Transcription
About trends for 2026. If you are an artist, and I think artists always want to know what's coming. And you may, if you're watching and you're an artist, have your own inclinations and your own ideas as to what is coming. And maybe you're starting to see it, starting to feel it. And I think artists are actually, um, naturally prophetic. So, what I mean by that is, um, you know, artists are, are very future-oriented. It doesn't mean you're a fortune teller. That's not what I'm talking about. It's more this like intuitive. It's like, I think everybody has the ability to be prophetic. But because artists are always exercising their intuition and are practicing it as they create and they paint, and they're always sort of stretching into the future, even if it's just a, a few milliseconds beyond that last brush stroke, you're always looking at what's next. And it's kind of just become this natural way of being as an artist. So, I feel like artists have an extra sensory device to, um, see what's happening in the future.
"Yeah, I like that. It makes me feel like I have superpowers."
"Yeah. So, um, my name's Ellie Milan, if you're new to this channel. And I've been a professional artist for the last 30 years. And I also own Milan Art Institute. So, we have another channel for that. Milan Art Institute. Yeah."
"Um, and this is Tanner. Uh, he is an artist. He does all kinds of production work with us. He does some creative directing. And, um, yeah."
"And yeah, I was going to do my own intro, but I like that better."
"Oh, well, what would you, how would you intro yourself?"
"I don't, you know what? I [laughter]"
"The same thing. Social media manager from Milan Art."
"Yeah. I forgot that. That's like the main thing you do."
"Yeah. That's like my job legally."
"Legally. Yeah. I don't know. That's what I put on my taxes. [laughter]"
"Oh, really? You, is that what you do on your taxes? You have to say what your"
"Actually, I don't know if you do. I don't know. Anyways,"
"You're just making this up as you go along, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Okay. So, if you watched it, we have somewhere, somewhere down in the, in the, um, videos here, we have, uh, our predictions that we made about this time last year for 2025. So, first thing we're going to do is review them and see if we were right. Um, and or actually, you should see if we were right. Of course, we're going to think we were right, but it's really up to you to know if we were right. Um, and then because you made your predictions and I made my predictions, and they weren't exactly the same."
"Yeah."
"And, and then we're going to make new predictions for this year, and then next year, we'll see if we were correct. So, what, and first of all, what kind of like art world are we talking about? Mostly we're talking about paintings or wall art, because that's the world we're in. That's, that's the world that we are thinking about looking at. But I think it really does serve the larger piece of culture because, uh, fashion, uh, the fashion and beauty industry, even furniture, interior design, um, design in general, all play into our, our visual influences as artists. So, uh, and I think a lot of art, if you, if you can kind of, um, sort of create a bit ahead, um, you know, and you're, you're sort of forward thinking, then your art won't really look dated. It'll be kind of right in line with, with the way things are going. And, and the idea isn't to be like trendy and, you know, start, you know, um, making art that only lasts a year or two. That's not the point."
"But it's, it's, it's more like something you catch in the ether. Um, that's in the messaging. It's in, you know, the voice and, and, and what you're really putting out there. And, and I think it's just interesting. So, this is definitely not, um, you know, I'm not, I'm not advocating for, I don't do it myself, and I'm not advocating for, you know, you to hear this and then, you know, immediately switch gears and start painting something completely different to fit some trend. Uh, because you, you want to create art that has legs to it and can stand, um, you know, and be relevant and, um, and impactful, you know, over time. So."
"Yeah."
"So, do you want to start with what, what did you predict last year?"
"Well, I know, I, I predicted a boom in affordable art sales. I think the number I said was sales 2000 and under. Um, I don't know how much that actually came true because the year is technically not over, and I don't think we'll start getting full numbers until like early next year."
"Yeah."
"But from what I've read, it does seem like the trends in 2025 continued from last year, where the upper market, the like 10 million plus art sales dropped, and the lower ones continued to rise."
"Yeah."
"Which I think is cool and has happened for sure."
"Yeah. And, you know, just since 2020, as an artist, as a gallery owner, as somebody who, um, you know, uh, works with a lot of artists, um, I'm definitely knowledgeable about, you know, who's selling art and, and maybe who isn't. And I have seen from 2020, every year it get better and better. And I, 2020 was a fabulous year. You know, that's when a lot of, um, in-person, you know, galleries and, you know, did terrible obviously because of COVID. Um, but artists being able to sell directly to collectors, it sort of really kickstarted, um, a surge in that. It was already going, of course, but it really surged, and, uh, collectors got very comfortable working directly with artists. They got very comfortable with buying art online, um, especially in the lower price points. So, um, I have just seen personally every year it get better and better, and 2025 was better than 2024, and I think 2026 is going to be better than 2025."
"I think so too. Yeah. Want to go over yours? I know one of yours you said, uh, Rococo Revival."
"Yeah. I don't know. I, I feel like, uh, I don't know about revival. That might be a strong, a strong word, but I am definitely seeing, um, I was, I was starting to see the beginnings of this, uh, last year. And if I look back over the year, I can see in, in terms of design, in terms of framing in particular, in terms of, um, furniture, the curviness, the ornateness of, of, you know, um, different types of furniture, a surge of velvet. Um."
"There was a lot of velvet, actually. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah."
"Yeah. And, and that's in fashion and in, um, you know, even corsets. I saw like a lot of, a lot of women wearing corsets."
"Yeah, you're so right."
"And, um, you know, more frilly things. Um, I think hair's gotten bigger."
"It has. It really has. People are going for volume and biggerness. Yeah."
"Yeah. So, it's subtle. It's really subtle. And I, well, that's jumping ahead into predictions. We won't do that. But [laughter] um, so I don't know. I feel like it wasn't completely off track."
"No. No, for sure. Especially in furniture. I didn't even think about that. But I feel like I've seen so much more ornate furniture, cuz I feel like for a while it was like the IKEA aesthetic of like simple, flat."
"Yeah."
"Boring."
"Gray."
"Gray. Everything's gray or like beige."
"Yeah."
"Yeah. So, how I think trends work, it's not like you see this explosion of a trend and then it dies. An explosion of a trend and then it dies. It, they feed into each other. So, it begins as this like murmuring or this little bubbling of something, and that feeds into something else, and that feeds into something else. And so, this, this sort of, um, baroque, Rococo, I know that's kind of two different eras, but it's still that ornate, gold, scrolly kind of vibe. Um, it's, it's rolling into something to come, you know, and, uh, and, and so that stark, hard-edged, um, geometric kind of look, I think, is, is fading, and it's being replaced by a little bit more of a feminine, organic, um, curvy sort of form."
"Yeah, definitely."
"Okay. What else? What was another prediction you made?"
"Um, one thing we both said was, um, artists incorporating more 3D texture and stuff into their work. Um, I feel like I definitely saw that. I feel like I saw a lot of,"
"like different mixed media things, like even beyond just like,"
"necessarily texture, like gold leaf. I feel like I saw so many artists doing really interesting things with like gold leaf or copper leaf. Like I feel like that was really big this year."
"Yeah. A lot of exploration into new materials and pushing the envelope and, you know, pushing boundaries of of texture, collage, those kinds of things, working with fabric. Um, or even just kind of, uh, um, synthetic things like plastic, plexiglass, that sort of stuff."
"Yeah. Yeah. So, um, yeah, we, I just, uh, a few weeks ago, went to Cincinnati to this, um, to this big, um, art consultant, um, place, and she, she had this big art show, and her gallery is about 13,000 square feet, and I think there was like 400 pieces of art in it. And, and then she had another location that we also went to and, and saw an event. And, um, I saw so much art that was wall art, but very three-dimensional. So, she would have these like big bobbles of glass, you know, that were coming out of the wall, and, um, this like, I don't know, like I want to say it was plastic or glass, some sort of shiny, um, wavy kind of material, um, there. So, a lot of wall art that wasn't just a flat painting. And so, I, I think the whole texture thing is, is definitely still very relevant."
"Yeah. And I think it's just going to keep, I think this is just the beginning. I think it's only going to become more and more. Again, not to get too ahead of ourselves for predictions, but,"
"Yeah. What was some, what was another prediction?"
"Um, something we also both kind of talked about was more artists selling directly to collectors would continue to increase, which I think it has."
"Well, yeah, I was looking,"
"That's a little bit [clears throat] of a duh no-brainer."
"Right? [laughter]"
"I mean, I don't even know if you'd call that a prediction, but,"
"Yeah, I was reading some interesting things about, um, Etsy's reporting and how that's been going. Like Etsy's the number of dollars they've made have gone up, but I think I could be misremembering, but I think the number of sellers on Etsy was actually less."
"And I think that's because, I mean,"
"Why sell through Etsy when you could just sell directly to a collector, you know? Like, I think I think people are starting to kind of leave Etsy, and that's kind of the sentiment I've seen."
"Yeah. Well, uh, Etsy has really, um, uh, increased their fees and made it extremely difficult. So, only the big sellers that kind of almost mass sell, um, are profitable on Etsy, and the sort of small-time sellers are not. And so, I think that's like a big cause of that is Etsy has lost its mission."
"Yeah. Like it's no longer, like I feel like it's hard to be a smaller creator, especially when you do something like art, like paintings, like that's a very,"
"it's a one thing, you know, it's unique, you can't mass produce a painting."
"Yeah. Etsy's kind of become Amazon for more crafty,"
"artsy things."
"Yeah. And I think people are starting to see that and,"
"But it has become way more commercial."
"Yeah. But I think it's becoming so much easier nowadays to just sell directly to collectors. That's right. Yeah."
"that. Yeah. All right. Um,"
"Did you have any predictions that didn't come true?"
"You know, one thing I remember I said, I said this was kind of a, a pessimistic take, I guess I had, but I said that AI art would completely overtake like corporate art, like art corporations use, or like the stuff that you probably get in like a HomeGoods or whatever would just, I don't know why I was like, it's just all going to be AI. And that you can see it a little bit. I've seen some people post videos and whatnot of like, like prints on like festive napkins or whatever, or like it's like, oh, that was made by AI, because it's like, happy instead of happy holidays, spelled out, you know. But I don't think,"
"Yeah, but there's napkins. We're talking art."
"I know. I know. And I was, I don't think it's completely taken over. I think I was wrong."
