A lot of work yet to do to get this site looking the way I want. It’s probably not the sleek sort of website most upper end artists try to have. Mine is more like a back alley with a window view of a fancy restaurant. My art is different also. When I browse Artists websites The artworks I see are largely done for sale. The work artists are trained to do is stuff that meshed with interior design. Focus on color and texture. When in previous centuries, artist apprentices would learn history and mythology from a good mentor, as well as all the methods of creating those scenes with paint. Today the artist is seen as an accessory to the interior. Defining the room, in contrast to the way, a painting would define the owner. While it’s true, some people still purchase art because it aligns with their personal worldview. A majority of paintings are purchased by a third party. For decoration. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the way artists are taught or were taught to produce art. I see it as a cycle, the work that sells now is mostly abstract. The ideas behind the reason it was made are abstract as well. Money is abstract. It’s not real it fluctuates back-and-forth, depending on whether or not a butterfly flapped, his wings halfway across the world. Every artist needs to create, how they create is largely determined by the need to make money. If the skull paintings don’t sell, maybe the landscapes will. When trying to get into a gallery, they say go meet the gallery shake hands talk to them…basically it’s up to you to convince them that you can do the kind of artwork that they want in order to sell. You also have to have some artwork (a lot of it) . Because the truth is, it doesn’t matter what your art looks like, a good Gallerist can sell a blank piece of wood to somebody for $10,000 as long as it matches the interior of the room for which it was purchased . So when you want to be in a gallery, show up to all their shows look like an artist, whatever that means and be as likable as humanly possible . i’m not saying that the reason abstract art is in so many homes is because a gallery salesperson was a smooth talker, but that’s also a thing. I believe something is going to happen to the Galleries soon. With the advent of digital sales, artist connections with the public, and more accessible art in general. The Galleries have lots of competition. A collector wants artworks from the artist. Or at least that’s the idea to get artwork directly from the artist in a meaningful way. Building a relationship. I know there’s a gallery owner out there reading this thinking to themselves “Galleries aren’t going anywhere” they are right. A Gallery will always exist in one form or another. There are already several types of Galleries that exist. I would assume one of those branches, most strong will continue like an evolutionary process. One could only imagine what those galleries would look like. We can be excited about the future of art. This is a transitional period we are in. The contemporary postmodern era that we are in now is all over the place. Really wobbly legs so to speak. Let’s keep an eye on trends and try to predict what the Art market will do. Our future as artists depends on our ability to create what society wants, not in the sense that the artist figures out the desires of the audience but rather gives the audience something to desire. Ultimately we are all the same. We can express ourselves to that end. We all enjoy similar experiences, we all have loved ones or have loved someone. When an Artist puts love into their work it’s desirable. So put some love into your work. Maybe just loving your work will be enough. Instead of painting to make a room feel better let’s paint to make the audience feel better. Have a great day! Thanks for your time.

~Artist, Mike Packer