Living Anywhere Else is Amateur – Living at the Beach is for the Pros

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Can you imagine being the tight-lipped CEO, or on the Board of Directors of General Motors? The traders on the New York Stock Exchange are looking at you as if they are watching the fall of Vietnam. When I had, what some people called "a real job" over twenty years ago, the owners wanted me to goose-step like a parading soldier. Salute the "higher margins," and the "return on investment."

But I was out of step. Even then I lived at the beach – and it would call to me. "Don’t go to work today! Come on over! Bring the volleyball! Grab a surfboard!" Don’t forget your towel!

I’ve been asked a number of times, "What is it like living at the beach?" My answer is usually a question: "What would your life be if everyday was a day at the beach?" Ask yourself: "would you rather be an accountant in Tupelo, Mississippi or bum at the beach." I think anybody with any sense would rather be at the beach doing nothing than doing anything, someplace else. It’s freedom here – it’s bondage anywhere else.

At my job I got lucky. They fired me for being belligerent and persistent in my ill manner. I’ve been lucky ever since – I now have an empty bankbook and no shiny three-piece suit in my closet, no lace shoes and certainly no ties. My uniform is flip-flops and a bathing suit. When I exercise, I run barefoot in the sand.

I’m here to tell you: everyday is sunshine –. It’s dancing with Lisa Rinna. It’s cedar-planked salmon with dill hollandaise sauce. It’s life on the edge – both metaphorically and concretely. It’s where the continent ends and life begins. To most people the beach is an idea, a wish, a dream, but living here is real.

Living anywhere else is amateur – living at the beach is for the pros.

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“April is The Cruelest Month”

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Photo of sunset looking out the front widow of my studio

"April is the cruelest month," so said, T.S. Eliot. Well not here. I don’t know where you live but it can’t be anything like this. It was 89 degrees today. That’s no April Fools joke. The taxman has cometh and gone, no iceman and no April showers. Just one gorgeous day. And check out the evening photograph from a few nights ago.

As you can see the view is spectacular. Neither wars, nor bank failure, nor loss of as job, nor the yak show hosts with megaphones kill the beauty of the sunset. And all of that above certainly tries to create depression – but it can’t. That is because a sunset at the beach is spiritual (and I don’t mean religious) A sunset transcends an expensive meal, an eight hundred dollar suit, a grand house. The sunset goes right on by those things. A sunset can make you feel more joyous than any music you have ever heard. The actual sunset can not be captured by the camera or painting or any movie. I certainly cannot express it in writing. It transcends it all.

Sunsets come in all different colors, shapes and sizes. And it doesn’t happen only in America or Russia or China. It happens all over the world and at the same time (and I don’t mean clock time). It happens a dusk when the sun drops below the horizon and reflects it’s light back up into the sky. And no rich dude owns it. I’m sure if some entrepreneur could find a way to capture the sunset and put it behind a curtain and charge for it, he would. But every day the show goes on for anyone who wants to take a look. There is no fee, no toll no assessment. It is free to see. A sunset has not missed one day of performance. And it won’t. It shows up whether you or I am looking or not. Day in and day out until the end of time.

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Equality at Work - How to Price Your Art Without Conformity and Despotism

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Painting of Dennis Wilson (Beachboy) 50" x 70" acrylic/latex on unstretched canvas

First – do not tell your client how easy it was to create your artwork or they won’t respect it, there-by devaluing your ability and talent. For example: If you can do a drawing in a couple of hours tell them it took a week and you suffered black-lung disease from the charcoal dust. This pricing policy is based on equality between you and the client so they need to know you have struggled and endured.

The best clients have struggled through their MBA program and now sells sub-prime mortgages or unsecured bonds – and we all know how hard those items are to sell. Like you, they are selling an intangible item that has no intrinsic value. So you have to establish grounds for cooperation in place of competition for their all-mighty dollar. Because, invariably, they have the money and you don’t.

