Text 10. HOW TO TALK TO AN ARTIST

107
3. Practice the pronunciation of the words from the text. When in doubt use 
a dictionary. 
Genre, process, critique, reputation, style, subject, commission, budget, in-
stallment, adequate, discipline. 
4. Find the following words in a dictionary and memorize their meanings. 
assume 
commission 
convey 
coy 
dye 
estate 
intense 
intricate 
loft 
ludicrous 
odd 
offend 
overlap 
patronize 
pursue 
response 
subjective 
tempt 
tremendous 
vulnerable 
 
5. Read the text. 
Most artists are very interested in their visitors' responses, and are happy to listen 
and answer thoughtful questions, but some artists have difficulty explaining their 
own work, or feel vulnerable to criticism. And sometimes visitors are tactless be-
cause of a lack of experience in looking at art or talking about it. If a visitor seems 
patronizing, asks personal questions, or criticizes the work, communication between 
the artist and viewer can shut down. I hope the following suggestions will offer 
some perspective. 
What you
shouldn't say
What the Artist 
is tempted to reply
Why this can
offend an artist
What you 
should say
Wow. That 
painting is 
really good
or . . . cool 
/interesting 
/different
You don’t know 
anything about art 
and you don’t know 
what you mean by 
“good."
Be more thoughtful. “Good” 
doesn’t describe what the art does 
for the viewer and is very subjec-
tive. 'Different' or 'interesting' 
seem like a coy way of saying 'I 
don't get it.' Instead, tell the artist 
what moves you, reminds you, in-
terests you. . .
Wow. The 
lines in that 
painting are 
really pro-
vocative. It 
makes me 
think of …
What is it?
Why should I tell 
you?
Every work of art does not have to 
literally represent something. 
Sometimes the artist is trying to 
convey a sense of mystery, or 
show something indescribable. If 
you don't have experience with art 
critique or art terms, try to de-
That’s inspir-
ing. I wonder 
does it repre-
sent a figure 
in the dark, or 
a shadow, or 
am I totally 

108
scribe what you see or feel, and 
then ask questions about what the 
artist intended to convey.
off the mark?
I have a friend 
who runs a 
crafts gallery. 
I’ll tell her 
about you.
That’s great. I’ll tell 
my Great Grand-
mother about her.
Artists do all kinds of art work, 
from installation and politically 
provocative art to video and per-
formance to modern abstraction 
paintings, etc. There is no single 
kind of art and galleries usually 
focus on different types of work. 
Find out what the artists does, and 
who the gallery represents, before 
you attempt to help. 
What kind of 
art do you 
do? Would it 
fit under the 
genre of 
crafts, or do 
you do some-
thing totally 
different? 
You should use 
brighter colors.
You should lose 
weight
or. . .
You should dye 
your hair purple. 
Yours is a subjective opinion. Part 
of the beauty of art is being able to 
say something just as the creator 
wants to say it. 
Your work 
seems dark 
and intense. I 
would like to 
know more 
about your 
ideas and 
creative proc-
ess.
or. . . 
Nothing. 
How can you 
charge that 
much for this 
piece? I could 
buy a car for 
that amount.
I have a car in the 
back that I haven’t 
been able to fix be-
cause I spend 3 
times as much 
money on my art as 
you would on a car. 
The cost of a piece may be based 
on a number of factors: the artists' 
reputation (and market worth of 
their work) the success of the 
piece, the difficulty of production 
and presentation, the years of 
training behind the creation of the 
piece, as well as time and materi-
als costs. Artists spend an incredi-
ble amount of time and money on 
art. The costs may be invisible to 
you, but the artist may devote an 
entire life to their profession with-
out the promise of a return. 
That’s really 
nice. I would 
buy it if I had 
the money. 
I have a friend 
who wants a 
portrait of his 
cat. Can you do 
it?
Sure. While I’m 
doing that, since 
you’re an engineer, 
can you fix my car? 
Not all artists do all kinds of art. 
Don't assume that every artist 
will do cat portraits. Pay attention 
to the style and subject of the art-
ist's work, and commission them 
to do something similar. Unless 
Do you do 
animal por-
traits? 

