ART AND BUSINESS

Not Extant

 Joe returned the painting and wanted his money back. A portrait commission from January 2015 looked good to me. He did not say what was wrong with it. Just "I hate it! I've been keeping it in my closet!" I said no do-over. It has been over 2 years since he sat for me. I gave him his money back less the sales tax and took the painting. What to do?
I admit. It hurt my heart. Such a nice painting. Really captured him. Then I thought about "What is Art?" with a capital "A". Two of my favorites below:

“Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it" Bertolt Brecht

"We have art in order to not die from the truth." - Nietzsche

Also "Art is metaphor" and "Art is a discipline of courage"....A million answers to that question.

Then I thought "What is business?" This is business of art. I looked carefully at the canvas. It is a gallery wrap canvas but the corners can't be keyed-out. This is one of those shortcuts that art suppliers are making nowadays so the canvas is doomed anyway.  I am FREE! Free to do whatever because the canvas is shoddy, not well done. First rule - Art is done well. So it is painted it out. I have a new surface to paint on. A surface with a limited life span. Hooray!!

New paint Surface!