Serendipity

Part Three of My Art Colony along US 68

Every art colony needs a sound track, and I had a taste of mine this very afternoon at the Neal Building(108 W. Main Street) in beautiful downtown Carlisle, KY. David and Arwen (who are also our CSA farmers) have created a monthly jam session (on the third Sunday); and each quarter they bring in a special group to perform for half an hour before the jam session.  This month, the Lucy Becker Trio was featured.  Lucy is a wondrous 13-year old fiddler (and the rest of the trio is middle-aged, and pretty wondrous, too.) The trio is special on its own, but we were treated to an inaugural event in the Mozart Hall (yes! Mozart Hall) upstairs in the Neal building.  The acoustics are fantastic!  I hope there will be a lot of musical events in Mozart Hall.  In the late 19th century, this space was used for Vaudeville programming.  Today, it was warm and the sun was shining in the generous windows.  It was a total sensory delight.  I was a bit late arriving for the jam session because my husband was preparing for the Lexington Philharmonic Family Concert, so you can see that my sound track tracks the length of my art colony (more on the Lexington end later.)  

    Right next door to the Neal Building is the Kentucky Doll and Toy Museum, which our friend Jan directs.  When you enter the Doll and Toy Museum, you are instantly transported back to childhood--or maybe the childhood you wished you had, materially speaking. When the museum opened, there was a charming tea room in one corner.  One day, when Meg and I were having lunch in the museum/tea room, a lovely scene unfolded and I was handed a story, which I wrote down.  Now, all I have to do is make the illustrations. Come to Carlisle and visit the Doll and Toy Museum.

   And there is more!  Nicholas County is home to Artcroft--a beautiful creative residency situated on 400 acres.  Robert and Maureen are the creators of Artcroft and they draw some of their inspiration from William Morris, a personal hero of mine. The thoughtful inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement is integral to the work of Artcroft.  A new project is a cafe, and gallery in the works for Millersburg, KY, which just happens to be along US 68.

 

   So, don't you agree with me, that I have an incredible art colony along  a route that began as a buffalo trace?  And that is what I'll write about next time--the buffalo trace that started it all.

     

Beauty by Design

It is a beautiful St. Patrick's Day and my sister Jennie's birthday, so I have just gone outside to sit in the warm sun and take a break from my painting.  I'm thinking about the  Beauty by Design retreat that Mary-Louise and I were part of, a couple of weeks ago, at St. Mary's Sewanee in Tennessee.  We undertook an exercise where we selected an object of beauty to reflect upon for an hour.  I selected the lichen which was glowing brightly from the rain saturated late winter trees outside.  (And I was not the only one, at least three other participants also chose lichen.) It made me realize that what I am concerned with is mostly on the surface; there are layers and layers of beauty. I considered the mountain (the Cumberland Plateau) that we were all appreciating and how it must have been a very violent event when The Mountain formed. The earth is alive, and not just on the surface, but to its very core.  So, I was reminded of this once again last Friday, when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan and then the terrible tsunami washed away everything in its path, without regard for human feelings. It makes me feel very humble as a human being.  There is only so much we can control.
    But this retreat was, in part, about what we can control.  We can control the work of our hands.  We began by considering the theology of beauty.  This was very exciting for me.  What does God love?  This was a Christian-based retreat, which I appreciated because, frankly, it seems to me that the Christian faith is rather weak in its concern for the earth. So, it was good to hear an argument for Christian concern for our planet (the Psalms are filled with beautiful praise of the earth and universe). But you could also ask, what does nature love?  We considered  that God/nature loves: order, interdependence, harmony, unity and diversity. We are naturally attracted to the beauty of truth and goodness; and here it was pointed out that theologians and scientists are equally concerned with this beauty of truth.This certainly rang true for me, as I have often heard my mathematician husband speak of elegant proofs. Further, justice is beauty. Well, that struck me. On January 8th, when I wrote my "Seeing Beauty" blog, I was struggling to put words to how appreciating beauty prevented injustice; but here it was stated clearly: beauty is justice.  So we discussed these elements of beauty and how they were "made flesh" through structure, design, form, movement, music, poetry and matter. 
    In the afternoon, we considered how we can apply principles of beauty to what we make as human beings. Here are some of the design principles we talked about:
Design should reflect and incorporate:
  * love of diversity
  * interdependence and interconnectedness
  * love and respect for all members of the community
  * co-operation with the natural order
  * no waste
We can apply these elements to everything we create so that we can proclaim a gospel with the work of our hands that is in alignment with the world in which we live.  This can make a difference in how we live in the world. It was pointed out that we alter the world just by living in it; and perfection is not possible. Some things we can not affect, like the movement of tectonic plates. But humbly doing the work of compassionate human beings is sufficient.