"I think I might be right in the future. [laughter]"
"You know. But it wasn't,"
"I'll tell you something I witnessed, um, along those lines that, um, you know, so at this, uh, art show I was just talking about, um, with, so what this, um, the company is called ADC, if you want to look it up. Um, they're in Cincinnati. Uh, Lita Spanos, um, owns it. And so she is an art consultant, and she basically does art advisory. And so she'll help, uh, corporations or businesses, um, you know, individuals for their home, find art. And so, and she'll suggest different art and design spaces. So, she really shines in, in the corporate. So, we were looking at a lot of her jobs and different places, and I met a lot of her clients that she's worked with. And what I really love that she's doing is she is educating the consumer about art and art in spaces. And so she'll talk about the artist and what, what the art is all about, and why does it, um, fit so perfectly in the space, and how does it enhance the space. And we even heard one of our clients, he was a, he was a, um, an accountant, and he owned a big accounting firm in this big office building, lots of offices. And he, we were looking at different pictures, uh, of the different spaces and how the art beautified, and you could just see he loved the art. He loved sharing it. And he was talking about how when his clients come in, um, you know, to the office and go to the conference room or, you know, sit down and talk, that they're always talking about the art. And, and how much it enhances the whole experience of going there. And they were really, truly beautiful spaces. And he put a lot of care into, or I'm sure Lisa helped him, um, into choosing the different furniture. And, um, it, it's in this sort of unspoken. It wasn't thematic as much as it was in, in the curves and the movement and what was outside the window. You know, Cincinnati has like, um, really interesting historic buildings, and you could see this like, uh, out of this one, um, one window, there was this red brick sort of, um, you know, building that took up a lot of space in the, in the skyline. And, and then it kind of continued in the wall. The art on the wall had this red brick in it, in this abstract, and then it kind of curved around into some wood pieces that that had that same color. And it was just this beautiful, cohesive space that you, you wanted to be in. And so, uh, I think things like that are telling me that there's a whole bunch of people that are going to actually go the opposite direction of AI art and actually see how powerful and meaningful it is, um, to actually have real art by real humans that put their heart into it, and an advisor that's there to make the spaces, you know, just look beautiful and like a space you would want to be in. So, to me, that was extremely encouraging. And, um, you know, I mean, I've seen a lot of that. I used to work a lot with these types of designers, uh, that design in corporate spaces, and I provided a lot of the art for those spaces. Yeah. So, uh, I don't feel like it's going away. I feel like if anything, it's happening more and more. And so, um, yeah, I, I hope you're always wrong on that."
"Me too. Me too."
"Yeah."
"I, and I, I think I will. I don't know."
"I don't know. We'll see. [laughter]"
"I think I think AI,"
"you know."
"Okay. Well, this goes into the predictions. I have, I have a whole thing on that. So, I'm, let, let's just wait. So, any more, um, things that from last year that we want to highlight where we were really right or really wrong or,"
"One thing you said that artists must really be, um, like influencers, they must connect, not just create, which I feel like, I think that's something we've definitely saw a lot of in 2025. Feel like artists that have done well are the ones that have been able to do that,"
"you know, been able to form a connection with the collector."
"I've also seen some artists that I followed for a while that were very, just tight with galleries. They didn't do a lot on social media. They had very small followings. Um, they had barely a website. It was kind of old. Uh, and they mostly relied on the gallery relationship. And I've watched them over the last year or two, uh, sort of blossom more in that influencer role. And you really got to know them and [clears throat] they're, they're sharing a lot more of their lives. And even when they do the gallery shows, and you're wa, I was watching their, their social medias really, um, take off and grow. Some of them even doubling over this last year. So, yeah."
"I, I feel like it's, it's something that we're going to see continue, but it's definitely happening."
"Yeah, I think so too. And I feel like that's a good segue to like, what are,"
"What's next?"
"What are some things?"
"Yeah."
"I have to look at my own list because yours is confusing to me."
"You said it to me."
"Oh, is that my list? Well, it looks better on my phone."
"Okay. [laughter]"
"Okay. So, um, well, why don't you say what your list is first?"
"Okay."
"What are your predictions?"
"Well, mo, I, I, I mostly look at art from, uh, the social media lens because that's kind of the world I live in, you know. And one thing I think that we're going to see a lot of is everyone, I mean, almost everyone is,"
"getting really good at making content."
"You know, like it's becoming easier."
"Even the people that made bad content."
"Yeah. Like everyone's just getting better. And there's so many tools that make it so much easier that I feel like we're gonna start to really see, um, that reflected in how artists use social media. Like,"
"I think if you, if you don't know how to edit a video or whatnot, I think you really need to learn."
"Yeah, it's [clears throat] not hard. Even I can do it."
"Yeah, it's, yeah, it's. And it's it's so easy. Especially it's so easy to get good quality footage nowadays, too."
"Like these phone cameras are like,"
"Yeah."
"amazing. And if as long as you have a fairly recent iPhone or I don't know how Androids are or whatever. We don't talk about that."
"And just really document, like artists should just document their life, their lifestyle, what they do."
"And, and share it in, in a, a pleasing or entertaining way."
"Yeah. And I think I think we're going to see artists, especially because, you know, artists are creative, um, find really interesting ways to push that further and like different ways to share their art with the world through social media."
"Okay. So, more of the artists becoming influencers, creating content, content creation."
"Artists are going to become really good content creators. Okay. I'd say I think that's that's one of mine."
"All right. What's your, what's your next one?"
"Um,"
"Where do you even have them written?"
"Oh, I don't have them written."
"You can memorize them. Wow. That's what's, that's what it's like to be young. [laughter] [clears throat]"
"Well, I was thinking we could go about back and forth. So, not, yeah."
"So, um, well, mine kind of play into each other. So, I think you go first and then I'll go."
"Oh, okay."
"Because mine, yeah. Like,"
"No, I could, I guess I can go. So, I'll start with style. So, I broke mine down. Styles versus business trends. Okay. Okay. Let's do that because I, I got some styles and business trends, too. So, we'll go."
