One Hit Wonder, or Consistent Album Artist? |
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Do you have a favorite musical album you associate with your teenage years? Did a musical artist touch your heart and tell your story? My favorite artist at that time was Joni Mitchell. I remember pouring over her albums with my friends, debating the nuances of her lyrics, the beauty of her painted cover art, and the unique way she spoke for my time, my gender, and my generation. Each song is a work of art in its own right with a theme, a glimpse into Joni’s heart and mind which contributes to a greater overarching statement that is the album. Her “Blue” album compiles a series of bittersweet, nostalgic contemplations on love and loss that are a contemporary counterpoint to the work of Spanish artist Picasso’s own blue period.
Pablo Picasso’s blue period stretched from 1900 to 1904 and during those years everything he painted was mostly monochromatic blue and blue-green to express his emotional and financial turmoil. The blue paintings touched the hearts of thousands and elevated him to his first encounter with immense popularity. If Picasso had painted only the “Old Guitarist” it would not have had the same impact as the extended contemplation of depression in his series. Joni Mitchell’s most popular album is also a sustained investigation of sadness that would not have had the same resonance if she only published her song “River” as a single. Both artists had lengthy careers exploring a variety of thematic subjects.
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I find it helpful to plan each year as a separate album. What works for you? Why not take your own inspiration to another level by developing a personal theme for a year, a stretch of time, or a lifetime?
Working in a series allows an artist to dig deeply into their experiences and discover a universal connection shared with the rest of the world. In AP Studio Art the series is called a “Sustained Investigation”. It requires that the student artist establish central questions for planning, exploration, experimentation, and risk-taking over a 6 to 8 month school year. The more personal the exploration, the more growth the artist experiences and the more it resonates for the viewer.
Vicki Amorose says it this way, “Self-knowledge is not the same thing as having all the answers. It means having some awareness of what you know, what you question, and what keeps you wondering.” Some of these questions can occupy us for a lifetime if we're lucky.
The road from the first idea to the completion of a series is never straight and smooth. High school students may have limited life experience, but they ask deep questions, make unexpected connections, and have astute observational powers. They also have very heavy time commitments to advanced classes, sports, internships, and college applications. Finishing the series is often one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in their lives. When the sustained investigation is complete each of these young artists has a better understanding of their personal fundamental questions, their own grit, as well as, an artistic vocabulary of marks, color, symbols, shapes, and viewpoints which are all their own.
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I never know where my students’ explorations will lead and I love the process of supporting and making a safe space for this work. A few of the topics my past students have chosen are; the feeling of isolation when you belong neither to your native nor your adopted country, the memories that live as ghosts in your shuttered childhood home, a graphic novel that chronicles a heroic journey through depression to the moon and back, images hidden in nature, tragic love stories and most recently, a student is creating portraits of members from her favorite K-Pop bands to explore the relationship between her subjects' personalities and the plant or animal manifestation of their soul.
For my student artists, an important part of the investigative process is learning to articulate their thoughts and feelings in speech, writing, and visual imagery. We spend many hours discussing their ideas - pulling out what it is that draws them to a particular image, debating placement, color, and methodology. It is exciting when they argue the case for a viewpoint I misunderstood or when they convince me to see things in a new way.
Even the agonizing pressure of the deadline is an important part of the series process. Whether you are producing your series for AP Studio Art, a gallery show, a book, an album, or another project - there is never enough time for every artwork to attain the perfection you envision. In the rush to complete on time, there is a mastery breakthrough to greater fluency with mark-making and capturing the essence of an idea. Sometimes, the biggest breakthrough is finishing and accepting that this is the best you can do - right now.
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I like to think of my series as art "albums" that cover a particular question, place and point of time in my life. If you would like to delve more deeply into your own inner questions and create a series for a gallery show, a book, or another project, please reach out, and let’s talk. I am happy to support you in generating ideas, developing, and/or expanding your painting process. I invite you to allow me to lovingly guide, support, and accompany you in your artistic growth.
With light and delight,
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Quote:
Above all else,
It is about leaving a mark
That I existed. I was here.
I was happy. I was sad.
I was in love. I was afraid.
I was hopeful.
I had an idea and I had a purpose.
That’s why I made works of art.
- Felix To
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Cr8v Soul November Book Club Selection:
by Dara Horne
Book Club Meeting on Zoom - Thursday, November 18th from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
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A million-dollar Chagall is stolen from a museum during a singles' cocktail hour. The unlikely thief, former child prodigy Benjamin Ziskind, is convinced that the painting once hung in his parents' living room. This work of art opens a door through which we discover his family's startling history--from an orphanage in Soviet Russia where Chagall taught to suburban New Jersey and the jungles of Vietnam.
Dara Horn manages to show, through a painting, a family and a history that being able to recognize the real from the forgery is what matters most. The author convincingly includes artist Marc Chagall as an influential character. This multigenerational story contains Jewish history, Yiddish folklore, family history, family saga, artwork, writing, forgeries, Jewish mythology, and more. All of it is meant to show that the world to come is nothing less and nothing more than the world we make, day by day, with our choices and actions. "Everything counts," Ben's mother says. "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're just rehearsing for your life."
