Is Our Art As Good As We Think?

The written blog for this week’s radio show is pretty slim. I have Carpal Tunnel and the wrist of my dominant hand is sore as heck.
Thanks to everyone for all the emails and phone calls regarding last week’s show on the Inauguration.
And thanks for all the interest in the story behind Laura’s Rock. For an update, I spoke with the machine shop on Friday. I pick the rock up tomorrow.
About four maybe five shows back we did a radio show on the closing of my studio on Pearl Street in downtown Hyannis. If you remember over the many broadcasts I have often spoken of the Pearl Street art colony where my studio was. From it’s inception I have loved the idea behind Pearl Street – taking an old run down neighborhood in downtown Hyannis and transforming it into a thriving art destination. As a matter of fact the reason for this very broadcast grew out of my excitement for this art colony under new construction. And I love Hyannis, it’s named after my eleven generations ago grandfather and I have a deep passion to see this newly conceived art colony take place. It didn’t take long for the expansion of Pearl Street to be seen as a good business investment by local merchants. Some had the vision to see that the artists of the Pearl Street art colony where going to revitalize a run down section of town and they wanted to be part of it. And God bless them for their interest. Not long after we opened the doors to our working studio did other doors begin to open all around us. Old buildings were remodeled and soon galleries began to open. The concept of transforming Pearl Street into an important art destination had all the ingredients for success. Pearl Street became the new envy of the art community, many other artists wished they were involved, but space was limited. Not enough supply and too much demand put Pearl Street on the map and from it interest grew all over the Cape. Pearl Street became known as the cool place.
Eventually the wonderful woman who worked for the town, the woman whose efforts brought Pearl Street together left her position with the town. Her departure came at the same time a new gallery, a flagship for Pearl Street was opening up. The idea behind the gallery was a coop style whereby various artists would consign their art. It was intended that as many as two dozen artists would participate in this coop gallery. At that time I was invited to join, and I did for one day, then I quit. The problem I saw was that with such a mixture of artists the strong possibility was that there would be wide range of varying degrees within the art. Some good and some bad. The mixed bag of amateur verus professional art concerned me, so I dropped out.
It’s a very good thing I dropped out when I did. The coop gallery was being infiltrated with management form a local art association.. The art association moving in to manage the new coop from my perspective was an accident waiting to happen. Last month the accident finally occurred and the gallery closed for obvious reasons.
From the closing of the coop gallery, and my prediction coming true, came animosity. I say animosity because the closing of any business is painful, and if you’re an artist it’s two fold. First there’s the economic impact of negative cash flow, and the second pain, perhaps the more painful, is the professional insult that you failed as an artist. You can’t have a radio show, or podcast, like this and not be truthful. And it’s not each word that’s going to make friends. And so it was from my truthfulness in the identifying problems with the Pearl Street gallery and predicting it’s closure that annoyed several of those impacted. I mention this because it’s from the pain from one particular artist, a person who I know, that tried to send me an anonymous letter expressing their pain in the form of negative comments. They summarized their letter with what they were trying to throw out as an insult but is actually a good topic for this week’s show: "Is our art as good what we think it is?"
Last night I was at the celebration for the grand opening of the Living Arts Institute new building on Route 6A in Brewster, which I suggest everyone check out. There was an art demonstration by a very nice woman who happen to a therapy counselor. At the end of her art demonstration she asked those who had participated what they thought. Maybe because she was an counselor they all replied relative to their emotions of what the process meant to them, or maybe they responded that why because it was important to them. But I took note that their replies answered the question: "Is our art as good as what we think it is?"
The intent of art is to communicate. Whether it’s a song, a poem, or the enjoyment of cooking while preparing a special meal. It’s all communication, we are trying to express ourselves, and in the process, be appreciated for what we have to say. Our art then becomes worth what we think it is if we believe it effectively communicates what we want to say. Far too often it’s fear of saying what we believe, and being criticized, or misunderstood, that inhibits us and makes us fearful to be expressive. If you’re an artist and afraid of saying what you feel then your art will not be worthwhile – it won’t be good. Good art is worthwhile art. Good art is art you produced that speaks a voice the viewer can interpolate. There isn’t right art nor wrong art, only good art or worthless art. I haven’t seen too much worthless art, but I have seen art that as a viewer I couldn’t interpolate, which is o’k – not all art is meant to be interpolated by all people. And if your art isn’t as good as what you think it is, in other words, if you don’t believe in the value of your art then you can’t respect yourself as an artist, whether you are a visual artist, poet, or master chef.
The easier we provide the viewer an understanding of the story behind the art - the reason why we have something to communicate – the better our art is. For example, Van Gogh went his entire life without ever selling a painting. It wasn’t until his sister-in-law exposed the letters between Vincent and his brother that the story behind his paintings came to life. It was when his story became told that value was added to the paintings and when it became easy for the viewer to interpolate his paintings that Vincent’s work became valuable and consider "good".
So, when asked in this anonymous letter sent by an annoyed artist friend from the now closed Pearl Street Gallery, "Is my art as good as I think it is?" I answer yes.
And now for an update on my new studio. First I want to say thanks to all of you who has showed so much interest. Thanks for your support! I went gallery hopping with my favorite museum lover last week – my wonderful daughter Jessi. We strolled the galleries of Newbury Street in Boston. It was inspirational relative to my new studio in two regards. First, I have yearned for a long time to become a member of the Copley Society of Artists. I have revered them for a long time and have always, fearfully, held their collection of juried artists in a special light. When my daughter and I visited the Copley Society member gallery for the first time my daughter commented that my art was better then what she had seen their, and she added that my art is more appropriately priced (meaning the art their was priced unprofessionally low). I was appreciate of my daughter’s complement, so we left and went next door to the Boston Artist Guild. I was blown away with what I had seen. In particular was a piece by Pamela Pindell of Nantucket – a breathtaking impression of a townhouse at dusk during a snow storm. Mesmerizing.
I came back to my studio after the gallery stroll on Newbury Street with my daughter with a different perspective on my current studio space. Until spring hits Cape Cod I’m limited with building my new studio. In the interim I have set up shop in a small studio in an unused room on the second floor of my home. I came home from Boston and sat in my interim studio for a few minutes. I put my iPod on and just sat. Looking at my supplies, my easel, and half finished paintings sticking out of a box. I then smiled.


Plugs
Friday, February 6, from 5-7 pm. "Lives, Real and Imagined." Rebecca Ann Lane and Rika Henderson, paintings. In the Board Room. And an exhibit of book illustrations, also by Rebecca Ann Lane, in the Vault. Exhibits runs from February 4-15.

Event: Tripping Lily @ The Wellfleet Library
"Tea And Music Featuring Tripping Lily"
What: Performance
Host: Sponsored by The Friends of the Wellfleet Libraries
Start Time: Saturday, February 7 at 3:00pm
End Time: Saturday, February 7 at 4:30pm
Where: Wellfleet Library