It seems like a good time to remember the roses from my backyard, imperfections and all. It’s another gray winter day here. Looking back at the summer sun on the roses is a reminder that summer will come again.
Month: February 2014
Weekend Inspiration–Ballet
Ballet is so beautiful! This is a wonderful performance. Enjoy!
Colorful Fridays–Fishy Spidery Divine Goblin Blue
“Cobalt blue is a divine color and there is nothing so beautiful for putting atmosphere around things.” Vincent Van Gogh (from Pigments through the Ages)
If such a thing as the perfect blue exists, it would have to be cobalt blue. Cobalt has the richness of sapphires and the beauty of stained glass. As Van Gogh said, it is a divine color. But that was not always the case. Cobalt was found as a by-product of silver mining and thought to contaminate the silver ore. Cobalt’s interference with silver ore led to the belief that it was from an evil spirit or goblin. The name derives from the German word Kobald or Kobolt, meaning underground evil spirit or goblin and the Greek word for mining, cobalos.
The western world first began exploration of cobalt’s use in the early 18th Century. Swedish chemist Georg Brandt isolated Cobalt Blue in glass making in 1742 according to the encyclopedia Britannica, but the 13th Century Yuan Dynasty used cobalt as a glazing tint in fine vases and other pottery long before Brandt. French scientist Thernard is credited with the first artist’s pigment of cobalt blue in 1802. Cobalt Blue is also known as Thernard’s Blue and Dresden Blue.
Gamblin says cobalt is a “true blue” and worth the price because its properties cannot be mixed. Daniel Smith’s website says Cobalt Blue is “a neutral, non-staining primary blue,” and “its transparent nature will cast a giant reticulating shadow.” Daniel Smith also says Cobalt Blue is “considered transparent and non-staining (low-tinting) and ideal for glazing methods.”
If you love Cobalt Blue and don’t wish to paint with it, you can purchase a Hammer’s Cobalt Blue lobster for your aquarium. Live Aquaria says the lobster is “generally peaceful, except with its own kind” so be sure not to put it in with your other lobsters. Not in to lobsters but still loving the Cobalt Blue? You can get an African Cobalt Blue Zebra Cichlid for your aquarium from Live Fish Direct. If you prefer spiders to fish, you can go for the Cobalt Blue Tarantula. Jefferson Lab says the Cobalt Blue Tarantula is “one of the rarest, most beautiful” of all tarantula species. Personally, I can’t see any spider as beautiful, but that’s just me! A Cobalt Blue Tarantula may be viewed at the Oakland Zoo for those who really want to see one. I’m taking a pass on that.
For the less daring who love all things Cobalt Blue, the wax can be purchased from Brambleberry.com to make lovely Cobalt Blue candles. The powder for Cobalt Blue soap making can be obtained from Wholesalesuppliesplus.com. But the easiest way to get your Cobalt Blue fix for bloggers is to go with the WordPress Cobalt Blue Theme on your blog. It’s a lovely theme.
Cob
alt Blue is a stunningly beautiful color. The evil association is very unfair. Van Gogh was right about Cobalt Blue’s divine appeal. Perhaps there is a divine goblin somewhere. Cobalt Blue is a fabulous color for any artist’s paintbox if you can get around the images of lobsters, fish and spiders. The spider name seems particularly unfair. Why couldn’t they call that thing an Ultramarine Tarantula?
The Courage of Gratitude
“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art is gratitude.” Friedrich Nietzsche (from The Painter’s Keys)
Courage is an essential part of art. It takes courage to engage in the act of putting what is inside the heart outside into the world in some form. Whether the art is writing, painting, sculpting, photography, dancing, singing or acting, it will require courage. The first hurdle is to give the art inside an avenue to show outside. The next big hurdle is to begin to let it be seen by others. The third hurdle is to face possible rejection, unpleasant criticism or other negative reactions. The last hurdle can be the difficulty of finding a market. Not all artists face all hurdles but it is the rare artist who does not face at least one or two.
