Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for April 05, 2024

His wife is in finance. He’s a trophy husband.

He loads ammo for preppers.

I design and install secret trap doors. Like the one you are standing on.

We have some friends who are artists. Some of them have “real” jobs, some make a living doing art. Some have spouses with jobs and health insurance… some don’t live very high on the hog at all.

The one thing they have in common is that they CANNOT STOP doing art. Almost the definition of “artist”.

It’s one of Wiley’s real life experiences.

It’s why I’m an architect. Still creative.

My friend is a highly respected locally landscape artist. He has been asked this more than a few times.

As a “lefty” I object! I do things ‘righties’ can only dream of.

She should be wearing a MAGA hat.

I’m a serial killer of art critics!

“Are you one of those primitivist Cutest artists? My grandson does something in Kindergarten with finger paints.”

What is he sitting on? His paint box has legs but he seems to be levitating? And why did he haul a heavy studio wooden easel along. An en plein air easel looks more like a telescoping camera stand. I have a friend who wears a t-shirt with “yes, I am painting” printed on the back when painting out of the studio.

“I’m a magician, and have a partner who never speaks.” (Looks like Penn Jillette).

Prior to Impressionism artists worked in their studios. The Romantic movement created an interest in landscapes which hadn’t been there before, but artists still did them in their studios from sketches. The Impressionists were interested in light, and how it changed through the course of the day. You had to paint outdoors, and could paint the same scene over and over according to how the lighting changed. So you had to paint real fast. Which was one of the criticism of Impressionists – “If you’re painting that fast it can’t be very good.”

I’ve gotten many of them.

Guess she’s never heard of Starving Artists.

I don’t see anything wrong with the question.

To an artist, nothing that is said is necessarily relevant to what he-she is doing. That’s why many don’t bother to return the comment.

Considering that 99.9999999% of all modern art is just incomprehensible abstract crap, she totally correct!

I think our politicians put forth the same question to Hunter.

OUCH.

“Please no questions, I’m concentrating”

When I have approached artists painting en plein air, I have inquired respectfully to learn from their perspective and experience, and they have seemed happy to share.

My own creative artistic talent is less than zero. All I can draw is a blank. However, I know “artists” (with less creative ability than I) who try and excuse their lack of talent by blaming my lack of appreciation of their “work” on my failure to comprehend what they’re trying to convey. When I ask if it isn’t their task to convey their meaning in terms an audience can understand, they can get pretty irate. But I cannot help but think that’s a bit like telling a dog that the can of Alpo is really a sirloin steak; it makes you look foolish and embarrasses the dog. 8>)

Three rocks borrowed from Ernie Bushmiller …

She just gave you a big hint to not quit your day job.

He’s painting his own thumb

I work with large, insecure animals. Not a free ride by any means but I’ll take it over working with people every chance. So much easier..

That’s the downside to making it look easy.

When I was a kid our next door neighbor was an artist. He kept the roof over his head by also being the art director of a local ad agency.

I regard “cute” as an insult except when applied to small animals and to children under the age of ten.

Some artists work as teachers. If they can get jobs as art teachers, all the better.

I always told people, “I’m a much better singer than a programmer but programming pays better.”

I’m so bad at art I can’t even draw a stick figure if you gave me a ruler and spotted me the head. So I’m absolutely blown away not only by artists who can paint as realistically as a photograph but also by the cartoonists we have here on GoComics, who can crank stuff out day after day after day that’s not only artistic but also informative, funny, pointed, etc. Let me give a special shout-out to Mike Luckovich, the best caricaturist in the biz!

When people tell me how artistic they are, I nod. When they tell me many people have admired their work, I smile. When an artist tells me someone asked how much they would want to sell it, I shake their hand. :)

My niece went to seven different art schools but said she couldn’t figure out how to make a living at it. I collected two science degrees and worked engineering and software development jobs while doing artwork on the side. I was even accepted to a University of California Art degree program but could not attend. It never even occurred to me to think I would make a living with art. :)

I haven’t got a creative bone in my body. But I really admire anybody who does. And I know how to avoid saying all the usual cliches.

One of those questions you should never ask …