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Fun facts, while good for your trivia knowledge or to show off in front of your friends and family, will give you a quick distraction fix. So here are three fun facts related to artsy summers;

David Hockey Fascination for Pools For many, pools, especially outdoors ones, rhyme with the summer season. You gather around them for parties, swim late at night in the hope to find a temporary escape to a too warm to humid day, but it is also a recurring motif in David Hockey’s panting. During the ’60s, in California and up in the air, Hockney discovered his fascination from them. They were both shallow and deep, a source of freedom and fluidity. Furthermore, as he said, “If you come to dead ends, you simply somersault back and carry on”. What lovely advice to follow this summer if you hit one!  

If this wasn’t a convincing reason to take a second look at Hockey Pools painting, Portrait of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures) also holds 5th place on the list of the most expensive artworks ever sold by living artists! 

Lazy Days in Summer are a Source of Inspiration
The dolce far niente, an Italian saying that means to enjoy a pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness, is something almost expected of them too sometimes too warm or simply sunny days that summer brings us. Filled with memories and a little bit of melancholy, many artists found inspiration in it from Georges Seurat for A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, or Bathers at Asnières, to Woman with a Parasol by Claude Monet or Luxury, Calm and Pleasure by Henri Matisse. The impressionists were some of the best to capture the essence of that short-lived but pleasurable time.  

Art is in the Air and Outdoor

Have you noticed that during the summer, it is almost like art sprouts from everywhere, from murals to outdoors fairs or blockbuster shows at your local museums, art is getting some prime time! So, this summer, enjoy the breeze and walk around a new neighbourhood to see the street art that is ornating buildings. From Mural festivals to street art tours to websites that will help you located the goods, don’t miss a chance to go on a grown-up art scavenger hunt. Running around outdoor will bring fresh air to your lungs and inspiration to your creative centre.  It is also good to note that many cities across the globe are starting to call on artists to create murals and embellish overlooked spaces.

No more novel to read on the side of the pool or simply tired of a year of Netflix? Need the inspiration to create your art, or you are looking to travel to the words of others – we have some good book suggestions for you creative fellows!  

• Beg, Steal & Borrow: Artist Against Originality by Robert Shore

Are you facing a blank canvas and no longer sure where you can access an untamed wealth of inspiration? Why do you need to be original? This book by Robert Shore, the editor of Elephant magazine, as well as a prolific author, tells you all the secrets of artists who were not bothered with coming up with original ideas. At the same time, you could simply “Beg, Steal or Borrow”? From Warhol to Sherrie Levine, from Koons to Richard Prince – get inspired by the work of others. As Léon Zitrone said “ Qu’on parle de moi en bien ou en mal, peu importe. L’essentiel, c’est qu’on parle de moi !” translated in “Whether people talk about me in good or bad, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that they talk about me!”  

• The Pursuit of Art by Martin Gayford

The past year has been rough on travelling art lovers, and while we are all (sort of) ready to travel, get out there and see some art in the flesh, it might not be possible just yet. Whether you want to plan your next artsy destination or live furiously through the journey of others, this book will quench your thirst for potential destinations. The Pursuit of art; Travels, Encounters and Revelations will bring you from the deep end of the Texan desert to an isolated Japanese island with a few pitstops in Italy, China, Iceland, France and in many other reclusive spaces where art will blow your mind – after a plane or car journey or in the comfort of your home.  

• Funny Weather by Olivia Laing

Last but not least, a “compilation” book, filled with a collection of essays, by the author who brought us The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone, Olivia Laing. Funny Weather, Art in an Emergency might be precisely what the world feel they need to emerge and start reengaged with the arts. The writing is sharp; in its observations, in its manner, in its voice; it is filled with compassion and the desire to humanise the artists’ stories no matter if they are filled with melancholy, alcohol, diseases, and more. This read is intelligent and inspiring. No matter if you like the work of the artists, she is introducing you to! 

Helpful tool – .ART Free Website Builder
Not sure where to start or feeling like it is a daunting task to kickstart your online presence, it doesn’t need to be. Take a look at our free website builder, which is included with all the details bought on get.art. This solution, provided by .ART will get you the boost you need to get your art out there, and in a matter of minutes, you will see your ice cream won’t have melted by the time you are done with it! Click here to see this fresh and clean website builder! 

Articles and more Success Tips
Did you know that .ART blog is filled with articles that will help you get your art writing on track to pick your domain name or move up in search results with optimised SEO? Here are our top 3 articles, but visit our blog for more.

How to Choose the Perfect Domain Mame for your Art Website
A name is everything, and your domain will become your carte de visite, therefore choose it wisely. If you couldn’t pick the one your parents gave you, you can decide who you want to be online.  

“You gotta kill the person you were born to be to become the person you want to be.” as heard on Rocketman 

Books that Will Help you Moving Gear with your Artistic Endeavours
Whether you know where to start or are still dabbling with baby steps in the arts, many good writers have spent hours writing about the arts and are there to help you. As knowledge is power, unleashing your potential by reading their words.  

10 Proven Ways to Increase Website Traffic
You build your website, it looks good, you are proud of it. From the .ART team – we only have one thing to say: “congratulations”. Still, things aren’t picking up at speed you would like. This blog post will help you to increase traffic with proven ways, read it and get the success you deserve.  

How .ART Domains Are Taking Artists Online Read More How to register a business email on .ART Read More Portfolio on .ART: How to showcase your creative work in 4 simple steps Read More

.ART Book Club – New Release – Survival skills 201 (because we assume you already passed the 101 level 🙂 

And if this wasn’t enough and you are looking for more and other ways to connect with others, our book club is a good place to start. From conversations with like-minded people to good reading suggestions, here is our second book. Earlier this year, we introduced William Deresiewicz, the author of The Death of the Artist: How Creators Are Struggling to Survive in the Age of Billionaires and Big Tech. Deresiewicz has been inquiring artists about how they pivot their skills to make it in this rollercoaster economy. This book is filled with their stories and showcase that there isn’t only one path to success.  

DM’s us your questions, via Instagram, about this book, and we will get the author to answer the top 3 ones! You can also enter the raffle to win your FREE copy! Visit our .ART Book Club latest blog article for all details!