When in the middle of crossing the hurdles, it can be difficult to think about gratitude. Yet that is the most important time to be grateful. Biscuitsspace.com says, “Gratitude—whether we feel it or receive it—gives birth to creative ideas.” Taking the time to stop and note what there is all around to be grateful for can be a time for the rebirth of ideas, new directions. Gratitude changes everything. The very presence of creativity is a gift to be grateful for. Art springs from gratitude.
When facing hurdles, gratitude is difficult and creativity can run dry in the process. It takes courage to be grateful for the act of making art. Glenda Myles on her blog says of artists: “The courageous are those who follow their heart, who bare their heart, who help open our hearts. Those brave souls who are too often met with criticism, hatred, judgment and hostility. But they continue on, continue to share themselves because it is part of who they are as much as how they look or talk.” It takes courage to be grateful. It takes gratitude to make art.
300,000 Clues for the Clueless
“Listening is a positive act: you have to put yourself out to do it.” David Hockney (from Brainyquote)
Why does anyone have a “summit” on a topic? Usually it is because they have discovered they are clueless and hoping a summit will give them a clue. It happens in all fields. When something has gone stagnant or worse, the powers that be convene a summit. For the summit, they invite all the players who contributed to the current state of stagnation and ask them to come up with:
- Why they are stagnant?
- Who has not gone stagnant and why?
- What ideas do they have to stop or reverse the stagnation?
What is the innate problem with a summit of this type? Namely, it is basically asking the clueless why they don’t have a clue and how can they get one. They brainstorm together over all the different ways they are currently stagnant. They talk about who isn’t stagnant. Then they discuss ways to become even more stagnant. The clueless never think to go to those who are not clueless and ask them how to get a clue. The reason is that the clueless:
Don’t realize they are clueless- Can’t imagine themselves to be clueless
- Think it is everybody else who is clueless.
However clueless a summit might be, it is good first step to understanding there is a problem. Such is the case for last fall’s A National Summit on Arts Journalism. In the brainstorming sessions the following points were put forth:
- “We’re here to imagine a new arts press”
- “We’ve lost the vocabulary with which to talk about it”
- “We no longer have a community of practice that can incubate and power innovation”
(In other words, we no longer control what is or isn’t art. We don’t know what to say anymore. How can we get our power and control back?)
Probably the most important point discussed in this “summit” was that there are now roughly 300,000 or more art blogs. The response from the summit attendees was, “Thoughtful and deeply-informed critical voices have a tough time getting support for their work.” And therein lies the crux of the problem. Perhaps their voices are not being heard because they are not saying anything anyone wants to hear. A truly “thoughtful and deeply-informed” voice might turn to a few of those 300,000 art blogs and try listening to someone else’s voice for a change. Somewhere within those 300,000 art blogs may be the seeds to provide a clue for the clueless. But first they will have to get their heads out of the water, stop spinning around, face forward, and listen for the clues.
Art Soup
“Art for art’s sake is a philosophy of the well-fed.” Frank Lloyd Wright (from Brainyquote)
Creating art that is aimless loses the meaning and purpose of art. Much of the art of the 20th Century fits into the category of art for art’s sake. It has no meaning, no goal and very little value to the human soul. 20th Century art has been about art for art’s sake. Some has been about what the artist can do with paint or objects. Other art was about thumbing the nose at what is art. The Dada movement is one such movement. Abstract Expressionists were all about what they could do with paint. Andy Warhol was about Andy Warhol. Art became novelty driven. The well-fed have been running the art world for much of the past one hundred years. The art of the well-fed has lost all its nutritional value.
Art can be and is uplifting, edifying and nourishing to the human soul. The novelty- driven miss this key point. Truly fine art reaches inside and touches the depths of the soul. It feeds the spirit. “I propose that art is nutrition for the human spirit,” says the writer of Swordarts.com. If this statement is true, what have we been fed for the last one hundred years in art? Abstract Expressionism may be nourishment but is it good nourishment. Is Dada healthy fruits and vegetables or junk food? If we “are what we eat” then what have we become in the art world?
As art disperses from the traditional centers for art and out into the vast networks of local and regional art galleries, festivals and fairs, it has become better food for the soul. Many artists are making a point to be soul-nourishing in their art. “Our intention is make art for the soul to make the beholder feel good and for the beholder to enjoy,” is the stated intent on the website, Intentional Art for the Soul. It seems absurd to think Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack and their contemporaries ever intended to help the beholder “feel good.” Many 20th Century artists fed viewers a steady diet of junk food. It tastes great at the time but has little long-term benefit. Now is the time to throw off the junk food and go for a nice big pot of nourishing art soup.