"So, that one was more of a business trend sort of,"
"I guess, actually. Yeah. Yeah. So,"
"Okay. Well, [laughter] so, um, so in terms of style, I, I just recently saw, um, this thing called Medieval Revival. Um, and I just still think that's like what I called Rococo Revival. I, I feel like that is, you know, you could get nitty-gritty and and technical. Also, the picture they showed for this medieval revival, it was not medieval. It was again like velvet, jewel tones, um, gold or navy. [laughter] And it's like, it wasn't medieval. It was, it was more like I would call it baroque, you know? It was, it was a bit later. And so, I don't know. It's that, that baroque, um, almost like French, uh, ornate Italian ornate, um, kind of styling. And I just think we're going to see a continuation of the jewel tones, the velvet, the deep rich colors. And so I think I think that's going to continue. And, um, that is really going to, my next prediction is a, a resurgence of framing. So, a lot of, for a long time in art, when I, when I first got started in art, frames were like big, and they were getting very like, um, extravagant, and they mostly were trying to match the room, the furniture in the room. So, it was always like, what kind of wood do you have in your, in your house? Was it dark wood, light wood, medium wood? Um, and when I first started, everything was oak, right? It was, it was oaky. And so frames were that kind of medium wood, and then everything became espresso, right? And the woods got darker and deeper and more cherry. And, and then frames kind of went out, and everything was gallery wrapped, and you continue to paint around the edges, and, and people wanted more art, less frame. So they wanted bigger pieces of art, less frame, and they were putting things right there flush on the wall, um, and, and gallery wrapped, and not framing anything. And because there was this sort of desire for more of a contemporary look. And now what I'm seeing is it's kind of going back to frames, but the frames are accentuating the art. They're in a continuation of the art. So, if, if the art fits the room, the frame's going to fit the room. Um, and, and sort of like a disregard or who cares about what kind of wood is in the room or, or the colors, as long as the frame feels like it's still a part of the, of the art. Um, so it, it's like the frame used to be a bridge between the art and the furniture in the room, and now what I'm seeing is it's, it's just the whole piece of art. So, frames I've seen getting a lot more ornate and extravagant and creative and, um, you know, just really, um, what's the word I'm trying to think of, like, um, yeah, just extravagant, very like, almost like having this luxurious. It used to be like, ooh, tacky to have this like gold scrolly baroque, almost like antique looking, very garish gold frame, and now that is like really cool. So,"
"Um, and we've, in the gallery, we, we have a lot of people that request, um, real wood, gold leaf, scrolly, ornate frames, you know, that are kind of like baroque looking."
"Yeah, for sure."
"So, um, and, and things that, that we've done is like continue the painting into the frame. Not a gold one, but like a white baroque type frame. And you kind of continue the painting and let it kind of splash over the frame a little bit. And so it has that kind of eclectic feel of, uh, sort of old with the new, and, and, you know, a contemporary where, where the edges of the painting kind of spill out a bit."
"Yeah."
"So."
"I think I think framing is the future for framing is, is pretty bright, and that's not just into next year. It's going to go beyond that."
"I think so too. Yeah, frames are huge. Um, I also wonder, do you think there's going to be any kind of fun trends in terms of like subject matter and paintings that you can see?"
"I think I think we're going to see a, I think what's going to be really popular is more figurative art and like art that depicts human figures in like interesting ways. I feel like at least lately, what I've been seeing a lot on social media, the the paintings that go viral or do well are some form of that where it's like, like an abstracted human figure or human figure painted expressively or whatnot. I think that's something because I think that kind of speaks to what a lot of people seem to be yearning for is like humanness, human connection. But I feel like,"
"I don't know. I think there's kind of a, in like a technology fatigue maybe that's kind of happening, and maybe that's kind of why people are kind of,"
"hearkening back to like frames or like that broken older,"
"older things."
"Cuz I mean, you know, we are surrounded by technology all the time where like,"
"we're on the internet 24/7 nowadays with these things, you know."
"Yeah. I think the overarching, and this plays into the business trends, styles, everything you're saying. I think the overarching, um, constraint, raint, or, or, or struggle we are all having as humans, and it doesn't matter where you live, this could be Europeans, this could be, um, you know, uh, Americans, like it doesn't matter, anywhere in the world, Asia, this is what we're all struggling with is, what is real? What is real? What is true? Um, there's just so much fakeness, um, in our world, whether it's, um, AI. I mean, I'm constantly, ly sending my kids funny pet things, and they write back, go, that is AI, and immediately I hate it. Immediately I'm like, I thought,"
"you mean that, that seal didn't jump into the boat when the killer whale was chasing it? That was fake."
"I mean,"
"It feels, you make, if you feel so dumb when you fall for an AI video."
"Yeah. And so, it, it, we're all being very conditioned on a daily basis to despise it, and nobody wants to be duped. Nobody. So, there's almost these walls, are this like, is it real? Is it fake? Are they telling the truth? Is that real? So, I think as artists, are, are we're positioned, first of all, really well because artists are just very authentic. Like, nothing feels worse to a true artist than phoniness. Um, and so, I, I just think that that positions artists to be in a very, very good place because we are sort of the administrators of authenticity. We are ambassadors of authenticity, and the world is craving true authenticity. And I think that's why texture, because you can't, you can't print or manufacture, you know, it's like, texture, real, um,"
"like, you know, for sure, a hand placed that there because there's no other way it could have gotten there."
"Yeah. So, art that is very expressive, the brush strokes, if the blendy smoothie stuff, hyperrealism, because it's like, well, did AI do that? Is that, is that, is that real? You know, did a robot do that? Did a machine do that? But nothing can replace true human expressiveness and just, um, thick layer of paint and brush strokes and, and an emotional, um, an emotional release, you know, [snorts] into the painting, and where you can feel the painting, and when you see it, it's like, it punches you in the gut, um, or it grips your heart, or it might even make you cry. Those types of responses is where artists are going to shine most. And I think, I think the question everybody has right now is, is that, is it real? And when you experience art, um, then you know it's real, which plays into one of your predictions about,"
"about the,"
"in person."
"Yeah. I really, I think in 2026, there's, we're going to see a lot more just in-person art events, art shows, live painting because I feel like, like playing into, like I think there is a, a technology fatigue that's kind of hitting people. And I mean, the best way to beat that is to get away from technology, is be around humans and other people. And I think artists that really embrace that are going to really position themselves well to succeed because like, if you do live painting events, people then can see, see a human touching the canvas with paint. They see that it's real."
"Live painting. Yeah."
