July 1, 2022 Weekly Musings
Posted on July 01 2022
Announcements:
Muse 5 Exhibition open through July, 2022
The artwork, Pond Life, by Pamela Johnson-Howe Pottery and poem, Pond Life by Paula Schultz are being displayed as part of Christine Alfery's new gallery called Christine's Gallery. Its first exhibition is called "Artist Muse 5." For this event, poets and artists teamed up to be each other's muses. There will be approximately 40 artist and poet pairs. It is a wonderful opportunity for Wisconsin Artists and Poets to share their works to the public online.
Pond LIfe
-by Paula Schulz
The first thing you notice is those blue-shining
windows. Who wouldn't want to throw open
the sash and climb through? All around you--
the fabulous muck-murk of pond water.
And that brown path necklacing the edge:
a way to walk yourself into each day’s
wonders. Here is a place to breathe depth,
feel the sun and water meet your skin.
Like you, this vase holds all the moments
of its making, its poor clay so much more
now than it once was. Match the veins of your hand
to the veins in these strong leaves. What will you
make of the breath and bones of your one,
beautiful life?
Musings:
Making memories
Featured image: Lunchtime Atop A Skyscraper, 1932 (detail) by Charles C. Ebbets
Holly, my daughter, and I recently took a trip to the Grand Canyon. This photo is a favorite photo of ours from the trip. As we were sitting on the ledge I thought of the above photo from 1932 by Charles C. Ebbets of construction workers on a high beam having lunch.
What different memories and tomorrows these two scenes make.
Power and Submission
Featured image: Your Path
Freedom Part IV
Freedom; is it submission? I believe that submission is choosing not to think and letting another think for you. I believe it is also choosing not to think about creating and allowing another to create for you. I believe it is what many called bliss or utopia. However, in reality, because it is unmindful it has no uniqueness and no power.
Power is not rebellion against cultural, social norms as some would say. Rather, power is the choice of the each unique individual artist. It is the artist who chooses their unique self and protects their unique power. It is the artist that respects the choices of others as long as they are not harmful to them or to others. There is no choice with submission, except to submit.
There are many examples in art of artists who choose power. My favorite is the abstract expressionists. The abstract expressionists tested the choices linked to style, technique, subject matter, and the media used. The abstract expressionists did not move in circles of the popular. In fact, they critiqued those who conformed to menus, recipes and “how to” directions.
Choices. An artist needs to always ask themselves where they are in the work. If indeed they are the ones in the work or is it someone or some group that is within the work. If the artist is missing in the work, it is difficult for me to call the work art, for it is not unique and one-of-a -ind like the artist.
Freedom and Illusion Part 1
Featured image: Grosbeak
Freedom, is it an illusion?
Does freedom really exist? Does freedom exist within your own personal attitude about yourself? Does freedom exist within the institutions, schools, churches, businesses and in our art? Or have we as unique individuals lost our concept of what freedom really is?
Given the disciplines and uniformity of our culture or our society, and given the cry for all of us to unite into for one cause, which in the end excludes the “other,” I believe we are losing our understanding of what freedom really is. Because we are losing our understanding of what freedom really is, we have become dependent on others to tell us what it is. By others telling us what freedom is, we have lost our freedom and we have become robots, unable to think, create and imagine for ourselves.
Personally, I choose to be an artist because of the freedom art offers me. Now, I am concerned for art – deeply concerned that art is becoming but another thing that has given its power to authoritarian leadership that doesn’t consider uniqueness and one-of-a-kindness as important.
The Power of Freedom Part II
Featured image: Little Yellow Bird
The power of individualism, uniqueness and authenticity relies on freedom. Is freedom just the absence of external pressure or is it the power that lies within our uniqueness and individuality. I say the power of freedom lies within the power of the individual and the individual’s uniqueness and authenticity.
Is freedom the presence of something? If so, what is that something? Can freedom be found within our culture and with the morals of our society? Can freedom be found within the morals of individuals and their respect for one another’s uniqueness and individuality.
In thinking about the concept of freedom and how important it is to me, I ask myself, “Why is it that so many within our culture and society submit their powers to another?” Why do they submit themselves to public opinion? What is the attraction of submission? Is it freedom to not be or to be mindless? I have come to believe that those who submit to not think – they believe it is easier for others to think for them, and all they have to do is just go along with the majority. They know that it is harder to be independent, because it takes a lot of work. Sometimes it is scary work being yourself.
It takes a lot of work to be unique, one-of-a-kind and authentic, just like it takes a lot of work for a piece of art to be unique, one of a kind and authentic. For me the work is worth it.
New Works:
