Membership fees for Forum access

[Steven Sweeney]

I was so disappointed with my last in-progress painting question in early December that I haven't even visited the site since.

Joan,

That's unfortunate, and I went back through the Critiques posts to see what might have been missed, but there was nothing there from you. I'm assuming that you're referring to the glazing question posted in the Techniques area in early December.

I'm sure it was frustrating not to get a lot of helpful feedback, but a number of possible explanations present themselves, including 1) the fact that very few of the practitioners here appear to use the underpainting/glazing method, so most members who read your post likely felt they had nothing to offer; 2) the few who do work by this method have written of it pretty extensively elsewhere (I'm thinking particularly of threads that Karin Wells has contributed to); 3) I have to imagine that it's an extremely difficult technique to explain verbally -- this is one where a good video, if not a workshop, trumps pages of written effort; and 4) as you said, this was in the build-up to the holidays, and I know I was overwhelmed at the time and I suspect many other members were as well (my recollection is that things were pretty slow in here during that time.)

Anyway, as to that painting, this is moot, but the request I'd like to make is that members assess the Forum over time and as a whole, and not on the basis of one or two posts or incidents. There's really no on-site, on-call "faculty," per se -- the fact that moderators may post as or more often than "average" is more by default or just personal availability or interest than it is a part of the job description. So there are just going to be times when satisfactory responses don't seem to be forthcoming. It's not personal. If it happens to me in a search -- and it has, just this past week, as I begged the gurus on a computer troubleshooting forum to help me out, to little avail -- then I try the next resource on the list.

I'm sure we'll have a look at some of the stylistic matters mentioned (though the intentions were good -- for example, a paragraph that runs to several column inches is far less accessible to readers than one broken into smaller passages.) There's not much we can do if no one who has an answer to a question doesn't also happen to be on the Forum and reading the question at the time.

So again, please consider this effort as a whole in assessing its value. Believe me, if unpleasant or disappointing events were each taken as deal-breakers, I'd have been out of here a long, long time ago. Learning that some members have felt excluded, chastised or just frustrated by certain incidents is nonetheless instructive and I'm glad it's come out in the open so that we have a chance to address it, as it's doubly disappointing to have remained uninformed until now of the reasons for the infrequency of some valued members' visits.

[Cynthia Daniel]

Gosh, Steven, you're hired! You're just so good with words. Thanks for a great post.

[Karin Wells]

Joan,

If your question did have something to do with the underpainting/glazing subject, please give me the URL and I'll check it out.

Meanwhile, because I am rural I have struggled for years with my old 56K modem (that operated around 12K). Consequently it has been nearly impossible for me to navigate quickly on this forum.

In December, however, I got a satellite internet connection - and it is really speedy - when it works. Snow, ice and stormy skies easily shut it down. Of late, my attendance here has been uneven and I am sorry as I have not been able to catch up, let alone keep up.

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Dear Steven and Karin,

Thank you for your kinds posts. It is people like you who make this forum a worthwhile place for me to spend my time.

Steven, you are absolutely right. I shouldn't assess this forum based on one incident just as I wouldn't judge a friend on one misplaced comment, or at least I hope I wouldn't. See what lessons I can learn that apply not only to painting! Thank you for that reminder.

Karin, your help has been invaluable to me. I didn't post my painting in the critique section because it wasn't finished, perhaps that was one reason why I didn't get much response. Thank you again for your kind offer to take a look at the post, I'll find it and then perhaps repost it within the next few days here.

Again, thank you Steven and Karin, you've made me feel very welcome here.

Joan

[Cynthia Daniel]

I guess we haven't been very clear or strict about the WIP and Critiques section. I've seen artists put works in progress into Critiques to get help along the way. So, the distinction isn't totally clear. Sould we rename it Works in Progress Critiques perhaps?

[Elizabeth Schott]

I have watched this thread with interest wanting to objectively look at what other members had to say regarding Cynthia

[Kimberly Dow]

Cynthia,

I wanted to comment on the WIP section. I like using that section to get comments along the way when it can still help that painting. Plus, putting it there lets everyone know that it is NOT done, so it is clear that parts that look unfinished are unfinished.

I like using the critique section when I consider a piece finished as well as I can do it. I sometimes can't put the critiques to use on that painting, (if it's a commission and they want it) but I keep the advice in mind for the next one. Although, sometimes I can use it.

I like the distinction between the two sections. Is this how it was intended?

[Valerie Gudorf]

I would have to engage in some "creative financing" to come up with the money, but I would indeed be willing to pay an annual fee to retain access to this resource. Heck, Steven's critiques alone, are worth the price of admission! I believe 35-40 dollars per year is reasonable.

It's not perfect, but it beats the heck out of every other alternative. As many others have already stated, there is NO other comparable artists' forum on the net.

I've been guilty also, of dropping by to read without logging on. In future, I will be diligent to make my presence known.

[Cynthia Daniel]

Beth,

[QUOTE] In a correspondence with Cynthia, I was told I was not good enough to become one of her SOG artists, because I had a problem with

[Cynthia Daniel]

Valerie,

I was not "scolding" anyone for not logging in. That's not the issue. I'm talking about people who get approved and never post a single time and never even visit again. In the admin controls, I can check the last time someone visited. Of course, you would have to log in and if you never logged in for a long time, yes, you'd be one of those puzzling situations.