Inside the Artist's Mind

As the month of March came to an end, First Friday seemed like it was a year ago. On March 6 we saw the openings of wonderful shows, and shortly thereafter our exposure to them was cut off. This fact brings me sadness on different levels.

There are specific works of art that I loved so much and it makes me so sad that they won’t be viewed up close and personal as they deserve to be. For example, in the Annex was the work of Anne Green is so delightful. Her abstract landscapes, as I think of them, are so fresh and joyful. I also loved the beautiful mixed media works of Leslie Dolin. Mounted on wooden panels, her images are created by combining used coffee filters, gouache, ink and acrylic paints. They are intricate and beautiful. There are so many pieces I loved that will not receive the attention they are due. I recommend fishing your March postcard from the Harrison Center and checking out the websites of the artists who were featured.

Increments of Longing, Anne Green, Oil on canvas, 24”x36,” $475

In the mean time, consider what goes in to creating an exhibit for the public. The artwork you see is rarely thrown up on the wall to create a show as if by magic. (Even if it was, it would still be hard work!) Most of the shows that you see in our galleries begin as a vision on behalf of an artist, and the journey from intention to manifestation will dominate the artist’s life until it’s complete. We may enter a gallery on opening night and admire what is hanging on the wall without even thinking about the research, consideration and collecting of evidence that is at the core of any collection. Utilizing the library, museums and googling on a smart phone are just a few of the ways the artist ramps up the understanding that is the foundation of any show.

It is easy to glance at an artwork and imagine that it took the time necessary to cover a canvas with paint. Most pieces of artwork, even tiny ones, took a lot longer to create than one would imagine, and the work involved is often an exhausting combination of physical and mental effort. Regardless of how joyful the execution of making a piece of art may be, if it is going to be part of a show, the artist will likely be tormented with doubts and questions that multiply the stress of creating a collection under the constraints of a timeline. Many considerations and questions crowd the artist’s mind.

A Perfect Night for Ghost Stories, Leslie Dolin, Coffee Filters, ink, gouache, acrylic, $175

A goal of the show will be cohesion, so the artist will be fighting the battle of making one piece relate to the others in a collection, even while experimenting with various media and style options. How will the pieces be displayed? What special hardware do I need? How do these pieces relate to each other without fading into each other? How can I show the world that I am not stagnant- that I am trying new things- and still be true to my style and the work that they have come to know and love? Can I afford the materials I need to make these pieces as special and unique as I want them to be? (This list of questions is merely the tip of the proverbial iceberg.)

There are many tragic outcomes of this virus and our collective sadness has a myriad of sources. For me, I can’t understate what it must feel like to pour so much energy and life into the creation of art, only to be denied the opportunity for others to see it. The artists who are experiencing this must fight off the soul crushing effects in order to continue creating. The rest of us must bring a deep appreciation of their efforts when we view artwork in a gallery after things return to a new normal.