Part Two -- An Artist's Way: My Art Colony along US 68

    It is a little tricky telling the story of my art colony because the connections are not linear.  They are very web-like.  So, what to tell next, that is the question...  I want to tell you about the Courthouse Square Arts Guild in Carlisle, KY; but I want to start by mentioning a lecture-discussion session that my friend Meg told me about and we attended together.  Native Nicholas Countian, Ann Kingsolver was presenting an analysis of several places in the world and their response to globalization. Nicholas County (Carlisle is the county seat) was one of those places.  Carlisle faces some serious challenges as tobacco weakens as a cash crop and the major local employer, Jockey International, left town ten years ago.  That is why I am so inspired by a hardy group of folks who wanted to create an arts guild and did just that! 
    I first learned about the Guild from Jo-Lynn, whose family owns the furniture store in Carlisle where we purchased the world's most comfortable couch. When I showed up, much of the heavy lifting had already taken place. Regina had dreamed of such an organization for a long time.  Brad (of fossil art fame) and Larry (who makes the most beautiful walking sticks) were interested in organizing to support their activities with local festivals. Cate wanted to make sure there were artistic opportunities in Carlisle. So the scene is one, where many folks were simultaneously dreaming the same dream. The result is an organization with a lot of "parents" which fulfills a broad spectrum of desires.
    A big breakthrough came when Dr. Tamaran generously offered a space for the Guild to call home.  Juanita came up with the name for our place: The Corner Studio. Which is perfect because it sits catty-cornered to the Courthouse Square which gives the Guild its name. Juanita started teaching Bob Ross classes and a whole slew of people started painting. They still are!  Every Tuesday, Juanita, Larry and Carol are at the Studio painting and all are welcome to join them.  Carol keeps us all informed about the guild and is the backbone of our organization (and many others in Carlisle!) In the summer, Louise teaches an art class for children, which is very popular.
    But here is what bedazzles me the most.  Larry, our president, single-handedly started a student art show--just because he thought it should exist! He built floor easels (lots!) and designed table easels to show rows of student art. He contacted all the schools in the region and picked up the art work.  Larry organized with Blue Licks State Resort Park to exhibit the work.  The result is an astounding art exhibit featuring the work of young people--work we would not know about or enjoy--if Larry had not created this opportunity for the students and the public.  Once again, this year the exhibit will be held in mid-April. 
    Like an art colony, the Courthouse Square Arts Guild is the result of many people dreaming for something to exist and then working hard to make it happen.  There is a bit of serendipity involved, too, which I am realizing more and more as I tell you about my art colony along US 68.

For more information about the Courthouse Square Arts Guild, please see the website (thank you, Derek): csag.info

An Artist's Way: My Art Colony Along US 68 Part I

It probably started with thinking about the Wyeths and their beautiful setting of Bucks County. Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in an art colony!  At one point, art colonies abounded, particularly in New England.  I was reminded of this on a trip to Dartmouth, visiting the Hood Museum of Art, where there is an excellent collection of American art; a lot of it produced in those New England art colonies. One particular painting caught my eye (and continues to draw me in via the excellent catalogue).  That painting is entitled Below Mount Monadnock, painted by Abbott Handerson Thayer. Apparently Mount Monadnock was a favorite subject and situated close to the "burgeoning" art colony of Dublin in New Hampshire.  I have images of Thayer setting out on painting expeditions and stopping to speak with his fellow art colonists about their current projects.  If only I could work in such a setting!  Then one day, this happened--
      I was at my studio at Carnico and took a break to walk Carly, the dog.  It was a short walk, I just walked up the hill and down toward the point, and there were Jim and Ottis.  Ottis had brought a painting for Jim to look at.  Jim restores art as well as doing some framing and making his own original art.  The painting was one that Ottis had collected when he bought art to sell in his furniture store. Ottis is an amazing artist himself; the most experimental artist I know.  It is very liberating to be around him and his work!  Hmmm, I thought, maybe I do live in an art colony.  Jim's wife Katie is a first-rate needle artist and she has recently taken up weaving on an impressive loom. Between their home/studio and mine, is the home/studio of Derek, the mastermind designer of my website: http://www.kathyreesjohnson.com/. I don't have to travel far to have paintings framed or to have a chat with my website guru! Then a couple of coves over is Brad, who worked hard with others to start the Courthouse Square Arts Guild in nearby Carlisle.  Brad is a fossil artist!  He finds a lot of fossils along US 68 and creates some solid compositions with his found treasures.  March lives down another point and she makes gourd art, using  Native American techniques. Across the lake is Kay, who exudes creativity in her dress and in her collage work.  Her husband Raymond, makes fine furniture in an amazing workshop with a view like you wouldn't believe. No doubt, I am leaving many people out--but I'll get to know them, as Brad is planning an Art of Carnico exhibit. This is just Part I. Finding our place on Lake Carnico has made possible my archipelago-like art colony. I want to tell the story of  all these islands of creativity that enrich my artist's life.
     

