I have done my best to not mention that America is currently facing some challenges when it comes to it's identity and solidarity as a country. I found myself at a park where this upturned boat and decorative life preserver have been staged. I have a lot of feelings about this odd configuration and how they are symbols for many things in American society and how different things have been in the last few years, with people feeling supposedly all-time highs of loneliness and strained interpersonal relationships. Some find a facsimile of connection through social media and news sites, but what about those spaces that we used to share with people? How many folks out there feel like they are drowning on dry land and the only life preserver is a decoration?
While thinking deeply about these difficult themes, a person came by and introduced themselves as Eric. We had a great chat about a plein air event that may have used to take place at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin. Really, it was all seemingly an excuse for Eric to talk about his father, who was an architect. He mentioned that his dad knew Frank Lloyd Wright and his architecture at Taliesin which is near where Alex Jordan built House on the Rock. To the non-Wisconsinite readers out there, this is something of "a thing" in the area. Alex Jordan had a special interest in collecting things and making an absurdly large house for said collection. Part of his efforts were to spite Frank Lloyd Wright, building House on the Rock nearby Taliesin to ruin the view. On purpose!
Eric and I parted ways but the situation continued to stew in my brain. Alex Jordan and Frank Lloyd Wright may be great examples of what can happen when creativity is used for expression and how great things happen when there is someone who helps us rise to the challenge. As our young country continues to evolve, there are so many things that I feel we are being pressured into believing thanks to the intense media that blasts at us at all hours of every day. This is why art is one of my favorite things--artists can change the frequency on tough topics and re-frame difficult subject matter. Sometimes this happens best in pairs, when one creative effort is sharpened by another's. This leads me to the highlight of this blog entry--how art can be a life preserver--not just a decoration.
There is a strange expectation that if anyone wants to see art in the Madison area, they better just go to a Farmer's Market or one of three museums. Galleries and art shows happening for the sake of just having an art show doesn't seem very common here. Even Boise had First Thursdays, and that is in the deep south of the PNW. I was super anxious about going to this show but luckily, my friend Howie was going to be there. The location was not in the hip downtown area, which was immediately a comfort. It was in an off-the-beaten-path industrial area, New Wave Studios. As I arrived, there were cars up and down the street for most of a quarter-mile. Exciting!
Artists Ciel Skål and Amanda Langer at https://www.skalart.com/ were the featured artists. I had not met them previously but their work was enticing to my brain. Juxtaposing hard and soft themes, whispered flowy sweet nothings depicted in blacks, whites, and greys, the two styles really complimented one another. One of Ciel's pieces that really stuck out to me was made around the time of the loss of a family member. The piece featured strongly a hand and the knotty knuckles reminded me of my own grandmother's. Each inky, smoky piece screamed with memories of mixed emotions and the electricity of a soft touch. Amanda's work was something that really comes to life in person, as it is three-dimensional. There was a piece I spoke with her about at length where she carefully wove fibers between steel in an impossibly tight space. It was riveting and so well curated. If you're reading this, I encourage you to check out their work because it's really inspiring and fascinating. I look forward to seeing these two artists more in the community and continue to develop their styles. Their work was inspirational enough that I decided to try something a little more risky with my own work a few days later.
In an effort to try something a little outside of my comfort zone, I went to Lake Mendota and found this beautiful opening to the lake. Mind you, these lakes here are green and full of algae. I could have painted a boring-ass lake scene with boats or whatever but that stuff just wasn't calling to me. Instead this gnarled yet smoothly worn-down tree near the shore quietly called to me.
I was having a hard time getting a good angle from the dry land. Instead, I decided to stand directly in the lake, easel and all. I took off my shoes and socks, found a foothold on the mossy rocks and hoped to avoid forgotten rusty fishing lures underfoot. I tried to focus more on the idea of the shapes and flows, inspired by Ciel and Amanda's work. I used a limited color palette and just went to work. I reminded myself that it wouldn't matter than no one could figure out what it was or why they should care about it. The process was paramount and it felt so freeing.
In the end, I realized maybe it isn't all of America feeling like it was drowning on dry land--but it was definitely how I was feeling. The two artists likely had no idea they were throwing me a life preserver, but I can breathe again.
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