“Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
~ Wassily Kandinsky
For any of you who read my posts or check my latest work, you are probably wondering what has happened to me, since I have not posted in months. I always have such good intentions to maintain a steady stream of commentary and actually was doing pretty well – for awhile.
Well, I am still here and still making art. I just haven’t photographed and posted any new work; I am still making new work. Actually I have been quite busy making work so I will practice my photography skills and post some. I did a series of “Peace” symbols and am working on a new series called “Oxford Faces”, based on photos I took in Oxford, England last April. I am continuing the “Medusa” series and am working on three pieces having to do with the land as sacred space.
I am teaching a lot right now, which accounts for some of my busyness: four art history classes and a studio class. I love doing this but it does take time! It is important to me however to keep up with the history of art as it places me in context with my predecessors. It also informs my work, and I hope, enriches and improves it. I am proud to be a part of the history of artists, however small. I also feel I am doing my part to develop new art appreciators, collectors and patrons. So I work hard to balance art teaching and artmaking! Anyone who is an artist understands the dilemma of time management (as do most of us I am sure).
Well, that’s it for today. I promise I will be back soon to update you on things art.
I am currently reading Simon Schama’s book, “Rembrandt’s Eyes.” In it he describes the discovery of Rembrandt and Rembrandt’s concentration in his early years on establishing his credentials as a master craftsman. In telling this, Schama refers to the 17th century view of art, or “ars” as:
“manual dexterity in the service of illusion.”
I found some more thoughts on art recently that I like, and propose for others to ponder. Let me credit first, the professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. (incidentally where my son is a rising junior), Ori Z. Soltes, whose ideas these are.
“Art is a medium through which the artist subjectively interprets, revisions, and filters the objective data of the world.”
Soltes talks about art as continuity and transformation, a constant dialogue between continuous ideas and images with varied transformations of style, form, and symbol. (I might also add media). He talks about about how both continuity and transformation are apparent in obvious ways and subtle ways, and how sometimes the artist herself is not aware of what her art communicates. I have experienced this phenomenon many times; viewers of my work often see things in it that were not a part of my conscious creative effort. Apparently they were there in the unconscious! This is one of the things I love most about art and artmaking; every viewer brings his or her own experience to the work, and every viewer sees something a little different. This of course, makes for fascinating dialogue.
Soltes mentions the idea of filter. We all filter what we see through our own experience, and this too adds to the dialogue. And I have always been acutely aware of continuity, especially when I view the work of the master artists of the past, and present. As artists we all are part of a timeline of history, influenced by those who came before us, and hopefully, honoring them as we continue the tradition of artmaking. I am proud to keep the tradition of continuity – the continuity of history and the continuity of ideas – as well as the tradition of transformation – changing a pattern in obvious or subtle ways – thank you Professor Soltes!
“Imagination is more important than knowledge” … Albert Einstein
When I teach beginning art history, one of the things I like to ask the students is: “What is your definition of art?” I then give them some possible definitions. This first one is my favorite, given to me by my artist friend Ann Bain. It is the one I try to measure my own work by. I stated it at the recent workshop I presented at the Western Ohio Watercolor Society and one of the artists in attendance asked me to post it. I am finally doing so! Here it is:
“In all object making that aspect which relates to its conceptual interpretation is ART.
That which relates the object to an intended purpose is DESIGN.
And the quality of its execution is CRAFT. …Hella Basu
Stay tuned for more favorite art quotes!