"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." Martin Buber

Can you begin your journey knowing that the destination has not been revealed to you?

Can you know that the destination will be revealed once you arrive?

Will you recognize the destination?

If you, the traveler, is unaware of a secret destination, who is the traveler?

If the destination is secret, can you be the traveler?

Can you travel without a destination?  Which way does the water flow, the sands shift, the light shine?

And what will you miss if you fear the secret, the destination, the journey?

Rivers and rocks

I've been thinking about rivers.  We have an artist, Steven Stavost, at the Celebration of Fine Art, who paints beautifully precise rocks in water, such as you would see in a still eddy in the river.  The rocks are so real that they look photographic.  Amazing painting.  What I noticed is that the rocks are worn smooth by the assumed river, that they have jostled around, bumping the sharp edges off each other, finally settling into a stable group, and the river moves around them.

Sometimes Syed and I get away for a day in NC and go up towards the mountains, stopping along a river we have a fondness for.  Fast moving water, lots of rocks, swift currents that can drag a swimmer a long way from where they waded into the cold water.  Along the shore there are places where the rocks have been deposited by the river, forming a calm and safe place for soft conversations, perhaps a cat nap.

And the river flows on, carrying some with it, depositing others at the edge, until, I suppose, each rock and pebble finds a place.

In Steven's paintings I don't see the moving river.  I only see the beautiful rocks, a harmony of distinctive individuals.

Good night, NW Salon.

12 Step program for artists!!!

You simply gotta read this - http://bit.ly/brvveW  TOOOOOO good!

Transmitting thought by sensing color

I was thinking today about "feeling" transmitted by artwork, in particular, through painting.  What does that mean - "feeling" through artwork?  Mine? Yours?  Or is it the transmission of something intangible between us - the artist and the viewer?  Working on this piece, I was deep in thought about coming through dark times by tapping into "feeling" - literally the physical awareness - of the moment.  As the texture and darks developed, I "felt" the need for the sensation of light, bright and opening - whence came the yellows.  Stepping into that physical space of brightness brought forth the reds/oranges.  The delicate balance of sensing the awareness within and trapping it in color both frustrates and feeds me.  Such is the dilemma of painting unencumbered by specific images.  For other well articulated "feelings" about painting check out http://bit.ly/bXtiWw

If you want to see this piece, come to the Celebration of Fine Art - it's the last week!  Time evaporates!

Windows of Opportunity

Last 7 days of the Celebration of Fine Art 2010 here in Scottsdale!  Beautiful weather and still more beautiful artwork!

This year has been remarkable and we've had great sales, so some things that you may have looked at are gone, BUT we have some great work we'd love you to see - Syed has almost sold out of his little single window pieces, but has about 6 left.

I have 2 Japanese boxes left, and one large Japanese piece in soft, matte colors.  We'd love to see you so come in and say hello.

Stendhal Syndrome

"Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal's syndrome, Hyperkulturemia, or Florence syndrome, is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful or a large amount of art is in a single place. The term can also be used to describe a similar reaction to a surfeit of choice in other circumstances, e.g. when confronted with immense beauty in the natural world. " From Wikipedia


Clearly that which affects, infects (and may rarely be deflected by) the audience at the Celebration of Fine Art!!  And here is an example of beautiful new glass from Syed Ahmad in the NW Salon.

                     

"Team Building"

"Team building" - I'm wondering about this term. Does it automatically imply there is an "opponent" or an "against"? What about building "cooperative success" or "cooperative neighborhoods for success"? A bit cumbersome in the mouth, I grant you, but you get the idea. Thoughts?

Balance in all things

Dr. Robinson was telling me that a healthy immune system is a BALANCED immune system.  We talk so much about balance.  Balance on the teeter totter.  Balance in design.  Balance the checkbook.  Balance your hormones.  Keep your balance.  On balance.  Balance the ball.  Seems like the act of balancing could keep one off balance, if one was not careful.  Today the anxiety of a slow week and the momentary exultation of a nice sale was balanced by immersion in a piece of artwork full of tiny detail which could, in other circumstances, be stressful and throw me off balance.  But today, the detail seemed meditational.  I was calm all day and the piece moved nicely along.  What will it all feel like tomorrow?