Joyce Lee on tue 14 aug 01
I'm not going to haul out my The Artists Way or
The Unknown Potter....... though I read those books often, or excerpts =
from them .... nor my little Zen Book which is both calming and =
inspiring .... and enter this discussion which is being carried on by my =
betters ..... as in .... better left to them. But Robert Dye dinged a =
teeny bell when he said:
"Every person is unique, and senses things in a unique way. A wine
bottle is likely to be seen differently by each person looking at it. =
Some
will be most aware of the composition of the glass, some the curves of =
the
bottle, some the tint of the glass or the nuances of the label, others =
will
hardly see the bottle, and be only really aware of the contents. An =
artist
can render the bottle in such a way that others can see the bottle of =
wine
in the unique way the artist does."
I am presently in the same quandry where I've found myself too many =
times .... namely, "WHY, oh why, did I buy that painting/print/drawing?" =
I'll find myself struck smack in the head by somebody's concept ..... a =
place, usually.... often an old barn or falling down house ... maybe a =
landscape ... never a person... AND, though I may have intended only to =
browse.... I ABSOLUTELY MUST OWN THAT WORK ... I hang it on the wall, =
admire it for months or in a few cases years.... then one day..... AGAIN =
I'm struck .... by its sheer ineptness .... so it winds up in the pink =
storage shed, the one that should be named Joyce's Folly if I were =
willing to call attention to the money expended on concrete evidence of =
Joyce's poor taste......
Lately, however, I've started examining these works (really not all that =
many..... no Ms Got Rocks here)
and discovered that in every case what took my eye was one small, =
vividly or subtly created, supportive patch or corner of the =
painting..... maybe (in fact, often is) part of a fence..... old fence, =
paint peeling... or a slave fence beautifully crafted in the first =
place, and equally beautifully re-created by the artist. Maybe a =
background rock with weeds growing up around it. Or moss hanging from =
tree limbs ... or the light captured just so through and around a goblet =
of vino... or the background of a work with awkward, beginners bowls on =
a shelf or floor ... Apparently, this directionally-challenged =
non-artist sees what she chooses to see and mentally diffuses the =
Intended Subject so that it holds little consequence ... until one day, =
the focus shifts and .......... Smack on the Head ala David Hendley =
(very satisfying gesture, by the way) the Pink Shed looms (which is =
actually white, but used to be pink )....... deservedly so..... BUT when =
I reviewed those works recently, I could once again see the beauty, even =
perfection, of the small, wonderful work imprisoned within the bigger =
mess of non-art .... wish I had known this earlier and could have =
spoken with each of these Hoping-To-Be's about how much I was moved by =
these small bits of compelling work ..... how I'd like to see them =
developed ..... =20
Joyce
In the Mojave dreading going into town for groceries ... the heat..... =
the damn heat..... missed my chance of being out "early" ..... here I =
go into
the heat storm.......
Robert Dye on wed 15 aug 01
In no small way, you did speak to the artists, by purchasing their
efforts. I suspect that in most cases, any further attempts to suggest
direction would not have been welcome.
Your initial reactions to the art you purchased, is to be expected.
As each person is different because of life experiences, each person also
changes for the same reason. I too have many works I purchased, often for
the gems among the chaff. For a long time I had them hung all over the
house, and was constantly reminded of why I wanted them, now I live in what
is essentially a glass house, and cannot even display my own work. Sigh,
such is life.
Did I understand your glancing reference, that you never saw a person
that had had that effect?
| |
|
