| Being a Host | itinerant artist project main page | project overview | jimmott.com |
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Hosting an Itinerant Artist About the Art More Background Info |
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| HOSTING AN ITINERANT ARTIST: I only go where I am invited and, for the most part, can travel only to parts of the country where I have enough invitations to make the travel economical. Once I have a list of potential hosts and the times of year they would consider hosting, I can begin to shape my travel plans. So please let me know as early as possible if you are considering being a host. I will want to know: where you live and a little bit about your surroundings; what times of the year you could consider putting up an itinerant painter for a few days; whether a shorter or longer visit appeals to you; how far in advance you would like to establish a definite visiting date; and any other points that seem important to you. E-mail is the most efficient means of communication, but if you do not have regular access to email, please include a phone number or mailing address in your message. I welcome the chance to answer any questions and establish some rapport through correspondence before establishing any plans. My primary requirements are: a quiet and private room for sleeping & working and meals (I am not a fussy eater but limit my eating to vegetarian + dairy + fish). Besides basic room and board, I do not need much more than a chair and a light. When working on small-format paintings, I do not use solvents or splatter paint; it's a tidy process requiring no special facilities. I do not need to be entertained but enjoy getting to know my hosts and the landscape they live in. I will gladly furnish an extensive list of personal references on request. Contact me at: jhmott@juno.com ABOUT THE ART: The jimmott.com portfolios should give a good sense of my range and general approach to landscape (most of the works shown were done on tour). The paintings I make during the Itinerant Artist Project are mainly small landscape studies executed in oil on panel. Exactly what I will paint in each location and how I will paint it remains, of course, a mystery until I get there. I should note that the paintings given in exchange for hospitality are typically not commissioned scenes but small studies of subjects that catch my interest. They are comparable to paintings I regularly sell for $350 -$550. Hosts may purchase or commission additional paintings if they wish. Most of the painting I do while touring will be directed toward a series of exhibits documenting the trip (and some are sold to offset project expenses); that is to say, these are working trips, and I keep some key paintings from every stop. While some people have been happy to put me up simply to support the project, my hosts at each stop are entitled to a painting and may choose whether or not to make the painting available for inclusion in any exhibitions. Furthermore, it is important to me that my hosts end up with paintings they like - typically it is a scene I have painted with the host in mind or one chosen from among the better paintings done during my stay. There is an element of the unknown to all of this. So far, however, the "gift exchange" -- art for hospitality --has been a pleasant and mutually-enriching arrangement. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE: Check out the Project Reviews from American Artist Magazine and various local papers; the original project Press Release (with quotes from hosts); or my short essays on Gift Exchange and Hospitality Or contact me at: jhmott@juno.com |
 One of my host families, the Greenlers, of Stoughton, WI. The photo is blurry because I was rushing - we thought a tornado was coming. The two girls, who spent most of their waking hours making art while I was there, did not seem too impressed by my efforts. But the parents liked what I did and received the painting below, Oak Tree, for hosting.  Oak Tree, approx. 6" x 9". See note above. |
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The Itinerant Artist Project can't go anywhere without hosts - people interested in welcoming a traveling painter into their homes for a few days. At each stop, I do a number of paintings and offer one to my host in appreciation for the hospitality.