First, I entered the following images for the 14th National Juried Art Exhibition at Baker Arts Center, in Liberal, Kansas.
Neither of them were chosen for display in the show. Being rejected was actually a good experience for me. Show me a successful artist, and I will show you a stack of rejection letters. Once you are able to truly comprehend the concept that art is a truly subjective effort, then you realize that rejection letters are just a part of the process. I personally think these two images would have printed and displayed quite nicely. The juror may have even agreed. However, she most likely thought the ones she chose will display even better.
It's ok with me, because I create my images for me first. If others like them, all the better. But the bottom line is, they have to be pleasing to me first.
2. I was honored to meet the great crop artist Stan Herd, when he installed, with the help of our great maintenance crew, one of his murals in Seward County's Administration Building. It was great to meet Stan. A very down to earth (no pun intended) man. A man who does not place himself above the others in the room. He is truly an inspirational artist, and fellow human being. Seward County will have the ribbon cutting ceremony for the mural install very soon.
3. I was recently given the opportunity to apply, and interview for the position of Member, on the Board of Directors, at Baker Arts Center. It was an honor to be presented with the opportunity. I enjoyed meeting the other board members, and the new Executive Director, Mike Brack, during the interview. They apparently liked me too, as they offered me the position, and I accepted. I am looking forward to learning the art world from the perspective of the art center, as opposed to artist or patron. It will be a great experience for me, and I am excited to begin the work.
Mike's appointment was published in the local newspaper, and I was very happy to read about all of the exciting new ideas he has in an effort to re-energize interest in the art center within the community. I too agree, that perceptions need to be updated to get the community more involved in the local art scene. I will be very supportive of his efforts as we move forward.
http://www.bakerartscenter.org/
4. Mary and I recently made a trip to Denver. We wanted to visit our daughter Amanda and her fiance Jen. It was a wonderful visit. We also had a nice lunch with my Dad, and Step-Mom. During our weekend visit, we took a trip downtown to take in the Clyfford Still museum. Clyfford Still is one of the pioneers of the Abstract Expressionist movement in painting. His work was one of the biggest influences in that movement.
http://clyffordstillmuseum.org
The museum is very nice, spacious, well organized, and the work and life of the artist is covered very comprehensively, with interactive digital displays on the history of the artist. The paintings were absolutely breathtaking. They were displayed very nicely, with no, or very little framing. In fact, it was really nice to be able to walk up close to the painting, and be able to see the raw canvas behind the paint. Wow. I did notice the security folks were keeping a close watch on me, as I was very close to the paintings, but was careful not to touch.
http://blogs.findlaw.com/legally_weird/2012/01/woman-rubs-butt-tries-to-urinate-on-30m-museum-painting.html
As you can see, the security is definitely watching out for weirdos like this one.
5. Also during our visit to Denver, I took some time to capture the downtown Denver skyline. Here are a few examples.
One of the great things I love about digital art, is that no one image is ever static. I can do and re-do these images any way I see fit. I absolutely love that. When you shoot in camera raw, your original image is always there, for you to start over with another creation in mind. These examples show one twisted image, one straight color, and one straight black and white. Well, actually, the color was manipulated a little. I changed the color of the sky. I absolutely love how the colors just pop though.
6. One last thing to share. I have recently taken up painting with oil on canvas. I enrolled in the Oil Painting I class at the community college in Liberal, and am very glad I did. Susan Copas is the art professor, and I am very happy with her instruction. She is very good, not only with her art, but also in how she approaches the art student. Teaching an art class is difficult, because as I mentioned before, art is a very subjective thing, and one must be very mindful of that when teaching. I have learned so much from Susan just in one half of a semester. Form, line, color, composition, color, color, and more color. I am looking forward to learning more. When I think about painting, I kick myself for not discovering this very therapeutic activity sooner. But I am also reminded, that I have plenty of time left to enjoy the process of learning that craft. Here is an image of the still life project in our class. Ha ha ... not bad for a first effort. Also, not bad, considering my interests in painting lean more toward the abstract. Surprised?
