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The Painter's Keys Content Archives
Our archive is a rich art resource of creative content and art advice. The archive contains every one of the Robert Genn Twice-Weekly Letters and Clickbacks since the year 2000. Our system is to carefully edit a large daily volume of incoming feedback from the letters--and to reduce it to a terse and economical amount of reading. Duplication only occurs by nuance, veracity is checked, point of view is encouraged, and a balanced, timeless collection is the result. By so doing we have formed a worldwide creative art community--a brotherhood and sisterhood where all flags fly.

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2012 Robert Genn Twice-Weekly Letters

  • spacer spacer spacer Denial of digital?
      November 13th, 2012
  • Taking a look at Don's work, I was blown away by the remarkable quality. Don's art is photographically based. As I understand it, he goes to quite a bit of trouble to set up his models and photograph them in period costumes and true-to-life environments. After photos are taken, he may combine by Photoshop other images that give the work added meaning and nuance. Then he passes the work through the "Painter" app and produces what looks for all the world like a masterful oil painting... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer 'A dumb idea'
      November 9th, 2012
  • I've always been aware that this sort of thing might get out of hand. But in all my years of "guaranteeing for life" it never has. This policy has brought a wealth of friends. Because of this dumb idea, my cup runneth over. The Jimmy job took little time. I was the only one in the world who could safely do it. It was a joy to inspect the old painting, clean and re-varnish it and send it on its way once more. Future black lights will learn its secret... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer Love those apps
      November 6th, 2012
  • IPad apps like Sketchbook Pro, Procreate, ArtRage, ArtStudio, Brushes, Zen Brush, Inspire Pro and others are great for the ageless instant gratification needy. And like other new technology, the cutting-edgers are putting the things to work. David Hockney recently exhibited a bunch of florals on wall-hung iPads. Such a curious feeling when passing along the wall--so up in the clouds and easy does it. Batteries not included... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer Two artists
      November 2nd, 2012
  • "Jack" got a BFA and then an MFA from a Midwestern University. He's visited many of the major contemporary art museums and follows the work of several "important" contemporary painters. He's written articles on Philip Guston and others... "Jill" took two years of art school and then quit. She pays little attention to other artists... She's painted "approximately two thousand paintings" since leaving school... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer Make a list
      October 30th, 2012
  • Stepping into an environment with an open mind and no plan is possible. Such a serendipitous attitude can surprise with joy and unforeseen opportunities. But you can also be caught unprepared and blind to both potential and problems. Just as walking right by a particular owl in a certain kind of forest is possible, you need to know how to find what you're looking for. Go out with a list... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer The Pomodoro Technique
      October 26th, 2012
  • If you think all of this is nonsense, you're not alone, but I suggest you try a Pomodoro just once. For those who regularly lose focus, fail to finish or fail to start, you might be pleasantly surprised. You may find that your Pomodoro-days produce better work, build your character and, if you think you've been losing a few, win back some marbles... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer How to purge
      October 23rd, 2012
  • At the beginning of a career, professionalism is possible, but not likely. Hope is a frailty of the human mind that needs to be tempered with reality. Hope is not a strategy. Purging must come from within, from your own calculated powers of discrimination, which should have nothing to do with what "others might see value in one day." Here's how to purge... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer Talking about it
      October 19th, 2012
  • Talking things out is certainly a ploy, and a popular one, but it has problems that visual artists need to be aware of. Words--spoken or written--have a way of making rigid that which needs to be exploratory and free. Words are small straitjackets when put around creative flourishes and maneuverings... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer Perfect happiness
      October 16th, 2012
  • Be philosophical. The happiest people take an "agnostic" approach where curiosity and questioning give more joy and stimulate more wonder than pat answers. We live our short spans in the vortex of a miracle, and while we may not be the center of that vortex, it is magic to be anywhere in there. Be happy! The gods insist on it. The philosophers can find no higher ideal. The pursuit of it is written in the US Constitution. It's the pursuit that matters... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer No signature!
      October 12th, 2012
  • I can understand why painters might want to have their paintings juried on merit alone. I wondered if some of the artists were intending to drop by the gallery and sign their work just before the show. Not practical, I figured--some painters were geographically challenged. Could there be other reasons for the omission? Fear of gender discrimination? Age? Race? Degree of baldness?... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer Inner Authority
      October 9th, 2012
  • Some observers claim that over the last hundred years fine art standards have diminished. This condition, if true, gives heart to beginning artists to whom it all looks so easy. Add to this the epidemic of entitlement and "me-too-ism" running like flu through Western populations and what have we got? When the need for personal joy comes ahead of the obligation for skillful craft, mediocrity nods her head and smiles in satisfaction... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer Beyond "So what?"
      October 5th, 2012
  • ...you need to ask yourself what extraordinary thing could be made to happen in your picture. It could be, among many things, a burst of light or an unlikely inclusion. You need to think of something just a bit magical. An engagement of imagination brings a shot of emotion, drama or surprise. This visual epiphany, devised or not, is key to entering the sensibilities of others... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer The thing on the wall
      October 2nd, 2012
  • A remarkable old black and white photograph of Henry Miller, taken when he was living in Big Sur, California, shows a small room, almost a shack, fairly tidy, with books and a few of the simple staples of the writer's life--paper, pen and ink. But something else in that room has always made me curious. I wonder if you can find it?... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer The purpose of gibberish
      September 28th, 2012
  • Talking about visual art is difficult to do. Gibberish is a popular convention that has self-fulfilling benefits. Art that by its nature is confusing is bought by confused people who willingly submit to some form of verbal confusion. "Significant" and "important" art is magnified by the art of gibberish. Cut out the art of gibberish and many artists would also be out of a job... Read On spacer

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  • spacer spacer spacer The new template
      September 25th, 2012
  • As most artists know, galleries are going through a fair amount of rationalization these days. We noted several prominent galleries of our acquaintance that had recently closed their doors or made the switch to online only. We also discussed the problems dealers have with represented artists who also have sta

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