"Yeah. And then they're going to want to, you know, and maybe buy it because they know for sure, I saw this painting being made. That's awesome. I can make a connection to the artist too, because the connection between artist and collector, I think is also super important. And yeah, I think in 2026, I think it'll be the year that we really see a lot of live events just take off. Yeah."
"And another thing that that's doing, you know, is this real? And everybody, you know, worried about that, is it's educating the collector. The collector is really starting to get involved in the process. So, I think artists should share their process because, uh, collectors want to see like, how was it made? Was there any funny business here? Is it actually, you know, um, you that made this? You know, and, and so sharing your whole process, going back to the content creation, um, you know, creating content around your process, not necessarily for artists like saying, I used Mars Black and Prussian blue, and I like, the collector doesn't care about that. It's think about what is your process from a romantic collector's point of view, and it's all about where was it hand-huned, where was it emotional, where was it that part of the process, and, and really showing, you know, how your work is constructed, how an idea is born. And I think that, you know, collectors are getting very savvy. They're getting very educated. Um, and they are watching for that authenticity and that, that human connection. And I think all those things are positive."
"Me too."
"So, I think AI is actually providing a juxtaposition of where art, you know, it's the opposite of where artists shine most."
"Yeah. You know, speaking of that, I used to, I, I've, I've gone through many waves of optimism and pessimism in regards to like AI and how it's going to affect society. Right now, I'm, I'm in a more optimist high. So, my, my optimist take right now is that one of my fears is that like, well, the average person doesn't care about any of that. They just want the pretty picture. They'll go for AI. But I think that it's easier to convert those people to appreciating real art."
"Yeah."
"And once they're converted, they're on the other side forever."
"Yeah."
"And like, I don't think a person that appreciates real art and real painting will ever not, you know, like, you can't go the other way. So, I think that's actually something we might see. I think we will see more people."
"Well, and real original art in these lower price points is becoming more and more, um, tangible to everyone."
"Exactly. Yeah."
"And I think the average person wants it, craves it. They don't want a print on their wall. They don't want AI art art on their wall. They just want to be able to afford it. And so somebody that, um, you know, is makes a sort of, you know, middle-class income, is can spend $800 on a painting. Uh, maybe it's not a huge painting, maybe it's a smaller painting, but it's their pride and joy. It's their favorite thing they have in their house, and it meant a lot to them. And as their income grows, um, so will their art collection. And I see a lot of younger people with less money getting into art collecting and really valuing it and really enjoying it. And so, um, I think that's a, a trend that we're going to continue to see,"
"you know, grow."
"Yeah, for sure."
"Okay. What else do you got? Do you have anything else in design?"
"In design, um, not really. I think I think we are going to see more, um, I think more abstract realism as a general style. I think it's, it's been growing and I think it's kind of, it's just going to get more and more."
"Yeah. Because of what you just said about the connection and,"
"Yeah. And also,"
"Yeah. And just the abstract realism. It is kind of that best of both worlds where it's like,"
"contemporary, but you have something to connect with."
"Yeah. And I think I think people like seeing that technical skill of realism in artwork, cuz that is, there is something really cool about when you paint something and it looks like the thing. Yeah."
"That, I mean, people love that. That's why throughout all of history, people have been aiming for that. But, you know, we have cameras now. So, that with also expressiveness, you know, something that's unique to that only that artist could do that, because anyone can paint a realistic flower, but not everyone can make the same abstract marks,"
"right? Or turn it into poetry."
"Yeah. Exactly. So,"
"I, I see that just continuing to grow as it has been."
"Yeah. Um, I have under business trends that, you know, last year we talked about artists as influencers. I see also, um, you know, yes, artists as influencers in terms of like, hey, I'm here, I'm raw, I'm open, I'm authentic, I'm vulnerable, I'm sharing, um, and, and now, you know, I've made space for you, you're, you're okay now, so, and we connect. That, of course, I think is, is still there. But I also can see artists, not all artists, and if you're an artist and this is like, gosh, I don't want to do that, you don't have to, uh, but I do think some artists will also kind of move into a more entertainment, um, sort of performer, entertainment. And it's weird because we didn't compare notes, and I think you have that, don't you have that too?"
"Um, some. Yeah. Yeah. Artists becoming constant creators and, yeah. There's, it's like, I think your self as an artist is going to be important in selling your art."
"Yeah."
"Yeah. Yeah. And, and that comes with a, a certain amount of performance. I know, you know, we have this, uh, reality show that we've done for years now called Outstanding Artist. And we started in 200, 19, I think. No, 2020."
"Yeah. Season."
"Before my time. Yeah."
"Yes. [clears throat and laughter]"
"Season one was 2020. And, um, we're about to release our fourth season. Uh, and it's going to launch in January. So, very exciting. And, uh, and when we first did it, I was scouring YouTube for, uh, any kind of content like it, and I couldn't find anything. I really couldn't find. There was like, um, you know, a portrait, um, a portrait competition show that was on TLC or something. And I think I saw, um, Show Me the Monae. Uh, there was some, something."
"Has an amazing name for his show. [laughter]"
"I don't think it's around anymore. And, and none of it was on YouTube. It was all like high production things on like TLC or something. Um, is TLC even a thing anymore?"
"I think so. I don't have cable. I don't do TV or cable, so I don't know. But in terms of YouTube land, there was really nothing. You couldn't find artist competitions. You couldn't, um, there was like a few live events of art battles I knew about, but there really wasn't a lot. And now as I look, I can see on YouTube, there's a lot of different artist competitions that are that are actual YouTube shows. And so I just think that's we're going to see more of that. It's sort of like the Mr. Beast of art, you know, where you're going to have,"
"um, edutainment type things concerning art, um, that not just artists are going to watch, but also art all art lovers, art, you know."
