reddragonfly

Local Politics: The End of Recycling?

As part of the ongoing cycle of "things cost more but you end up with less", we have just encountered another brick in the wall. Yes, I know, I'm mixing my meta...

Small Town Gentrification... and Common Sense?

With the new year, our little town is once again on the move! In passing I may have mentioned that located opposite the parking lot that has been causing such a...

"Affordable" Housing is NOT Coming Anytime Soon!

When you live in a town — little or large — that considers itself heavily civically involved, it seems like there's almost always some kind of storm in a teacup...

Art Has Always Been a Difficult “Sell!”

If there's one thing I have learned as a result of owning and running two art galleries — along with being an artist, myself — it is that art is always a great ...

The Politics of Parking in a Small Town III: The People Have Spoken!

I was thinking I would call this the "reprise" to the ongoing parking story, but opted instead for "Part III" because the story has likely not come to a conclus...

The Politics of Parking in a Small Town II: Villagers With Pitchforks!

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the ongoing circus of bad decisions surrounding an unfolding local "for-pay" parking situation, here in our small seaside to...

The Politics of Parking in a Small Town: The Circus Continues!

Back in February, I wrote an article about the stupidity of local city government and parking here in our little tourist town. It is now five months later, and ...

More City Politics Stupidity: Affordable Housing That Isn't!

As a former member of the commercial base of our town I like to keep my eye on local politics and most of the time just feel grateful that I'm no longer part of...

The "Character" of Desirable Places to Live vs. "Creeping Gentrification"

When we have a choice — as opposed to forced corporate relocation, or something like that — we tend to seek out places to live that are in alignment with our in...

Parking and the Stupidity of City Government!

I am glad — relieved, even — that we no longer have a local business! A large part of why I'm glad is that it means I no longer have to deal with the stupidity ...

The Problems and Challenges of Art Marketing

As an artist, I'm always looking for ways to improve my marketing, especially online. Because "Big Brother" is always watching, the fact that I have been search...

How Do You Prioritize Your Art and Creativity?

My experience has been that most artists and craftspeople would like to think that they take their creative endeavors seriously. But what does that actually mea...

Feeling Creatively Stagnant in a Changing Art Market

Maybe I am simply getting older, but these days I often find the entire business of being an artist to be more ambiguous and confusing than it used to be. A lot...

Inflation and Art Supplies — Yikes!

Recently, I found myself in need of ordering some new art supplies. Specifically, I needed to get some paints, some good quality paper and a decent brush or two...

Reflections on What Once Was...

I always get in a bit of a reflective mood this time of the year. Perhaps it is a little more pronounced this year, because the end of June this year marked the...

Is Traditional Art Going to Become Obsolete in the Digital Age?

As an artist and a lifelong trader in the business end of art, I sometimes wonder about the extensive changes unfolding within the art industry itself. In recen...

Art & Creativity: Obsession With "Newness" vs Authenticity

We humans do seem to have almost an obsession with "newness." Maybe I am just getting a bit curmudgeonly in my old age, but whenever I am vending at an arts & c...

The True Value of Art: Buy it Because You LIKE it!

Recently, I sold one of my pieces of art. No, this wasn't actually one of my personal works, it was a painting from my personal collection, originally acquired ...

Art and Creativity: Consistency and Monotony vs Experimentation and Adventure?

What is your approach to your creative endeavors, as an artist? Personally, I chose to pick a style that I'm comfortable working with and that I enjoy, and then...

Selling Online: Is Art Purely a "Browsing" Proposition?

Over the years, I've heard lots of people say that it's "impossible to sell art online." As an artist myself, I'm often inclined to agree with that assertion, e...