Art Advice from the Masters

by Alyson Stanfield on August 9, 2005

Artist Mel Ristau
advised me to run to the bookstore and pick up a copy of the July-August issue
of Art on Paper. Since not every
bookstore is so savvy, I called upon our local favorite, Tattered Cover, which, thankfully,
saved me a copy.

The theme: Letters to a Young Artist (inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s
"Letters to a Young Poet").

"Young Artist" writes a letter to established artists whose work she
admires asking for advice.

From John Baldessari: "Don’t go into art for fame and fortune. Do it
because you cannot not do it."

From Gregory Amenoff: "Artists drive the bus." and
"Don’t be afraid to do dumb things in the studio."

From Mierle Laderman Ukeles: "It is your job to
re-invent art itself, through what you create."

Then there’s a letter from Sol LeWitt, writing to Eva Hesse
in 1965. His advice; "DO!"

Good stuff.



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