"Um, yeah. And I'm seeing a lot of artists start YouTube channels and be entertaining and not just show, um, how-to videos. Sure, there's a lot of how-to videos out there, but I think now artists are able to actually bring, um, themselves and, uh, interesting topics and their lifestyle and their art creation as a, as a process to not just artists, but collectors. And, you know, be entertainer performers out there, not just influencers."
"Yeah. One thing I was going to mention too was that, um, something I'm, I'm seeing more and more on social media content that artists post is that,"
"there's, um, a lot more shots that show the full artist."
"Cuz like a lot of times, a lot of reels about painting, you know, you see the paintings, you see hands and whatnot, but I'm noticing more and more people are showing more shots that like show their full studio, you see the full artist's body and whatnot. And I think that's just all playing into more of the, you know, connecting with the artist, seeing the artist, the artist is a part of it."
"Yeah. Yeah. Kind of like a renaissance."
"Prior to the Renaissance, nobody cared about the artist. Nobody even knew the artist's name."
"Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Yeah. And, yeah, I kind, I do kind of feel like we're entering a new kind of renaissance. The artist is once again the,"
"Yeah."
"the hot thing. [laughter]"
"Sony is gonna start being an adjective."
"Sony. That's so Sony. [laughter] I use it. I don't, I don't know if anybody else uses it, but,"
"Sony means as in renaissancey. Like, Sony."
"Sony. Uh, I would just trip out if I heard somebody anywhere else in the world use that."
"Yeah."
"Because, yeah, I don't think it's a real word."
"Um,"
"Not yet. Not yet. Um, let's get it going. Let's just start it."
"Yeah. Yeah. We'll get start. We're going to add Sony to the dictionary."
"Sony. Yeah."
"Webster, hit us up. [laughter]"
"Okay. Um, so [snorts] what, what else do I have here in the business trend? So, um, oh, galleries. Okay. What, what's going to happen with galleries?"
"Um,"
"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think where you're seeing, um, you know, galleries and dealers, what I'm seeing a trend is that they are really, this is so good, this is so good, and this is going to continue. I'm seeing all the galleries that are thriving and doing really well are actually really honoring and highlighting and almost treating artists like a celebrity."
"Yeah. And, um, galleries are beginning to, you know, even pay artists, um, way and, um, and put them up, you know, and pay for their travel and, and, you know, invite them to do live shows. They're understanding that having that live connection, live painting at the shows, um, utilizing the artist as that performer, that entertainer, that, um, personality, um, bringing their authenticity, bringing their real heart and who they are to the live events, to the shows, um, to meet the collectors is very advantageous and you can make a lot more sales and, uh, build those deep meaningful and stay relevant because if the gallery can connect, um, the artist and the collector in an experience, um, then that makes the gallery more relevant. And I think galleries for many years were afraid to do that because they felt like if they, as soon as they connect it, the artist and the collector, then nobody's going to want the gallery anymore and they're going to bypass the gallery and they're just going to, you know, buy from each other. Um, and that's not really the case. Um, we just sold, we just did a commission, a really large commission, and, um, the person who bought the commission, the first time she sees the painting, she hasn't seen it yet. The first, she hasn't even seen a picture of it yet. The first time they see the painting, they want to see it on the gallery wall. And she wants to walk into the gallery and see her painting on the gallery wall for the first time. And I think that's a desire a lot of people have when they buy art. They want the gallery experience. And the gallery experience can be richer and better [clears throat] and, and, um, more profound for both artist and collector if they connect the two. Um, now connecting the two outside of the gallery sort of loses the experience for both because the, the collector kind of likes to think of the gallery as this like, I think of the, of the artist as this like, um, oh, you're the artist. But if you go to the artist studio and you see like cigarette butts on the floor and like spilled paint and like an old McDonald's thing over here, or whatever. I mean, who eats McDonald's anymore? But, you know what I mean. Um, they're, they're like, it's like the glam or the romance of it all is like gone away. It's better if this is all imagined in their mind of what that studio really looks like, and the experience is happening at the gallery. So, I just think that, um, from what I see, the, the art consultants, the, um, the advisors, the gallerists, they're, they're the ones that are thriving and doing well are really honoring artists. They're speaking highly of the artists. And I know when I first started, man, it was the opposite. It was like the artists were like treated really poorly. Um, and it, it was like they treated you like, gosh, you're you're lucky to be able to work with us. Um, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be eating right now, you know, and it's like [snorts] now galleries really know artists can sell perfectly fine on their own. Um, but it's just a more of a complete experience when that whole relationship is, is together and intact. So, I think we're going to see more of that. And I think the old galleries that are kind of elitist, that are pretentious, that are, you know, keeping everybody in their place, that are gatekeeping, I think they're just going to continue to go out of business. And the ones [clears throat] that are going to be new, thriving, are going to capitalize on events. They're going to capitalize on, you know, themes, purpose, meaning, um, you know, collecting art is meaningful. And, and really collectors love to support artists. And when galleries like, f tomorrow, what we're, what we're doing, we're having an art show at our gallery, and, um, and it's a, we're, we're also having a, um, collector's choice. So, whoever wins, whatever artist wins collector's choice, wins money. And there's, there's I think three prizes, right? First, second, and third. And they're winning art supplies and they're winning, um, you know, cash. Plus, they can sell their painting, but they're also winning cash. And we, the gallery, are paying the cash. And we're giving the collectors, um, you know, uh, little like gem stickers to put on the name tag of their pick, who, who they think, who had the best painting in here. And it's like, it's giving the collector this feeling of like, they're a part of it all. They're, they're, um, they're supporting. They're cheering on. They're the balcony people of these artists that are like, "Yeah, go. You're, you're, you're changing the world and we're behind you and we're with you." And the gall, if the gallery elevates the artist and is like, you know, artists are, are amazing and they're creating beautiful things and, and, you know, we honor them, then, then of course the collectors are going to feel that way and they're going to want to buy the art. As soon as galleries are like, you know, oh, these graveling, starving artists that, you know, are lucky to have us, that's transmitting to the collectors and they're not going to make as many sales. So, that was a long way to say all this, but I just feel like [laughter] we're in a whole new sort of gallery artist relationship. That's really sweet and really nice, and, um, and I'm, I'm seeing more and more of it. Not just our gallery, but lots of galleries."