Here is how the pricing policy works. Let’s say it takes five days (in an eight hour day) for you to create a piece of art. Your price on the work is exactly the same to everyone – and I mean everyone. You want, in return for your five days of work, the same amount of money your client makes in the same time period. For example – you paint the portrait of a piano bar musician who makes (between his gig fee and tips) around two hundred dollars a night. The musician pays one thousand dollars for the portrait. Let’s say you paint the portrait of the Wal-Mart greeter who works the third shift. He makes ten dollars an hour (if he is lucky) and only works six hours a night. He pays three hundred dollars. But you get an attorney and he is making three hundred dollars an hour. That is twenty four hundred dollars a day or twelve thousand dollars in five days. That is what he pays. Twelve thousand dollars.

As you can imagine this pricing policy brings out deep-seated resentment in some "would-be" clients. And just so you know why this irritates some people so much: it is that you (the artist) think you are on equal footing with them.

Now – you know who will yell that your price is way out of line. But it is not. Everyone pays the same price. Five days of labor. I have had lawyer men tell me this is not fair. Fair? Fair? And I tell them they are welcome to come over and take five days painting my house and we will call it even. Or he can give me five days of that lawyering stuff he does.

But you may still run into some resistance with the attorney. He will say that he spent a lot of time in attorney school. You counter with the fact that you also spent years in graduate school and have your Master in Fine Art (MFA) and have fifty thousand dollars in student loans to prove it. He will say he has a large, plush office to maintain and needs it to impress his clients and justify his high fees. And you counter and say you have a large and luxurious studio that you have to maintain to impress your patrons. He punches and you counter-punch. And he will come up with enough excuses for why his time is more valuable than yours. And at some point his arguing skills will wear your down. At that point you say: "Okay. Okay. You are right. I’ll knock off twenty percent and you can have it for seventy-two hundred."

Do not sell your artwork short. When pricing your artwork here are my final words: Thousands and thousands of years ago "man" started painting on the walls of caves. (That is – if you believe in evolution. If you don’t then quit painting like someone else does) If god wanted artists to bend over he would have had those cave people paint on the floor.

PS: If you do not like this pricing policy check blog posting: "Capitalist at Work - Pricing Your Art in a laissez-faire Manner"

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Under Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier is only about three miles down the bike path from the studio. These are photos taken under it during one of my morning bike rides. The boats are dorys the lifeguards sometimes use. They are placed here as an object de art.

Capitalist at Work - Pricing Your Art in a laissez-faire Manner

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Pat on his Triumph Motorcycle

5 feet by 8 feet acrylic/latex on unstretched canvas

First, and one of the most important points to remember is - people want a good deal on a piece of art and will pay any price to get it. Also remember – as an artist you sell a piece of art by conning others - by creating something of value that did not exist before. Think of it. You may take a piece of canvas, some brushes and slop some paint on the canvas in some morally repugnant manner – and magically there is something out of nothing. And somebody will come along want to buy it.

The question is: "For how much?"

An important lesson in selling art is establishing a price. The gap in the artist’s head is between what they think it is worth and what someone is willing to pay. " - and that is a emotional problem, not a pricing problem. With pricing, it is far, far better to get as much as you can as it is being consistent. Although I am an advocate of laissez-faire system of pricing my artwork I am also willing to establish a fixed price. But I do not believe in the "price per square inch" pricing method. In reality some paintings are better than others and should be priced accordingly. You want some play in that pricing policy.

So this is what I did for a number of years – particularily with business people. I called it the capitalistic way of pricing. It does not matter what is the size or quality of the artwork. You select one of the three prices represented by a current stock market indicator. And you tell your client it is based on that particular indicator. Which one you select is based on the qualifications of the client’s ability to pay and your perception of your artwork’s value. The price indicators I used were the S&P 500, the Nasdaq and the DOW on any given day. For example today’s S&P 500 was at 852, which means your art sells for $862. Or the Nasdaq was at 1,626 which means your art is $1,262. Or the DOW was at 8,029 – which means the artwork sells for $8,029.

Now, if for some odd reason you may feel any one of those prices are too high you can lower them by using the same index - only change the decimal points. The S&P 500 was at 852, which means your art sells for $86.20. Or the Nasdaq was at 1,626 which means your art is $126.20. Or the DOW was at 8,029 – which means the art sells for $802.90.

What is fun about this pricing policy is that it fluctuates on a daily basis. This allows the capitalist businessman to hedge his bet on when to purchase a painting.

My final words on pricing: (other than the " Equality at Work - How to Price Your Art Without Conformity and Despotism" Pricing Policy seen in another blog post above). Pricing your artwork properly is as hard to do as it is for a fortune telling gypsy to be accurate.

