It all started with phone calls. Would I like to exhibit several
paintings at one of my favorite art centers? That was the first call, the
second call from another art venue: would I like to give a talk about abstract
art. The answer yes to both and, boy, was it a good learning experience.
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| Through a Kaleidoscope |
I have had work shown at Shiawassee Art Center (SAC) before
and the experience was favorable so I knew this show would be fun. A short time
later I got another call from SAC. Would I like the bigger gallery? Yes again.
So for weeks we put together a larger selection of paintings, framing and preparing
a catalog. We were so busy actual painting was set aside for the business of
art.
The talk and demonstration was always on my mind during the
show preparation - what is abstract and do I even do abstract? While preparing
for the thirty piece show I kept questioning - why do we create? What is real
art and all the subsequent unanswerable questions dealing with the philosophy
of art.
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| Lake ice bubbles frozen on Spring morning |
The SAC show’s opening reception included a short talk that
I tried not the think about until the moment arrived. The mike felt natural in
my hand as I shared the stories about the exhibited paintings. Because most of
the paintings in SAC might be considered abstract, this few-minutes talk was a
good warm up for the upcoming much longer program.
The talk at Jackson Civic Art Association was carefully
planned. The folks there welcomed us with enthusiasm and thoughtful questions. I
hoped the planning would not make the presentation feel overly worked. Helene
and I have a bunch of years teaching experiences and one thing we have learned
is to have plenty of material on hand to cover any possible scenario.
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| Sunlight thru door peep hole on opposite wall |
We showed photos of interesting images in the real world
which can inspire so-called abstract work, see examples here. In art
discussions “abstract” is often considered a contrast to “real” visuals. Even
in the SAC show I would hear comments such as, “Joel has ventured away from
paintings of real scenes.”
In both talks, the same questions came up, what is the
inspiration for the various paintings and how did I plan the work. This is
where the paint hits the canvas. Telling stories of the painting process could
be another blog entry for another time. Let me know what you think about these
or any other issues on the life of the artist in the comments.
Please check the archive blogs as well. I have come to have
a deep respect for art educators especially after talking to art teacher
friends. See the Fort Wayne Surprise blog. Did you know that according to Arts and
Economic Prosperity Report IV from Americans for the Arts, the arts in our
country generate 166.2 billion dollars into the economy every year!
Thanks for checking the blog. I hope you also check my
website at www.joelellisart.com
Joel
