Trials and tribulations of art spouse

Yesterday,  I volunteered for a local art association for their largest juried exhibit.  Members brought in their paintings in the morning for them to be juried in the afternoon, then they came back to pick up their paintings at the end of the day.  During discussions with other artists, it was impressive to hear how many artists are able to get involved with many art activities due to the support of their spouse.

If we were to ask art spouses what they do to support the "artist" in the family along their art adventure, here are some of the things they would say.:

• drives to hang paintings at shows, vernissage and pick up of art, in some cases more than an hour away. In some cases these could required numerous trips.
• assistance with set up  and take down grids and/or tents for art shows
• building studio and storage for supplies and completed paintings
• stripping paint from old frames
• framing paintings
• continued morel support, even in the early days when paintings weren't acceptable
• providing volunteering hours to support volunteering of artists, including creating databases of all applications for shows or members, etc.
• and the list goes on and on.

Most importantly, art spouses provide morale support. They provide encouragement when they are shown a painting that may not be the most appealing. They provide comfort when artists do not sell as many paintings as expected or when the artist is not admitted in a show.

When artists experience some success, they have to remember all the support that  helped them explore their passion and get to where they are today.  I'm glad to see that my artist friends are very appreciative of the efforts of their spouses.

For the most part, being an artist is a solitary activity. Having the support of a spouse helps alleviate that situation.

All I know is that if there were prizes for supporting spouses, there would be some serious contenders. 

I've read a number of articles about families who do not support their artist family member.  Maybe when an artist has reached a certain number of years of experience and paints for the sheer fun of it, instead of trying to do this to make a living, spouses are more supportive.  Maybe this also has to do with the age bracket my friends and I are in.

In any event, demonstrating interest in your significant other’s passion goes a long way in the relationship.

Here is a small watercolour, about 8" X 10", that I painted a couple of weeks before Christmas.

The inspiration for this painting was a photo I saw online. Unfortunately, I cannot find who to credit for that photo.

Have a great week
Danielle