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another day in paradise

It’s Sunday – it’s about 80 degrees out - and I don’t feel like doing anything constructive. And since I get to do anything I want, anytime I want I’m just going to lay here on my chaise lounge and stare at the ocean for most of the day. While you – (who may be stuck in Sunday traffic somewhere living a life of quiet desperation) can know that there is someone out in the world living your dream. Maybe – just maybe – tomorrow I will get back to painting.

Have you recently seen the sun set?

This is a sample of the different sunsets seen over this past year from the front windows, deck and patio of the studio.

Things about “ART” that nobody asked me about.

48 x 72 acrylic/latex on unstretched canvas

Things about "ART" that nobody asked me about. I get a lot of questions about art that I usually cannot answer. But here is a list of answers to questions that nobody asked me about.

1. Any artist using red in a painting should be painting bullfighters.

2. Painting is always a good excuse for having a beer in the middle of the day.

3. When I see an artist wearing painting clothes to an art opening I figure they are posing.

4. I do not like creamy gallery owners.

5. Three times is two too many times to have poisoned myself with the toxic fumes from painting.

6. I think that artists using feces in their work should resign from the human race.

7. The only artist (male or female) that looks good with their hair pulled back is Salma Hayek as Frida.

8. How come there are not many really good dog paintings?

9. I think Lucian Freud’s paintings look absolutely fabulous in photographs but not too good in person – except for the queen’s painting.

10. I never met an artist who didn’t think he deserved a show.

11. I think any artist who paints twenty paintings in the same subject in the same colors and/or size is faking it – period.

12. I was told twenty years ago that if I’d paint the same subject fifty times I am bound to paint one good one. Good advice – and -that is about my percentage.

13. Every time I need inspiration I visit the Lamp Art Project. - see: http://www.lampartproject.org/

14. If you told me twenty years ago I’d be an artist I would have thought you were speaking about my wind chimes. _

Sunrise at my Studio

On a recent post I showed what a sunset looks like here at the studio. The best sunrises and sunsets occur just before or after a rainstorm. Anytime there are clouds in the sky I get the dramatic views - which is most days.

Hiking in Palisades Highlands 4 1/2 miles away

Palisades Highlands hiking trails are about 4 1/2 miles from the artist's retreat. I was up there looking for a landscape scene to paint and stumbled across this deer. It was near the stream (see photo of stream below) and we startled it. The deer ran down stream about fifty feet and started feeding, giving us time to photograph it.

This is the stream that runs parallel to the hiking trail. The trail leads either to a beautiful waterfall or up over the ridge to Topanga and Trippet Ranch

Further up the stream is "Grinding Rock". Chumash Indians used this rock to grind the acorns from the trees that were along the stream bed.(see photo below for a closer look at the grinding stone.) The Indians lived in the area from about 800 years ago up to when missionaries came to the Southern/Central coast of California.

Here's a close-up of the grinding hole. Obviously that is not an original stone for grinding but the hole is. There are a couple of more grinding holes found close-by.

This a photo of the trail wandering further up the trail.

Along the hiking trail there are a number of small caves.

Photo of tree frog that we saw along the stream.

Painting and Location

This is a painting I did from a hike I took on one of the

Palisades Highlands hiking trails that is about 4 1/2 miles

from my studio. The photograph below shows the actual

location I worked from.

Photo of the location of the painting in Palisades Highlands

Woman Meditating on Rock Jetty

This morning I saw this woman meditating on the

rock jetty just down the beach. If I turned and pointed

my camera behind me - about a hundred yards away

you will see the cars on Pacific Coast Highway with

their occupants stopped at the Temescal Canyon Rd. light –

all on their way to work. I prefer not to look in that

direction. I’m sure in their rush they are off to do

something significant. Bertrand Russell said "One of

the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown

is the belief that one's work is terribly important."

Not me - my life is pointless and not too hard. All I do

is a little artwork and breath, breath, breath. I guess

that is better than sitting around doing nothing.

Sunset November

Another video of the sunset at my studio. This video is taken just as the clouds are coming in for a rainstorm perdicted for later this evening. I get fabulous sunsets before and after storms - and this is a sample of that. Anythime there are evening clouds this is how it looks at sunset at my studio.