"Yeah, I think so too. I really, I think 2026 will be like the year of the artist and like uplifting the artist and whatnot, which I think does kind of beg the question. I"
Kind of saw someone allude to this in the chat though about like, "Oh, you're you're talented. You can read the chat." That's I can I can glance down at it every every now and then. I would love to know what people are saying. Yeah. Fun stuff from the glances I've taken. But someone was wondering because I mean I do think that artist as a performer and whatnot is going to be a big thing. What about for people that you know are maybe on the more shy side, introverted side? True. Or like, well, you know, I want my I just want my art out there and then hide. Like, what what kind of advice would you give to them as we navigate this kind of thing we think is going to happen?
Well, I don't think um, you know, I don't think all artists have to be, you know, performing and and all of that. That that's not that's that's just if you want to. Not every artist needs a YouTube channel. Um, but I do think that all artists, no matter where you're at in this, um, should grow, should change, should grow, should be comfortable and confident enough in what they're doing and what they have to say to be able to meet new people, to be able to connect because that's what collectors want. That's what people who buy your art want. And I think that if you are like um you know a very terrified of social interaction I think that you you can change that's not a personality type that is um that is due to deeper issues and those issues can be addressed those is there's there's healing that can take place there's um transformation that can take place and it's just baby steps you know you don't have to imagine like the full throttle of this. Um, but uh maybe you're afraid to create content or show yourself when you create content. Well, just start by showing your art or showing your hands. Um, and uh maybe you can use u the AI voice over and then eventually you can read a voice over in your own voice and then eventually you might graduate to where you can talk in front of the camera. So, it's all baby steps. That's how I, you know, started. I remember the first time I was being filmed, I wanted to cry. I felt like humiliated. It was I was just so because you know what it was? I couldn't figure out who I was connecting with. You know, right now I'm literally talking to uh a camera, but I know you're on the other side of this. And I've done enough YouTube videos and I've read the comments and and then when I read the comments, I know I know who a lot of the people are because either they've come to a workshop or I've met them at the gallery or or whatever. And and so we have this we do have this connection and I don't feel like I'm just talking into thin air. I actually feel like I'm talking to you. I see the chat right here and that really helps. But when I first started, I was like, I'm just talking into this black rectangle and and you you feel humiliated and stupid. It's almost like um Have you ever tried dancing alone with no music? It's like that. Have you ever tried that? It's humiliating. Try dancing alone all alone. Nobody's home. Nobody can see you. Nobody can watch you. Try dancing alone with no music. It is so difficult. But as soon as there's a couple other people in the room and they're dancing with you and there's music playing, it's a lot easier. So I feel like, you know, meeting people, getting out there, connecting, it just happens in baby steps and you just keep building and you keep growing.
I mean, I would go as far as to say that if you plan for the rest of your life to just be a hermit in a lob log cabin somewhere in the mountains and paint all alone and you want to be very successful as an artist, it's going to be a lot harder. A lot harder. Yeah. I mean, it's it's not impossible, but it's so much harder. And I feel like you have you would have to have some advocate for you if you really can't or don't or won't. Um you have to make really really good art. Your skills have to be there. You've you've got to put a lot of heart and emotion and and voice into it. And then you need um you know a Theo what's his name? Theo Van Go. Van Go. Yeah. You need you need like Van Go's brother. you know that somebody that really believes in you, that is vivacious, that is a personality that can kind of be your agent and and get you out there um and speak for you.
But I feel like you should just think about like you really do miss out on, you know, not even just from a business sense, but even from like just a a human sense. A human connection sense. Yeah. and and having the joy what what what would happen is you would be robbed of the joy and the fulfillment of witnessing your art touch people. I mean when I see people see my art and they cry, I I cry. I like it's unforgettable. It's absolutely unforgettable. Or when they see a perfect stranger walks into the gallery and walks in front of my painting and goes, "Oh, something like that." I'm like, you know, and and so you you miss out on those interactions and seeing that and it's just it's what an honor. There's like there's there's nothing greater, I think, than you know, being able to create something and somebody else enjoy it and value it. It's just it's such a it's such a beautiful exchange. It it is. It really is.