Arts in Healthcare: A Chance Encounter and a Pair of Bunny Slippers Transform an Artist’s Life
“It changed my whole attitude about how I was an artist in the world.”—Mary Lisa Kitakis-Spano
A number of years ago, Mary Lisa Kitakis-Spano was an active painter who also created fun whimsical items for sale at craft fairs. It was at one craft fair that Mary Lisa first met Helen Walsh, Nurse Manager of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the University of Florida’s Shands Hospital. Walsh told Mary Lisa about a new program they had planned for the patients on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit and asked Mary Lisa to come be a part of the program. Mary Lisa at first didn’t think she had anything to contribute and turned down the suggestion. Several craft fairs later after Walsh had become one of her best customers, Mary Lisa decided to find out what the program was all about. It was the introduction to a seven-year old patient in bunny slippers who stole Mary Lisa’s heart and changed the course of her life and her art.
As Mary Lisa describes it, she was introduced to “the beautiful little girl in the bunny slippers” and was asked to encourage the little girl to make art with her. Together they first painted a tee shirt, then a hat and more. The little girl’s treatment was long and arduous and her family was far away with more children at home to take care of. The family joined in the art making when they could but more often it was Mary Lisa and the little girl. Eventually, the medical treatment took a toll on the child leaving her too weak to paint. She began to direct Mary Lisa on what to paint. She would describe what to paint and Mary Lisa would paint, side by side with the little patient. Mary Lisa says the interaction was, “amazing, it took my heart.”
After that first experience, Mary Lisa watched other artists interacting with patients. The University of Florida, Shands Hospital Art in Medicine (AIM) program was at the time working with artist, Lee Ann Dobson to put together a large mosaic piece for the hospital lobby from ceramic tiles painted by the patients. Mary Lisa collaborated with Nancy Lassater and began creating mosaic pieces for the patients in other parts of the hospital. The work with mosaics led Mary Lisa to become a mosaic artist herself. She has since created a number of beautiful pieces currently on permanent display at the hospital. One of her mosaics for the children’s unit is an elaborate colorful creation of whimsical birdhouses.
For her most recent work, Mary Lisa spent time talking with the young patients and their families, hearing their stories. She soon discovered all the patients wanted to be outside. She asked them where their favorite places outside were. One child liked the University of Florida’s Bat House (a popular attraction), others liked horses, some liked skateboards. Mary Lisa took all these family stories and incorporated them into the mosaic, including the Bat House. Some of the children placed a few of the actual pieces into the mosaic. Mary Lisa says this mosaic became about being outside.
Twenty years ago, Mary Lisa Kitakis-Spano joined UF’s AIM program and began working with the young patients of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit and the pediatric units. She shares her experiences every summer with aspiring artists in healthcare at the AIM program’s Summer Intensive. Mary Lisa says, “We rarely have the opportunity to truly make a difference with our art. Sometimes it can be something as simple as drawing a picture of a child’s pet.” That simple picture can make a huge difference to one small child facing a life altering hospital experience.
Mary Lisa’s chance encounter with Helen Walsh led to meeting the “beautiful little girl in the bunny slippers,” and on to many more patients and many more stories. Each and every patient and experience became an opportunity for Mary Lisa, through her art, to touch the lives of others in a deeply meaningful way. Today Mary Lisa continues making art with and for patients and their families, and creating the exquisitely beautiful mosaics that have become her sustaining art.
To learn more about Mary Lisa and her work at The University of Florida’s Arts in Medicine (AIM) program, follow the link:
http://artsinmedicine.ufhealth.org/about/whos-who/mary-lisa-katakis-spano/
7 Questions every Artist needs to ask before Varnishing an Oil Painting
Very helpful information for painters!
Sunday Slideshow–Winter’s Water
Weekend Inspiration–Making Chocolate
The Mast brothers show what a difference attention to detail makes. Enjoy the video while I am off having a short chocolate break!