Sunrise at Beach before Rainstorm

I got up at my normal time and the sky was so pretty that I decided to get onto the beach before the rainstorm came through. And this photo shows what it was like. I do ask myself sometimes why I want to leave but then remember both my daughters live as close as I do to the water - each on separate coasts.

Venice Ca. Beach

Venice Ca. Beach is about a four mile ride down

the bike path. These are a couple of shots of the

beach at sunrise this morning around 6:45 AM.

About a dozen surfers were out as the surf was

running about two to three feet with a slight breeze.

A great way to start any day.

Bike Ride to Santa Monica's Farmer's Market

The farmer’s market on Wednesdays in Santa Monica is just a short bike ride down the bike path along the beach. It’s approximately three miles and an easy, flat ride. What I like about the trip is that a number of positive benefits are achieved. First, I exercise every day either riding a bike or running on the beach. I’m going that way, anyway and a short stop to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables is a bonus. To shop, it saves me on gas and parking (around $3.00). Who knows what the value is of the stress free bike ride on the bike path is - compared to a drive. If I drove I would only save about twenty minutes because of normal traffic and the difficulty it is to park around the market. The whole trip including the shopping usually takes me about an hour and a half.

Santa Monica Pier Music Night

We biked three miles down the bike path to the Santa Monica Pier for the a Starlight Music night at the pier. During the summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day - every Thursday night they have a free concert. Last Thursday it was Gerry and the Pacemakers and Peter and Gordon. We picnicked on the beach during the concert. Also you will see the solar powered Ferris wheel that was recently installed on the pier. You can see by the number of people on the pier and on the beach that these concerts are well attended.

4th of July Celebration From Patio

These are a couple of photos of the fireworks

show being launched from the beach last night.

Every year we look forward to a party at my

place and watching the spectacular show.

These photos are taken from the patio of

the studio.

Kayak for Launch

It's another day in paradise (around 76 degrees) and a couple of people who live in the park are on their way to the beach towing their kayak on wheels. They will launch it right across the street and paddle up and down the coast. North about a half mile is the great surfing spot at Sunset and Pacific Coast Highway. Topanga surfing point break is about a mile and a half. South is the Santa Monica pier about three miles. It's nice to have immediate access to the beach without having to worry about driving or parking.

Palisades Highlands Waterfall Trail

We took a hike up to the Palisades Highlands hiking trail

that leads to Topanga Trippit Ranch. The trail splits off about

a mile or so up the trail towards the waterfall. The above

photo shows the small narrow canyon leading to the actual falls.

During the rainy season this is sometimes impassible. The

trail head is about 4 1/2 miles from the mobile home and

takes only about ten minutes to drive to. The hike up to the

waterfall is about 1 1/2 miles and is a beautiful hike.

This is a photo of the actual falls. Because it is the start of

summer not much water is running. But if it was in the early

spring the water in front of the cave at the rear would be a good

two to three feet higher and the falls would be running off the

mouth of the cave where the fern is growing.

What is great about living at this location is that

there is so much different kinds of outdoor activities

close by. The beach is across the street, with bike path,

the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, and the local state parks.

Maybe You Are Looking for Romantic Hideaway Instead of an Artist Retreat

When you bring that special person over for a visit -

are they coming to some dive apartment overlooking a gas station

or here, overlooking the beautiful Pacific.

With your "special friend" enjoy the romantic evening views from the picture windows, patio or deck. As the sunset turns to night turn out the lights and treat yourselves to a playful encounter.

Is your relationship or marriage getting a little stale? Are you feeling like you don’t have enough time for each other? From your hide-a-way you are only steps from the beach. Take your lover on an enchanting stroll along the shore.

After an amorous evening with your sweetheart, relax and have a cup of coffee or tea on the deck. Be sure to savor the experience fully as you are creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Just thought you'd like to see another inspiring sunset.Being surrounded by all the beauty, peace, tranquility makes the time you spend here unforgettable.

Directions to the Mobile Home

A lot of you have been asking directions to see the

mobile home. You can google it for Pacific Coast Highway

and Temescal Canyon Road. But I thought I'd give you

a visual tour of the way to get to it. Just follow the path

shown on the photos before.

