists

Figurative art is often undervalued in the art world. It is partly due to the rise of “bad figurative”, as described by Dean Kissicik in an article for the Spectator: “Pleasant enough, but mediocre at heart (…) paintings of nothing. Watered-down, cordial, dull subjectivities.” Portraiture is even more controversial, especially the official kind: the internet …

To Paint is to Love Again Part 13: The Unknown Heroes

Everybody loves the clichéd rags-to-riches stories of people surviving hardship and poverty to then become famous and wealthy. Oh, the American Dream. The cliché of making your way from the bottom of the social ladder to the top is well present in pretty much every industry one can possibly think of, and sure enough, art …

To Paint is to Love Again Part 12: Friends and Mentors

“To work alongside another painter, a serious one, is a great privilege”, wrote Henry Miller in To Paint is to Love Again. Having a friend who is a fellow artist means that we have someone who not only understands and appreciates our work, but who helps us learn and grow. A friend who is a …

To Paint is to Love Again, Part 11: The Healing Power of Art

Just like I don’t need an ‘inspiration’ to start painting, I don’t need to be in any particular mood either. In fact, I paint in all sorts of mood. I’ve painted in ecstasy, anger, melancholy, apathy. I’ve laughed at the easel, I’ve cried at the easel. I’ve painted in pain, both physical and emotional, I’ve …

To Paint is to Love Again, Part 10: Art and Insanity

For some years after graduating from art school, I had a variety of art jobs. I worked independently, as a team leader and a team member, in smaller and larger groups. The jobs, albeit all within the creative fields, were very different, and so was my experience in each role. But there was one common …

To Paint is to Love Again, Part 9: The Struggle in Art

I sometimes wonder how many users on Instagram make some kind of art. I guess there must be thousands of them though when I tried googling that all I got in response was articles telling me how to get my first 1000 art Instagram followers, which frankly makes me want to eat my own head. …

To Paint is to Love Again, Part 8: Finding Inspiration

There are many questions artists are repeatedly asked. Following “What kind of artist are you?” (which I elaborated on in my previous post), another frequently asked one is “Where do you get your ideas from?”. And my usual response to that is: from everywhere. Finding inspiration happens pretty much anywhere, without a deliberate effort on …