April/May/June

2009

I recently organized some of my thoughts regarding ways that art and creativity can work to reveal commonalities and engender hope within our communities (both locally and globally). The piece is a bit lengthy for my usual newsletter format, so I've clipped highlights from it to post here. I have also included a link to the piece in its entirety for those of you who may be interested.

"...Around the globe, art is continually being produced for all sorts of reasons.  A range of motivations and various levels of concept and physical competence of facile ability are commensurate with the vastness of our human population.  Some of the art may be deemed "good" and some of the art may be deemed "bad." Which brings us to a little stumbling point because each of us have types of art we like and types we dislike.  And often our "likes and dislikes" differ from those of our friends or colleagues.  I'm sure that when I use the word "art" each of you has a uniquely individualistic view of what "art" is.  I know that I do. However, as I've started to consider "art" in light of the health and well being of humanity my outlook is starting to become more generous.

Art in all its forms helps us to better understand who we are as individuals and as a collective. Some art will serve to mark important points in history and will be protected in museums while other types of art will mark quite personal moments and will then fade from existence. Regardless...art should be created from a spirit of truthfulness. When art is duplicitous, the edification value of the work is compromised, and the general public loses trust in the merits of art and creativity.

Art and creativity have the opportunity to restore a sense of humanity to our communities when it's understood as gift of unique value. Art, when considered and seen as a "gift" to humanity shifts the focus from commodity to generosity. Generosity ignites imagination and enhances creativity, which gives birth to inspired ideas and a renewed sense of wonder. If the general understanding of art in society were shifted from the narrow confines of marketplace value to a generous spirit of gifted creativity, the gradual work of re-humanizing culture could begin again. Once we re-embrace the experiences of making or viewing art as fundamental, admirable, precious or beautiful, then we will begin to nourish the creative health and human spirit within our communities."

Click here to read the complete text of: Art - The Value to Community.

I've had the pleasure and honor to work with Mare Blocker - esteemed printmaker and book-artist. She recently celebrated 20 years of bookmaking, and continues to educate and inspire as a professor at Whitman College. As I have learned about Mare's work and creative process, I've become inspired to explore the medium of printmaking. Together, we discussed methods of translating elements from my drawings and paintings to hand-pulled prints. The culmination of those discussions resulted in two series of monoprints (40 prints per series). The image above is one of the prints from the "Transitions" series.

Click here to inquire about pricing, images and availability of the prints.

Click here to view samples of the prints.

Upcoming Events - NEW YORK

At the invitation of the NYCAMS Advisory Board my work will be included in their 2009 art auction. I'm enthusiastic about heading back to Manhattan to attend the event,and hope to see some of you there. If you are in the city and would like more information about attending the auction please inquire by using the contact information below, or by clicking on the advertisement link which will take you to the NYCAMS auction website. The works are available for pre-auction purchase online.

My daughter, Rome, accompanied me for the installation and reception of my current exhibition in Vancouver, B.C. Though she is a teenager, she still has a place in her heart for her daddy and doesn't seem to mind hanging out with him - that makes me incredibly happy. I brought her along so that we could have some quality time together on the road, and I was excited for her to experience another aspect of my work life.

vancouver, b.c.

At home, Rome is a typical teen and often moves through our world with the grace of a bulldozer, but as we removed the paintings and glass pieces from the van and transported them into the gallery space I was impressed with the care that Rome showed towards the packaged artworks. Her interaction with art in the gallery setting as opposed to her dealings with it in my studio was interesting to note. In the gallery she regarded the works with an obvious respect and was conscious of her movements as she handled the work.

This made me think about the importance of art education and access to artworks in varying stages of completion. Rome showed me that an alteration of thought and action could take place by experiencing art in various settings. A regard for its value is gained through the healthy tension of familiarity vs. unfamiliarity. I'm sure that Rome wasn't fully conscious of her careful regard for the work, but to her credit, she grasped the reality that some aspect of this new environment required a change in attitude towards the artwork and, I'm proud to say, she adjusted accordingly.

I had hoped to post photos of the exhibition for you to see, but the amazing teenager that I just mentioned - drained the battery of our camera just before the opening reception. She did however manage to capture lots of photos of fish at the Vancouver Aquarium. Some things just don't change.

"The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery."

- Francis Bacon

"Art must be an expression of love or it is nothing."

- Marc Chagall