An artist seems to be everywhere. Does that mean they’re successful, good, or worth collecting? Are we seeing genuine recognition or just very good marketing? blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #BlackbirdRook #ContemporaryArt #ArtCollecting #ArtMarket #DiaryOfAnArtAdvisor

What does it mean when an artist makes recognisably similar work for twenty, thirty or forty years? When Does Persistence Become Inertia? blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #BlackbirdRook #ContemporaryArt #ArtisticPractice #Painting #ArtCriticism

The Studio Visit, now on my Substack. blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ContemporaryArt #ArtCollectors #Artists #ArtAdvisory #ArtMarket #StudioVisit #CollectingArt

For the new Hoyland and Hopkins exhibition, I’ve written about the work required to keep their makers in view. Who Gets Space? blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ClydeHopkins #JohnHoyland #BritishPainting #AbstractPainting #ArtHistory #BlackbirdRook

I used to work in television, where a good story was everything. Now, as an artist and adviser, I’m wary of the story around an artwork. blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ArtWorld #ArtCollecting #ContemporaryArt #ArtAdvisor

100 paid subscribers makes Blackbird Rook a Substack Bestseller… Thank you to everyone who reads and especially the first hundred people who decided it’s worth paying for. blackbirdrook.substack.com #ArtWorld #ArtCollecting #Substack

You're so pleased that a gallery wants your work, that asking what they’re going to do for you can feel ungrateful. I know the feeling. blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ArtistRepresentation #ArtBusiness #ArtGalleries #blackbirdrook #contemporaryart

If someone is selling you art as an “investment”, start by asking what exactly the claim is based on. A few things worth checking before you buy: blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ArtMarket #ArtCollecting #ContemporaryArt #ArtInvestment

Most collecting advice is designed to help you say yes. Knowing when not to buy is just as important. Seven situations in which I think a collector should wait, ask more questions, or walk away. blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ArtCollecting #ContemporaryArt #ArtMarket #ArtAdvisory

Blackbird Rook brings together art-world intelligence, artists and available works, collecting guides, market insight and writing from inside the studio. Explore everything here: bio.site/blackbird_rook #ContemporaryArt #ArtCollecting #ArtAdvisory

How do you know what art to buy? I use seven tests: intent, language, materials, specificity, editing, resonance and durability. They will reveal when a work carries more than a sales pitch. My full Collector’s Guide is on Blackbird Rook: blackbirdrook.substack.com/p…

My latest paid subscriber Substack post looks at how art prices are built, what sustains them and when the number has outrun the painting. For artists and collectors. blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ArtMarket #Artists #ArtPricing #ContemporaryArt #Substack

What does a painting actually do to a home? The new Blackbird Rook piece is about what happens when art leaves the studio and enters a home. blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ContemporaryArt #ArtCollecting #ArtCollector #CollectingArt #ArtAdvisory #ArtAdvisor #ContemporaryPainting

I was glad to see Kim Córdova mention my piece ‘Qualified for Nothing’ in Boston Art Review’s sharp account of the labour crisis in arts publishing and the wider art world. bostonartreview.com/read/art… #kimcordova #bostonartreview #blackbirdrook #substack #contemporaryart

Artists are happy to discuss failure, but being seen trying is more embarrassing. It means following up and admitting that you would quite like something to happen. blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ContemporaryArt #Artists #ArtWorld #ArtistCareer #ArtWriting #BlackbirdRook

Most corporate art fills a wall. Cultural strategy begins when people start noticing what’s on it. In the paid Blackbird Rook: owning art versus having a real relationship with culture. blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #Culture #ArtAtWork #WorkplaceCulture #CorporateArt #JimCheatle

My piece, How Galleries Actually Make (and Lose) Money, looked at the financial structure beneath the theatre. It is available to paid subscribers. For the next seven days, I’m offering 20% off an annual subscription. blackbirdrook.substack.com/9… #ArtMarket #ArtBusiness

This week’s Diary of an Art Advisor is about selection, trust and what I increasingly believe Blackbird Rook is for: helping good artists keep working. blackbirdrook.substack.com/p… #ContemporaryArt #ArtCollecting #ArtAdvisor #Artists #ArtMarket #blackbirdrook

Someone Might Come in Later, the new Blackbird Rook newsletter. open.substack.com/pub/blackb… #ContemporaryArt #ArtistStudio #ArtCollecting #Painting #BlackbirdRook

Blackbird Rook’s new show, Material Witness, brings together Justin Mortimer’s works on paper from 2023–2026. Now on Artsy: artsy.net/show/blackbird-roo… #JustinMortimer #MaterialWitness #WorksOnPaper #ContemporaryArt #BlackbirdRook