Um, okay. We got to I have I have like at least we got to talk about the colors of the year and all that. Okay. Bring it. We got time. We can do it. Okay. So, my last one is um I wanted to address the color of the year because Panton did make their announcement and I've done a little bit of research on this and there's basically two leading color voices out there. there's Pantone and then there's Calaro and WGSN. So they're they're two different entities that kind of um collaborate. And so Panone is is world known. They're very well known. And actually what they are known for is sure they announce color of the year but actually holds no weight. I can't say no weight. It holds very little weight. the only because it's a feeal and they make the announcement. They just made it and they um they do it so close to the new year. Nobody can manufacture and create products with this color for 2026. 2026 products have already been created. And so um so it really bears no weight. Um, and it's it's sort of a a random thing and and maybe it influences like um things that you can do more spontaneously. Um, but that's not really what Panone is known for. So, they're always like Panone color of the year, but you never see it. Like last year, it was what? Some sort of chocolate thing. It was like brown. Espresso or something or Espresso or I don't know. It was brown. And uh I didn't see brown. I didn't see brown clothes or brown like there was no evidence of brown in 2025. I feel like Yeah. 2025 didn't seem very brown to me. Yeah. And then like I think recently it was like Anyway, Panton's color of the year is semi irrelevant. Um so their color that they've announced is um Cloud Dancer. Cloud Dancer. I pulled it up right here. Cloud Dancer. So it's white. Last year was brown. This year it's white. Let's just say Panone is tonedeaf. Um, now Panone, what they're known for is matching color. So they hold sort of the registry of digital color and and you know they they are sort of the timekeepers of color, right? Um it's like what does uh Mulberry look like? Well, Panton will tell you. So um that's really what panone is for. Now the ones who actually predict trends um is this company or this this um collaboration between coloro and WGSN and they have predicted um transformational teal and they made the these predictions they actually predict several years in advance um because the beauty industry the you know clothing industry fashion industry uh follows what they say and so now you're going to see it in the products. So it's not as much a prediction, it's like it's more of a declaration. So coloro um and WGSN predict basically declare what the color of and they actually have a whole palette and you should look at it because it is um it is like this color here. Well, it's this. It's this violet. It's a little bit more violet than that. That's not quite the color. Anyway, lime green, violet, transformational teal, and this kind of ice blue. They have this whole palette um that's out there, and those are the colors you're going to start seeing. You're going to see um you know, uh the bicycles, right? You're going to see bicycles in transformational teal, you know, or um you know, in the fashion in, you know, just like whatever the products that are created. you go get a water bottle, it's not going to be um you know pink. It's going to be transformational teal, lime green, and this like electric violet.
Yeah. Well, that's exciting. Yeah. Yeah. So, that's how the color thing works. Um, it's not as much of a but they do they do sort of read the culture and um they are they are you can read about it. It's really fascinating what they say about transformational teal. And I think it's true and it goes right along with what we were saying about what is real. And what they were saying is that the whole world is sort of craving and and groaning for this like movement into the thing we've all been waiting for. It's like for many years we're like something good is coming. Something good has to come, right? We we're we want to move out of the thing we've been in and into the new thing because people haven't liked where we've been. And so they're saying this is this is the year it shifts. And I think that's pretty cool. Yeah. And I love teal, so I'm all on board. Actually, their whole palette is very exciting. I want to do a whole painting in that palette. Just just for like fun because it's a cool palette that they came up with. This is your 2026 painting. Yeah. Yeah.
So, um anyway, I've always like just gone with panone and went, "Huh?" Almost every year I'm like, "Huh, what what is that all about?" You know, cuz you don't really see it. And now it makes sense to me because it's not It's also It's like, well, we're going to see it. If I buy a white t-shirt, I'm seeing Cloud Dancer. It's so dumb. We really need to be relevant. They had a board meeting. Yeah. Guys. We really need to be relevant this year. Brown was a flop. What are we going to do? Yeah. White. It's everywhere. They're going to know we were right. Yeah. Gosh. Well, anyway, um, so yeah. Do you have any more predictions?
I think Yeah, that was Did you say them all? I think I said them all. Yeah, I think I think to sum it up, 2026 is going to be a super exciting year for artists. I think the artists themselves are going to be the focus a lot. If you if you are just dibble dabbling in art right now and you've had a desire for a long time to be an artist and you haven't quite committed, you haven't quite dedicated yourself. You you've hesitated throwing your heart into it because I know that can be scary, throwing your whole heart and going, I'm going for it. I'm finally going to do this. I'm finally going to be an artist full-time and and really give it all I have. Um, you know, just do it. Just do it. What are you waiting for? Now is the time. And things are just getting better and better. And I have been saying this for at least 10 years. And I was right 10 years ago. All the people that listened to me 10 years ago, you know what they're doing right now? They're full-time artist selling their art full-time. And the last time they had a job was, you know, probably eight years ago. So, just trust me. If you've been wanting to be an artist, this is your time. This is your year. And if you don't know where to start, then just take the mastery program. It will tell you everything you need to know about how to be a professional artist. So, if you don't know what the mastery program is, go to masteryprogram.com. Check it out. Go look at it. All the information is there. It will um that program is revolutionary and it will teach you everything from how to draw, how to oil paint, how to paint with acrylics, how to paint in mixed media. Um, and it's an actual like program with a start and a finish. And at the end of it, you learn how to build a art business. You learn how to market. You learn how to create the content. You learn how to build up your social media. You learn how to adopt the professional habits you need to build a business and be a business owner. Uh you learn how to find your your voice and and create your style. So it's a fantastic program. I'm sure some of you watching are in the program. Um, you can write in the chat what you think about the program. And um if don't hesitate, don't hesitate because time is just passing you by and it's getting better and better and better for artists. And there is no reason today why artists can't be thriving financially free and really truly living out their destiny and their dream as an artist. There is nothing that can stop you. It is it is 100% your decision. It didn't used to be this way, but now artists have complete control over how successful they are. You get to decide. So, um, that's that's all I got to say. It's just it's so exciting out there. Tomorrow, I'm going to Miami um because I'm going to go see all the shows um around Art Basil and and and you know, Red Dot, Spectrum, all the different shows. And uh a lot of our graduates are there showing their work and I'm going to cheer them on and and see see what what all is there and and see um a lot of uh the people that have graduated from the mastery program that are showing and displaying their art there whether it's through another gallery or it's directly through themselves. Um, and I'm just so proud of that. It's it's it's so exciting that we have so many graduates there that I'm going to go and and see and some of them be meeting for the first time. Yeah. Um, and yeah, I'm super excited. So, uh it's just a great time to be alive, great time to be an artist, and I hope this um this information inspired you, um got you thinking, got your wheels turning. and let us know in the comments uh what you're thinking. We'd love to hear all about it. And uh thanks for watching and we'll see you in the next video. Bye.