Painting: Technique vs. Subject

I had a laugh as I was blocking in a new painting. It reminded me of a painting I made in 1975. I was in a painting class at the University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Art and Architecture. I was officially studying fashion design (humorous, no?) and my true gift was for fashion illustration.  I'll always be grateful for this because I was given a pretty sturdy education in rendering the figure. Our core-curriculum for design included graphic design and painting. In the graphic design course we used Color-Aid to create all sorts of transparency effects and shadows, etc.  It was a real education in seeing color. But painting was another issue. During my childhood, I wanted to be an artist, but it seemed too impractical and I did not have a particular message to sing out from the canvas.  I have to say, even though my technique was not bad, my paintings were pretty stupid! One day, I was painting along featuring an inane collection of objects and the painting professor suggested I just paint over what I was working on. So, I did. In no time at all, he came over and said, "Stop! Stop! Leave it like that."  So that is how the painting to the left came to be.  My stepmother liked it sufficiently to want it in her house for a time.  So the prof was on to something for sure. Technique will only take you so far.  Passion for subject is what ultimately makes a painting.  It would take me another twenty years before I discovered my calling to paint the landscape.  It is that love and passion for the landscape that informs me how to paint. Painting is a lot easier now!

In Praise of Dead Wood

 While eating breakfast at Clover Slope the other day, I looked out to see a Red-headed Woodpecker on the tree right by the deck. This was a beautiful specimen, rounded with full-blown markings and a brilliant red head (of course!)  I am sorry that I was not quick enough to get a photo. Between the snow and the bare trees, woodpeckers have been very much on view.  The elegant and improbable Pileated Woodpecker, which I can hear but not see all summer long has become a ho-hum sight this winter.  The more camouflaged Northern Flicker is a regular, too.  There are Downies up and about, and Red-bellies and certainly many others I have not been quick or knowledgeable enough to officially see.  The point is that there seem to be more woodpeckers in these parts than anyplace else that I frequent.  No doubt this is because of the dead wood that is part of our landscape.  We are encouraged by Virginia Kingsolver to let dead trees be, for this very reason.  It is working beautifully.
     This reminds me of recent studies suggesting that part of the prevalence of allergies and asthma these days might be due to growing up in an overly clean interior environment. Apparently, we need pet dander and a general smattering of germs to help build up our natural defenses. The detergent  that kills 99% of all bacteria is working against us!
     And from there, I take the step to the number one solution for everything these days:  clear your clutter!  Believe me, I have some clutter to clear.  "Too muchness" is a drag.  I have not seen any of the hoarding shows that abound, but I imagine they would set me to sorting pronto!  But perhaps this constant need to purge, to rid ourselves of everything that is not of use to our own personal life plan is another sort of "kills 99%" detergent.  Maybe this is just an attempt at complete control over our lives (and sometimes others'.)
     The problem is, this limits us to only our particular gifts and allows no room for the genius of the world to enter.  May I always have room for a little dead wood in my life.

Lessons from the One Day Wonder Workshop

 As I was preparing to leave for The Corner Studio to set up for my One Day Wonder Workshop, I was treated to a special message from the "This I Believe" segment of Bob Edwards Weekend. The speaker told the story of how, at an early age she was judged to have a poor singing voice.  So, she did not sing for many years until she was a mother with a child who had a lot of pain.  To comfort her child, the "bad singer" was called upon to spend many hours each day holding and singing to her daughter. Sometimes, after the child had dozed off to sleep, the mother would stop singing only to have the baby request more from her vocal goddess.  What a good message to receive right before facing a room full of intimidated, but hopeful artists!
    Just about everyone who had signed up for the workshop (where we were exploring painting with watercolor/pastel) professed to be wholly under qualified.  I had to assure them that all of us would be trying new things and learning.  It is funny how we believe we have to be perfect before trying something. How can that happen? All this worry and concern made me think about what I appreciate most in other artists.  It is always their distinct view of the world that engages and enchants me.  I don't believe I've ever bought a painting because it was flawlessly rendered.  It is always: "What an interesting way of seeing the world!"  It is the humanity that we fall in love with, not the perfection.
    We set to work.  Sure enough, each participant in the workshop had a different idea about how the world looks.  Even while some of them were using watercolor and/or pastel for the first time, their special voice came through.  It was very exciting! We had a room filled with uniquely beautiful creations.  Since everyone had selected their own images to paint, we were able to learn what was meaningful to them personally and how they would interpret this offering to the world.  And, as I had predicted, I learned as much as anyone and had a light shown on beauty I had not seen before.  It was very human and humane, these wonderful, experimental paintings.
   So keep it up!  Keep painting, singing and telling stories.  You never know when your particular beauty will be the needed balm to an aching world.