Worst Comment Ever
- I am fortunate enough to display my art at a large dental office, which is also my 'day job'. A patient who is an artist walked in and loudly stated that if she knew Dr XYZ wanted art for the office, she would have brought in hers because this junk was horrible, just awful! At the time I was so upset. Now, I am so used to the bad coming with the good, nothing bothers or surprises me. For every person that doesn't like my art, there is someone that loves it! And I always try to remember that for every 100 works of others art that I may see, I may really like just one!
- —Guest Kellen
Loved My Painting, Bought Someone Else's
- This column must be one of the funniest I have read - reading other people's experiences showed me what a bunch of no-brainers some people can be. I've been lucky. The worst thing I can remember was an American chap who gazed at my paintings for some time and finally said, "I like your work," then walked away and bought somebody else's.
- —Guest Balthazar
Friends???!!!
- Ouch, you guys know some horrible people and you still call them friends?
- —Guest zinzani
Never ever do this...
- My mom constantly tells me that "it's nice, but I don't like this part, if only you could do it over and change that..." or even ask me "what is that?" You'd imagine your family would know when you show them something, you're proud of it and just want some praise.
- —Guest Megan
Childish
- My good friend told me that a new painting I had made (which I was very proud of), looked like it had been painted by a young child.
- —Guest Jason
Too much art
- I hear a lot of people say "Oh I don't need anything else hanging on my walls " and they walk off thinking that's the end of it. I say "Well maybe you should take the #### off the walls and put up some real art". Needless to say I don't make a sale. Oh well.
- —Guest susan
Worst Comment to me
- ...while looking at my painting was: You should meet my aunt, now she's a real artist".
- —Guest wildflowersltd
What???
- I was trying to paint waves. Well, I asked my bro what he thought. He looked blank, then said: "Yea, uh, I like it", then he left the room.
- —Guest mary
It's the Place, Not the Art
- A friend of mine, who was trying to be complimentary, was thinking of buying a painting. "It will look great in my bathroom," she said. Ouch. I don't want to know where she hung it.
- —Guest -unbelievable
Oil snobs
- I used to paint in an open studio with a group of artists who worked primarily in oils (I've worked in acrylics for years). When they learned I had received an award in a juried exhibition for a painting I'd done while in their company, one of them haughtily informed me that "Acrylics are only for beginners." The remark really stung at the time, but now I realize that when fellow artists make such cutting comments, they're revealing the depth of their own jealous insecurities. They'd find a way to slam the Mona Lisa if it would make them feel better. From this experience I learned that when another artist makes a nasty comment about your work, they see you as a competitor and are scared to death of your talents.
- —Guest Lynn
Take it or leave it!
- I have relatives who often give me feed back. Sometimes I have to think about what they are saying before I realize that they have a good idea. I have too many friends who say I am a wonderful artist, and that doesn't help me at all, even if I would like to believe it. I find it difficult to take criticism from people who have never had a desire to paint. It is better to get some praise and criticism at the same time, easier to take.
- —Guest CarolineC0la
Huh?
- My mother told my daughter and me the same thing at young, vulnerable ages (we are both artistic and have spent a lot of time on paintings and drawings): "I hope you don't plan on making a career of that... there's no money in it, you know... haven't you ever heard of 'Starving Artist' sales?" Ahhh Mothers. We love them. My daughter and I have shared many a laugh over that comment. (The artist side of me and my daughter comes from my father, by the way.)
- —Guest Gina
Thrown away
- It wasn't words that were hurtful, I had spent many hours on felling a cigar box with abstracted drawings, I was gone for a while and my mother throw it away. I never got over it. But I have to say she loved my work, when I got older.
- —Guest Barb
Reality check
- I often paint realism and a comment was made that it looked like a "Paint by Number." I was insulted, but the turn it made in my tones and values have proved to make me a successful artist.
- —robertabym
Worst comments on a painting or art
- I had work on display at a local festival. A man came into my booth and said that he wanted to "Give me some criticism." Then he proceeded to point and yell at me saying that my linoleum prints were "High school." And he was spitting when did this. Then he told me "To paint clowns...because those sell." Then I showed him my other paintings and he was silent and confused. My friend, a jewelry maker who was in the booth with me got out one of her very large files while this was going on and proceeded to sharpen it. He tried talking to her but she glared at him. He then left. I have since refused to do that show in that town.
- —vivacandita
