Make Ten More

The posts “One is Not Enough” and “Show Me Ten,” arise from something I heard from art dealer Ivan Karp. Ivan was very generous with his time and he was interested in looking at artists’ work. But he always wanted to see ten. There are many reasons why this was a good idea both for artists and art dealers. The first good reason concerns the artist’s process. The audience and context are additional reasons to make ten. The artist needs an endgame and must understand how to get there. The audience needs a context and the artist supplies that context by showing ten or more.

Another reason for making ten is momentum. If artists are conscious of their artistic goals of ten rather than a goal of one, they have a different point of view regarding their works in progress. Artists, aware of the larger context, are relieved of the preciousness attached to the individual work.

Artists create momentum when they begin the next work before finishing the work they are working on. Beware the desire to finish too quickly. Keep the process open. Momentum happens when the endgame tempers the anxiety or pleasures of the moment. It is never a question of what to paint; it is always a question of how to paint. Making ten more is the best teacher. One is not enough.

Some readers may object to this idea, arguing that a focus on context, audience, process, and momentum interferes with individual freedom and personal expression. Two classic excuses, rationales for avoiding the question are: “I’ll just see what happens,” or “I don’t know, I just paint.” Here are the facts. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. The laws of human perception inevitably constrain freedom because we are human beings. We all have a similar visual perceptual system that works in particular ways and we also have an innate drive for closure and organization. We can’t get away from ourselves. And just as human beings all breath the same way, we are also hard wired with fundamental visual forces that work inside all of us. Human beings are also wired for social interaction. We make meaning within relationships. Therefore, context, audience, process, and momentum are all factors that weigh in on the painting/drawing experience. One is not enough. Make ten more.