Thank you for putting this out here! I was at the exact right time to read it. As our lives, diets, and relationships change with the years, yes, we need to also embrace a change in our creative search! I loved my younger life painting en plein air, hopping on my motorbike with my supplies and taking the roads less traveled under the sun. I now look back at those paintings and am thoroughly grateful for those carefree young years! Now, I am moving into more studio-based explorations for the health of my eyes. As I clear my home of 'saved items' (often, memory clutter!) I also seek the beauty of calmness and quiet in my work. Seeking to capture the 'invisible' succinctly is my new exciting motivation!
Pamela, Thanks for your comments. Your reflections are a gift. The way you honor your younger plein‑air years while fully embracing this quieter, studio‑centered chapter feels deeply true. That shift toward calm, clarity, and “capturing the invisible” isn’t a retreat—it’s a refinement. Clearing out old objects and old modes of working makes space for a different kind of presence, and your description of that evolution is inspiring. It is humbling to know you found this post at exactly the right moment.
~ Barney, Yes, the work itself is the reward for the enjoyment of this time and space, without needing an audience to see that I'm loving life as an older artist. I wonder, too, if the chaos of so much ABSTRACT ART is part of the drama of the marketing machine; in the past years, because it has changed, too, for sure! For fun, I checked out AI with a question. "What's Emotional Intelligence in creating art? " ~ ~ ~
Carole, thank you. I smiled at your phrase, "the work itself is the reward." That captures so much of what I was trying to say. I think many of us arrive at a place where creating becomes less about the audience and more about the joy of spending our time well. I'm grateful you shared that.
Dear Barney - thank u for these articles every Wednesday. They speak to me. I too have simplified by subscribing to fewer articles blogs/newsletters/emails etc. I read your and one other post regularly (Elizabeth Markevitch). I get what I need. Please Keep posting your thoughts!
Anna, thank you. It means a great deal to know these Wednesday essays have found a place in your week. I smiled when you said you've simplified your reading too. There comes a point when less really is more. I'm grateful you're here, and I'll do my best to keep earning a place in that small circle.
Barney, I would encourage you to post an article more than once a week. The folks that you and I are writing about and four actually enjoy having frequent opportunities to read I generally post something nearly every day, and there are some weeks when my art is taking Paramount attention than I’ll pull back to three times a week you have so much to offer and if your energy and time allows, please consider more frequent article articles
Monica, I'm humbled by your encouragement. It means more than you know. I've found that Wednesday for Older Artists, Sunday for Art Marketing News, and a monthly Barney Davey essay fit my natural rhythm. It feels right to me, and at this stage of life I'm built more for comfort than speed. I'd rather leave readers looking forward to next Wednesday than trying to keep up with a pace that doesn't feel sustainable. Thank you for wanting more—that's about the nicest compliment a writer can receive.
Thank you for putting this out here! I was at the exact right time to read it. As our lives, diets, and relationships change with the years, yes, we need to also embrace a change in our creative search! I loved my younger life painting en plein air, hopping on my motorbike with my supplies and taking the roads less traveled under the sun. I now look back at those paintings and am thoroughly grateful for those carefree young years! Now, I am moving into more studio-based explorations for the health of my eyes. As I clear my home of 'saved items' (often, memory clutter!) I also seek the beauty of calmness and quiet in my work. Seeking to capture the 'invisible' succinctly is my new exciting motivation!
Pamela, Thanks for your comments. Your reflections are a gift. The way you honor your younger plein‑air years while fully embracing this quieter, studio‑centered chapter feels deeply true. That shift toward calm, clarity, and “capturing the invisible” isn’t a retreat—it’s a refinement. Clearing out old objects and old modes of working makes space for a different kind of presence, and your description of that evolution is inspiring. It is humbling to know you found this post at exactly the right moment.
~ Barney, Yes, the work itself is the reward for the enjoyment of this time and space, without needing an audience to see that I'm loving life as an older artist. I wonder, too, if the chaos of so much ABSTRACT ART is part of the drama of the marketing machine; in the past years, because it has changed, too, for sure! For fun, I checked out AI with a question. "What's Emotional Intelligence in creating art? " ~ ~ ~
Carole, thank you. I smiled at your phrase, "the work itself is the reward." That captures so much of what I was trying to say. I think many of us arrive at a place where creating becomes less about the audience and more about the joy of spending our time well. I'm grateful you shared that.
Dear Barney - thank u for these articles every Wednesday. They speak to me. I too have simplified by subscribing to fewer articles blogs/newsletters/emails etc. I read your and one other post regularly (Elizabeth Markevitch). I get what I need. Please Keep posting your thoughts!
Anna, thank you. It means a great deal to know these Wednesday essays have found a place in your week. I smiled when you said you've simplified your reading too. There comes a point when less really is more. I'm grateful you're here, and I'll do my best to keep earning a place in that small circle.
Barney, I would encourage you to post an article more than once a week. The folks that you and I are writing about and four actually enjoy having frequent opportunities to read I generally post something nearly every day, and there are some weeks when my art is taking Paramount attention than I’ll pull back to three times a week you have so much to offer and if your energy and time allows, please consider more frequent article articles
Monica, I'm humbled by your encouragement. It means more than you know. I've found that Wednesday for Older Artists, Sunday for Art Marketing News, and a monthly Barney Davey essay fit my natural rhythm. It feels right to me, and at this stage of life I'm built more for comfort than speed. I'd rather leave readers looking forward to next Wednesday than trying to keep up with a pace that doesn't feel sustainable. Thank you for wanting more—that's about the nicest compliment a writer can receive.