Learning To Fly
- chantalsulkow
- 13 hours ago
- 7 min read
Hello, (art) world...
...is this thing on? Welcome to my very first blog post. I never imagined I'd have an art blog, or have the time to create "bloggable" content.
What am I writing about?
What will you find here? I'll write about the reality of pursuing an art career, staying true to the art I want to make while paying the bills, my path towards succeeding at the thing I was always meant to be, and my thoughts along the way.
I'll also write about my favorite art books (I have SO MANY), my favorite art materials (paint, panels, easels, mediums, frames), museum exhibitions, figuring out marketing and promotion, learning to make Instagram Reels, making inroads towards teaching, and whatever else comes up.
How did I get here?
By way of an intro, if you don't know me: my name is Chantal, I am a portrait and fine art painter living in Upper Manhattan. I work in oil, and I paint portraits, master copies and pet portraits. There's not enough living / working space in New York City and, yes, I KNOW I'd have more space if I left the city, but I am a lifelong New Yorker and this is my HOME. I am from here, it's in my veins, I find sirens and city sounds comforting, and while I've heard people question why any sane artist would stay in a place this expensive and overcrowded, I am not leaving.
Art School and Painting Toys
Once upon a time, when I was younger, I went to art school. I was 24; I attended The School of Visual Arts in NYC, and I fell in love with classical representational painting. I spent years aspiring to emulate Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck and John Singer Sargent. I painted from life, and copied paintings onsite at the Met Museum.
Unfortunately, my mentor, SVA instructor John Frederick Murray, retired and left the city. This left me adrift, and I found my way into the world of hand-painting three dimensional toy prototypes.
If you've never heard of this job, you're not alone; it was, and is, extremely niche. I discovered I had a talent for painting miniatures and fine details. This work actually led to making money, and I left fine art painting behind. In fact, I decided to quit altogether. At the time, I remember that I had to announce it out loud to my husband (then-boyfriend), and it broke my heart. But I felt lost, and putting my skills to work gave me a direction.
I started my own studio serving toy companies including Fisher Price and Hasbro, and I followed that path until 3D printing upended the industry. I saw colleagues who worked on the sculpting side of the business lose their livelihoods, and at the same time, a recession happened; for several months, no work came in. It was chilling, and financially terrifying. Deciding the freelancer's life was too perilous- especially since my daughter had recently been born- I decided to go to graduate school.
Art Librarianship (or, a full time job isn't always the answer)
I earned a masters degree in Library Science at Pratt Institute and became an art librarian. I even managed to land a full time job, with health insurance- and by this time, we had two children. I became a Collection Development Librarian, which meant that, in this particular setting, I was an art book buyer. Or, if I'm being honest, a glorified Amazon shopper. Even when I started looking for ethical alternatives to Amazon, I was incredibly bored, and ridiculously underpaid. I started looking for other jobs.
Falling Back in Love With Art
In January 2020, my daughter, then 11, wanted to take an art class. I registered her at the Art Students League on 57th Street, and figured that since I was already there, I'd attend the open model life drawing session that was running at the same time, and see if I could remember how to draw. This was how I fell back in love with making art; I remembered that I could do this, and well, I was really good at it! It was as though I had been asleep for so long that I had forgotten my name, and now that I was awake, for the first time in ages, I remembered who I was. Within a few weeks I found a painting class, I dug out my old Julian easel and art supplies and I was back! But I was faced with the terrible fact that I had a full time job and I wasn't going to be able to paint and draw every day. This was a truth that seemed impossible to bear.
Then, the pandemic happened.
Finding myself working at home, I realized I had much more time to make art. I also realized that, despite the fact that the world felt like it was about to end, I was happier than I'd been in years. Within a few months, I sold a painting- and then another. I thought to myself, I can do this. I used that money to buy a pro camera, tripod and lens that I could use to shoot portrait reference, and resolved that if the world ever reopened, I knew what I was going to do with my life - I was going to be ready to take a leap, quit my full time job and paint professionally.
And that is exactly what I did.
What if I Fall
Flashback: I'm three years old, my family lives in the Bay Area, and the insanely steep hills frighten me; I begin to dream- or, I suppose, have nightmares- of falling down the hills. I'm four, we move to New York City, and I dream of falling out of apartment building windows. I fall all the time in my dreams. One day I learn that other people have flying dreams, and I am amazed. I had no idea this was a Thing! Apparently it's wonderful!...but I couldn't know, because for some reason I've been programmed differently.
Cut to: years later, I'm an adult and a parent, the falling dreams are gone- but I have still never had a flying dream. And everyone has them. Literally everyone. I take my daughter to a trapeze class in Brooklyn, something I could NEVER do. I don't even like heights, and I'm no fun on theme park rides either. My kid, though, is fearless, and she leaps off the platform without hesitation. She's hanging by her knees! She makes the catch with the instructor! And then I see this sign:
WHAT IF I FALL
OH BUT MY DARLING
WHAT IF YOU FLY
Learning to Fly
I left my job in early 2022, but by 2023, I entered a painting that I was proud of, Portrait of Monica, in the Richeson Figure/Portrait Competition. To my complete shock, it was accepted. I was thrilled- this had never happened before! I then entered that same painting in the Portrait Society of America's Members Only Competition, and it was accepted again. This gave me the momentum I needed, and since then, in less than three years time, I have had work accepted into 47 competitions and shows, I have won 16 awards, and I was the recipient of the Portrait Society of America's 2024 Edward Jonas Grant. I have attended the Portrait Society's annual conference for three years running (one year on scholarship), and I recently joined the board of the American Artists Professional League (AAPL) as director of the Grapevine Newsletter. I am about to serve as judge for an AAPL show for the second time! I'm not listing all this to brag; I consider it essential to remind myself that I have fully earned all of this. I have worked day in and day out - literally, I paint nearly every single day. In 2025, my painting "Teal" even won First Place PLUS the People's Choice Award in AAPL's Realism on the Hudson Exhibition!! This is all to say that each acceptance and award and recognition and milestone that I have achieved had served as a sign for me, validating the leap of faith that I took leaving a full time job, reassuring me that I am on the right path.
What if I Fly
Being accepted into shows and competitions and winning some awards doesn't mean that I don't still have a ways to go. I can learn so much more, be a better drafts(woman), a better painter, a better artist. I take Saturday classes and workshops at Grand Central AteIier. I can take a shot at bigger awards and more competitive competitions, seek out representation and most importantly, I can figure out how to make a really good living at this....so we can buy and connect to the apartment next door and build a dedicated studio space. I can believe magical thinking can overcome the NYC real estate market. So much is possible.
What if I fly?
Want to get my monthly newsletter? Sign up here
Follow me on social:
Support me! Make a donation through Buy Me A Coffee by clicking the button below!
Anything, however small, helps, and is appreciated!
Comments