109
you see animal or other portraits 
among their work, the artist will 
probably not be interested, and the 
question will seem odd. 
I would like a 
drawing for my 
boyfriend’s 
birthday. Can 
you give me a 
discount? 
Sure. I hear you 
manage a depart-
ment store. Can you 
give me a discount? 
If the artist thought the work was 
worth less, the price would already 
be lower. If the work is worth the 
price, why would the artist lower 
it? 
I’d like to 
give my boy-
friend a piece 
of art for his 
birthday. Do 
you have 
anything in 
this price 
range?
or. . . I like 
this piece, but 
don't have the 
budget for it 
right now. 
Can you offer 
an installment 
plan? 
We need 
a painting to 
match our 
couch. Can you 
do it? 
After I’m done 
painting the house 
next door. 
Pay attention to the style and sub-
ject of the artist's work, and com-
mission them to do something 
similar. 
Do you know 
any interior 
decorators? 
You should 
paint happier 
pictures.
You should get rid 
of your husband.
Yours is a subjective opinion. Part 
of the beauty of art is being able to 
say something just as the creator 
wants to say it. 
Your work 
seems dark 
and intense. I 
would like to 
know more 
about your 
ideas and 
creative proc-
ess.
or. . . 
Nothing. 
You shouldn’t 
be wasting 
your time as a 
secretary. You 
could make a 
lot more 
Thanks. Yes, I 
would like to work 
lots of overtime, 
create images 
of products, work 
on other people’s 
While artists often work in jobs 
that mean nothing to them in order 
to keep an adequate cash flow go-
ing to pursue their artwork, mak-
ing more money is not necessarily 
the most important goal. On their 
Are you in-
terested in 
pursuing a 
career where 
you can use 
your creative 

110
money 
in advertising.
You shouldn’t 
be wasting 
your time pain-
ting. You could 
make a lot 
more money 
in advertising.
ideas, and forget 
about my own art-
work. 
own time, artists get tremendous 
satisfaction in pursuing their own 
art. Working in advertising, illus-
tration and marketing demand dif-
ferent skills from fine art, none of 
which include self-expression, and 
are not necessarily a good match 
for the artist's goals. 
skills or does 
your day job 
give you time 
to pursue 
your art? 
You should 
have your own 
studio. (Bigger 
studio.) (Own 
gallery.)
You should buy at 
least 10 pieces of 
my art every year. 
If the artist had the money, they 
would almost certainly have their 
own studio. Money is usually a 
painful subject for the artist. Rent 
is high, supplies, framing, promo-
tions, etc. are very expensive. 
This is a nice 
studio.
How long did 
it take you to 
do that?
My whole life
or. . .
Why does it matter 
how long it took? 
Contrary to what many people be-
lieve, artists are not born artists. 
Most spend countless hours train-
ing, perfecting their craft, re-
searching, schooling, etc. Many 
artists labor for hours to get the 
perfect piece, others sketch thou-
sands of drawings for one idea, 
and some may create an expressive 
image very quickly. The price of 
a work of art is generally not cal-
culated by the hour. The question 
sounds as ludicrous as if you asked 
your doctor, “How long did it take 
you to come up with this diagno-
sis?” 
That’s a 
really intri-
cate piece. It 
must have 
taken a lot of 
work 
/thought/ dis-
cipline. 
I have a cousin 
who’s an illus-
trator. You 
should talk to 
him. 
So? 
If you’re talking to a fine artist, 
it’s like telling a cat you know a 
dog. There is some overlap in 
training and experience, but these 
two professions have less to do 
with each other than you might 
think, particularly in their ap-
proach to self-expression. 
Do also you 
do any illus-
tration? 
How much rent 
do you pay for 
your studio?
How much do you 
pay for insurance? 
The artist would like to assume 
that you are looking at their work, 
not their real estate. If you are 
looking for a loft, talk to a realtor. 
This is a nice 
studio 

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