One of the great artistic pleasures of life is painting. However, as anyone who has tried their hand at painting, drawing or sculpting knows, it takes time. If you are close to retirement and had to push your art to the side in the past, you have something exciting to look forward to. Here are six suggestions on how to light a spark in your creativity after you retire.
This post is part of an on-going series on this blog on the topic of “Retire – Downsize – ….”, covering a variety of possible activities to pursue after retiring and downsizing. Today’s topic is for art lovers.
1. Tour local galleries and exhibitions
Depending on where you are located, you may have easy access to galleries or you may need to travel some distance to visit a gallery or exhibition. We are very fortunate in Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to have a wealth of art available. Locations include:
Art Gallery of Ontario, McMichael Gallery and Gardiner Museum
2. Join Art Tours
Many communities host Art Walks or “Art Crawls” in the Spring, Summer and Fall months for the general public. One of the most popular art tours in the Toronto area was the Yorkville Art Walk. I personally created, then sponsored and maintained the Yorkville Art Walk website for six years while it was active. (Now archived offline.) We met many talented artists on the walks and viewed a wide range of art that inspired artists and collectors alike. Just do an internet search in your local community to see what you can discover. Example: Queen West Art Crawl
3. Take art lessons and courses
Your local community college, municipality or library may host art lessons in a variety of media including oil, pastels, and watercolors. These are usually held in group sessions and consist of term-based courses or on-going groups. My personal interest is sculpture and I was fortunate enough to participate in group lessons by the late Augustin Filipovic. Examples of organizations scheduling courses in the GTA include: Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Toronto School of Art, Toronto Public Library
4. Buy some art
One of source of inspiration is art that you own. How about acquiring a new piece of art when you retire to inspire you in your own home? You don’t have to look far or spend much to find something to enjoy. Combining a summer day-trip with an art fair is a fun way to enjoy art on a fine summer day. We have often visited Stratford, Ontario when the annual Art in The Park fair is on. (Image by “Marty-arts” – see below.)
5. Join an art association
There may be a local art association in your area such as the Womens’ Art Association of Canada (WAAOC). This long-standing organization schedules group shows, rents out studio space and runs an extensive library of books on the arts. It is located near the Yorkville (Toronto) art district at 23 Prince Arthur Avenue.
6. Follow other artists on social media
One way to get inspired is to see what other artists are currently creating. The popular social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are good for connecting you with other art lovers. Artists such as Malinda Prudhomme @MalindaArt and Concetta Antico @ConcettaAntico are on Twitter.
Excited to Retire, Downsize and Paint?
Photo credit: All art images in this post are by “Marty-arts” on Pixabay.
* You may notice some Canadian spelling in these posts. The words may look odd but that’s how we spell them. We’re used to it.
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Author:
Unless otherwise credited, all posts are happily authored with a quill pen …
Paul Ferri, Broker, ASA (Accredited Senior Agent)
RE/MAX Unique Inc. Brokerage*, Toronto, Canada
*Each office independently owned and operated.
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