Please join Lark Keeler and me along with friends known and new on Thursday, November 19, 2021 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm for our next meeting.
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Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection
When:
OCTOBER 23, 2021 – FEBRUARY 6, 2022
Where:
The Norton Museum
Tickets:
This exhibit offers a rare opportunity to see firsthand masterpieces by two of the most important and recognizable artists of the 20th century. Featuring over 150 works including paintings and works on paper collected by Jacques and Natasha Gelman, The Gelmans were Mexican-based European emigres who were friends of the artists. On view will be Kahlo’s Self Portrait with Monkeys and Diego on My Mind, and Rivera’s Calla Lily Vendor and Sunflowers. Presenting these artists’ creative pursuits in a broader context, the exhibition also includes work by Manuel and Lola Álvarez Bravo, Miguel Covarrubias, Gunther Gerzso, María Izquierdo, Carlos Mérida, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Juan Soriano, and Rufino Tamayo. The Gelmans’ close relationship with this community is underscored by the number of portraits of them made by their artist friends in the exhibition. The exhibition also features clothing and jewelry of the style and region that Frida Kahlo chose to wear.
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Art Adventure:
Art Basel - Miami Beach
Saturday, December 4th from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Interested in attending this year’s Art Basel in Miami Beach? Art Basel is a world-class art experience, where museum-quality art is offered for sale and you can experience everything that is happening in contemporary art.
Tickets are not on sale yet, but when they are I will grab them for those who are interested. they have cost around $60 - $75 in past years.
We will share an Uber XL from a central Fort Lauderdale location and back again at the end of the day. There is a great selection of restaurants within the venue so we will not need to venture outside for food.
Please email me right away if this is something that would interest you. The group will be limited to 5 people so we can all fit in an Uber XL.
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Presenting to:
National League of American Pen Women
Thursday, November 11 at 11:30 am
"An Artist Statement is a Compelling Invitation to Look Closer".
Your artistic voice reflects your unique point of view, life experiences, identity, values, and what matters to you. Your voice is part of your DNA and there will never be anyone else on earth exactly like you. Your choice of style, skill, subject matter, and medium is yours alone.
Getting your unique message out into the world is more important than ever. So many places are calling on you to share your intentions, your history, and your work. You may have a website, be giving a talk, be active on social media, an exhibition, or show award winner. Come and consider how you can communicate your intentions in a powerful way.
Judge:
Weston Art Guild 13th Annual Juried Exhibit
November 13th, 2021 to January 6th,2022
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Private Lessons and Events |
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Master Classes for High School Students |
Private, highly personalized classes in mastery for artistically-minded US & international students virtually on Zoom or in person at my home.
If you have a student who is a visual thinker, willing to push the boundaries of their own work, and serious about improving their options for college, I want to hear from you! Schedule a time to discuss how I can collaborate with you to build a portfolio that will give your student the greatest chance for success.
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Art Workshops, Critiques & Presentations |
Invite me to present or lead a workshop for your school, club or guild.
I can customize a program for your event or present my skills programs on composition, color theory, drawing faces, coordinating light/shadow or understanding the cues for depth. I am available for judging, confidence-building critiques and recorded tutorials.
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Sketchbook Prompt:
Draw the same simple object from observation every day for a month. You can vary the object itself as long as it is still part of the same category. You could vary the viewpoint, the medium you use to draw with, the technique, or all of the above. Some suggestions for interesting objects; coffee mugs, or cups, teapots, tools, your pet, shoes, chairs, shells, birds, feathers, fruit, flowers, your breakfast, etc. You want your object to be three-dimensional and have interesting nooks and crannies that you can light in an interesting way. Allow your imagination to “play” with your object and let it contain, wear, or transform into something unexpected.
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Rain poured down for the whole visit and made it impossible to stay and paint after the tour. However, the tour was delightful with lots of personal details and stories about the Bartlett family and the history of the Bonnet House.
The paintings, the gardens, the collections, and the colorful rooms and verandas were filled with artistic inspiration at every turn. Do not miss this home if you have never been before.
On Sunday, November 14, 2021, the Broward Art Guild is sponsoring a "Quick Draw" event at the Bonnet House. If you enjoy drawing or painting "en-Plein-Aire" this is a great opportunity to come out and play with other artists and maybe win a prize.
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The Bonnet House
Guided Tour
on
Friday, October 15, 2021
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Joyful Business Retreat by the Sea |
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In October I attended my business coach Laura West's Joyful Business Retreat by the Sea in Virginia Beach. I had the privilege of spending 4 days with an extraordinary group of women out to change the world.
We shared glorious sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, and long walks on the beach. It was an opportunity to connect and create in a community and to release what no longer serves into the fire.
I came home replenished and ready to add new magic and miracles to my daily routine.
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