If you are calling yourself an 'artist' and doing any of the things below then it may just be time for you to find a new career.
uggg.. see you in court.
This happens more times than I care to think about. There is a big difference with being inspired by an artist and wanting to practice their techniques and sitting down.. staring at another artist's works, painting a copy of it, and selling it to profit. (especially when you are selling it in the exact same venues of the original artist).
This happens so often, and it is illegal. Derivative laws are in place so that the artist that CREATED the painting has the right to make derivatives of their own work in any derivatives style they see fit. If you want to copy an artist for fun in your home, to learn techniques and practice that is one thing.. but to duplicate an artists works so that you can profit off of another artist's style
There is a very serious problem more popular artists have with print on demand and art publishing companies online that encourage 'sellers' to paint in the 'styles' of popular, trend-setting artists. If you want to support living artists do a favor and purchase DIRECT from the artist and not from shady print on demand or art publishing websites where many times the 'sellers' there are encouraged to create knock-offs of original artist's works.
Sadly a few artists, one proclaiming to be a Christian and marketing the works with scripture, simply stole my images of my artwork from my website ran my images through digital filters and sold them as their own 'original' art after they digitized them. (sorry folks.. that is copyright infringement and I will protect my intellectual property rights every time).
another individual out there currently who has stolen some of my most famous paintings, like my painting "I Don't Want To Hear It' and simply puts other images on top of it and markets it as their own work. (sorry guys.. this is illegal too). One fool happened to leave my name (which is legally trademarked), in their 'original' work and was selling prints of their 'work' with my name still in it.
a seller on an online art platform had stolen my images, made little to no changes and was selling that above, and others likes it, for profit. They then went on to just steal pieces of my works to create other derivatives.
The above examples are just a small selection of the copyright infringement and trademark infringement I have had to deal with over the years. I will protect my intellectual property rights fiercly.
Imitation like the above is not flattery.. at all. There is nothing flattering about having someone else profit off your hard work. Imitation like the above is lack of creativity.
I am blessed that I get up and I just can create automatically. I believe it is automatic for me because I believe it is a God given talent that has been bestowed upon me. My painting and creation process is an unthinking process for me that has always easily flowed out of me. There is an internal voice for me that directs me.
It honestly does sadden me me to see people that feel they need to resort to things like the above to make money. I do feel bad that they do not have enough faith in their own talents that they feel the need to stoop to those levels of theft just because they want that almight dollar.
I hope that in my abstract art bootcamp courses I truly inspire and help teach others how to DISCOVER their own unique creative voice. We each have a unique voice that is beautiful and has it's own audience.. it is my goal to help others find their unique voice so they can share it with those who are meant to connect with it. When you are working from that place.. success DOES follow.
If you are working from a place of copying someone else (instead of finding your own voice), at best you may become known as a good copycat. However, at worst, you may find yourself in a lawsuit being sued for copyright/trademark infringement.