First you have to take the tram up to the start

of the trail. It's a short ride - Rarely is there

an off-shore breeze - but if there is you may

wish to take the tram a different day.

Now just follow this path and stay

close to the wall - and don't look down.-

although there is usually a good view of the

surfers from here. Please stay on the sunny

side of the walkway.

Please hold onto the "railing. That's the chain on the side of the rock wall. I hope you are not discouraged in coming to see the place. The views are great. Just remember - fear is a cruch for those who can't cope with heights. Oh, yes - on your way up, if you lose you hat - don't, I say don't try and pick it up.

I thought the trail would keep everyone from coming to see the place at one time. Be very careful when passing someone going in the opposite direction.

Now just up a few steps. (they are on the left in the picture) Sometimes I give the advise that you should relax on this beautiful hike- but you may feel more comfortable tense. When you get to this point on the trail - the trail does sometimes change - without notice. So hang on.

Gets a little steeper here - so put your toes in the holes .

But

It's not much further. A few more steps to go.

And here you are.

There are three ways to get back. Unfortunately I don't know them. If you don't want to come out and see the place - nobody is going to stop you.

Squirrels Relaxing

Watch the squirrels on the deck of the mobile home enjoying the view and a relaxing time.

Crow Fly-by

This crow came flying by just as I was photographing the coastline

from my balcony. I just him out of the corner of my I eye.

Where the mobile home is in the park

Here’s a shot of the mobile home park from the beach

and an arrow where my place is. You can see the large

windows across the front that provides the fabulous views

photographed and posted on the blog. What you

can also see is the crosswalk on the highway that makes

the beach an easy access from the mobile home park.

The beach was a graveyard today

In the three mile run/walk I took today I saw three

dead birds – two sea gulls and this crow. We call them

beach crows because their interest in the beach. I don’t

recall seeing three dead birds in one day on the beach

and I have been on the beach most days for the last

forty years. As an aside a flock of crows are called

"A murder of crows". The story is that a flock of crows

will murder a dying crow to put it out of its misery.

Life did not promise the crow piece or happiness.

Dolphins A Scheme of Merriment

Today I took my camera with me on my run on the beach in order to video the dolphins that swim by a lot of the days of the week. What is interesting is that if you asked a dolphin, "what does two plus two equal?" - it would say, "thirteen.!" I know, that’s just my imagination running wild – but that’s better than being driven by reason. Imagination lets me live and make art. Reason would have me doing something foolish like work. Making art is mostly useless – but endless in possibilities.

Not much excitement in this minute video of the dolphins other than seeing them – but that is enough for me. When was the last time you saw a dolphin in the wild? Recently? A long time ago? Never? Were you out to sea? On the beach? As Ortega Gasset said, " Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are."

Spring is on time

It’s an early spring with the hillside out my window in

full bloom. I’ve tried to get a photo of the deer that

graze there sometimes in the early morning or late

afternoon – but I get so entranced with their wanderings

I forget to get the camera. That’s the problem living in

this kind of environment – life here is so full of the

unexpected it becomes distracting and a predicament.

Do I just enjoy the day or do I work? The question

always arises – "what’s it going to be today?" Can’t get

enough work done. I have to say to myself that there is

always a good sunset. But I become complacent with

those. "Oh! There goes another great one –

just like last evening or the evening before.

Parrots in The Palisades Bowl

We’ve had a flock of Amazon parrots or Black Hoodies

living in the park for a number of years. They are drawn

here to the Kumquats fruit trees that are growing in our

park. In this photo you can see a couple of them sitting

in the top of one of the Kumquat trees across from my

studio. We see the flock pretty regularly as they fly in

for the fruit. Interestingly they are originally from the

southwestern Brazil to northern Argentina area of

South America. Somehow they slipped by immigration

and are living illegally here – harvesting the kumquat

crops. We’ve called immigration a couple of times but

they have refused to come out saying they don’t have

the manpower to enforce their illegal activity.

Enjoying the view. Others Don’t Look.

It was an interesting sunset last night. Before

the sky got that real orange red color this lighting

appeared. The gray tones were compelling.

Every evening is different. Most people do not

have the opportunity, the time or the enthusiasm to

observe the changing light. They are usually busy

being busy. Here, at the studio, it is so apparent

that it is hard to avoid as this is the view out

the front windows.