Posts by Nicholas Wilton

Today I thought I would share a few thoughts about increasing the likelihood your art will be accepted into a juried show. These three ideas came from volunteering for an exhibition in NYC. Listen here. The first realization is that your art, to stand out from the endless stream of entered art, needs to be…

John Le Carre, the famous British spy writer, said, “The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the Dog’s mat is a story.” Why? It has to do with tension. When troubleshooting our art, we rarely talk about tension. However, it is needed to make our art memorable and…

When I pause my artmaking, the one thing that gets my creative juices flowing are the stories of other creatives. What cool things are being made by others? How are they doing this, and why? I love learning from seeing and listening to the stories of other creatives. Almost always, this leads me back in…

The season of my art making is changing. June, for me, marks the beginning of a time of more reflection. My productivity lessens to take stock of where I am and where I might be going next. Now, I write more and paint less. I reflect more. I try to hold off from doing too…

I like to paint boldly and a little out of control, especially in the beginning. If the picture is giving you bold, clear messages, you can better respond with the same. In other words, it is easier to know what to do next. A strong start can make your progress easier and a lot faster.…