Some Days You Get Caught in the Traffic

-- sometimes it lasts for a week!

I had great hopes of getting regular blogging done this past week. There were some things I wanted to think about in my writing. Suddenly, I got caught in the traffic and blogging came to a stand-still.

I have been behind a big truck called "Computer Crash." You know it. The one labeled "Use us and you will lose everything you have stored here."

Just ahead of that was an emergency vehicle which is still flashing its lights: My mother, who is never ill except for an occasional bout of vertigo, has suffered from a earache for more than a week now. Although she drove herself to the hospital when having a heart attack, this time has been different. I have driven her to two doctors to discover that there is no infection -- just a tiny ulcer in the ear passage "which should clear up in two days, but come back next Wednesday." The earache has not cleared up and a sinus infection has joined it, so I am doing odd chores like arranging flowers from natural materials for a program she planned, delivering refreshments for her church group and driving her to appointments.

A tiny, but never-the-less important, part of the traffic this week was a sad one. Beautiful Maggie, the deaf kitty, sped across the street into the wheels of a passing car. We buried her under the hydrangea bush where she liked to sleep.

Finally, in this traffic jam were a family vehicle filled with luggage, food and weekend gear which blocked my way for three days and on Monday a sporty little model named Lucy caught my attention. Oh, what the heck, I probably wouldn't haven't blogged on those days anyway!

So the computer is back up (thanks to Susan) and the traffic has cleared for a bit. I am back at the keyboard and I'll try to get some regular words strung out this week. After today's doctor trip . . . and . . . a training session for next month's election . . . and . . . the big reunion BBQ which has my painting and words on the inside back cover of the souvenir brochure . . . and . . . .

The Power of Place

Somewhere on the winding roads of West Georgia near Pine Mountain, there is a small drive along the top of a ridge which comes out at Dowdell's Knob and an edge-of-the-world view across a wide valley. Tucked on a protected ledge is a historic marker which declares "This Was His Georgia." As the realization hits that the sloped sidewalk had been a President's wheelchair ramp and that he had come here to make decisions for His Country, the place takes on new meaning. It was not lost on the fellows in the sketch I made that day.

I was reminded of the power of this place when reading my latest issue of Cezanne-2006 -- a newsletter which covers the celebration of Cezanne in Provence. http://www.cezanne-2006.com/news/news9_en.html I made the connection through this explanation of an exhibition of photographs and videos by Julien Oppenheim which explores Cezanne's fascination for the Sainte-Victoire Mountain.
"Exploring what links us to places, to a place, to a key place.
Displaying the physical link to the place, the link with the land, the stone and the trees.
Feeling how your breathing changes when in contact with the place,
feeling your body enter into the place and touch it.
To be within, inside the place and capture its power. The power of the place that I come from."

I wondered about the places which make my breathing change. I wondered about whether I can give to those places some sense of their power in my life in the way that Cezanne did with his mountain. It's something to ponder.

Taking Five

When I finish a major judging event, I "take five" -- a little time to rethink the awards selections. I reflect particularly on what made the winners stand out and whether I would choose a different set of winners another day.

We each spent an average of 2 minutes per exhibitor to move throughout the show asking questions about process, touching and looking at the work and making notes for later comparison. We were not surprised that many said they had never had a judge even enter their booth, much less ask questions. Having been out there ourselves for many years, we had seen many judges walk past without really knowing what they were seeing -- were they afraid someone would think they didn't know 'everything'?

Although I have been judging for more than twenty years, evaluation helps me grow as a judge and gives me confidence in my ability to handle the task when faced with new directions, new technology and new ideas. Over the weekend, I was able to return to the show after the awards were announced to review the choices which Joanna and I made. I only second-guessed myself on one choice and, in the long run, I was satisfied with my work.

NOTE: With so few websites available for reference, I have added descriptions to the post from Sunday, 9/3. Since Powers is a traditional festival, many of the entries are traditional and the awards relect this, but most also reflect a unique use of the medium.

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Both of us also had many friends in the show which is both a good thing and a bad thing. We get to see friends (good for us), but we know what their BEST looks like and that's what we want to see so we're tougher on friends (bad for them!) So today, I want to remind myself about my old friends and what I love about what they do.

Lucy Moore, Anniston, AL is a toy maker extraordinaire who greets everyone with a smile. Her stuffed animals and blankets have been in my house for almost than 30 years. Working in fur, she always has a new design or texture which excites her. And yes, our Lucy went home with a new mouse, but no, Susan did not bring home the L-A-R-G-E moose.
Charles Adams, Troy, AL shines a light on the world in stained glass and colored sugar. His famous brightly colored suckers, exquisite glass windows and lamps and wry sense of humor bring smiles everywhere. I've watched the subtle changes in his work for many years and he just gets better.
Brenda Harris Tustian, Ball Ground, GA is a hard working watercolorist who manages to look lovely and unruffled in any condition. Along with her floral paintings, she has developed a unique style of floral paintings and pet portraits. She has raised thousands of dollars with a series of Christmas scenes which she has created for various charities.
Kazuko Chiyo Sasaki, Birmingham, AL, has been creating sumi and watercolor paintings for longer than I have known her which is almost 40 years. Her quality is consistant, yet always fresh and her laugh is spontaneous and joyous.
Pam Snellgrove, LaGrange, GA melts glass rods to build tiny, elegant figurines with circles and loops and blobs. No one matches her control of this traditional craft or her eye for quality. She uses mostly clear rods, but occasionally adds some colored and painted glass.
Don McWhorter, Carrollton, GA throws large stoneware pottery which he decorates with intricate lacy designs. His pitchers look as if they come from Arabian Nights. He is often surrounded by visitors who just enjoy his conversations or his music.

All of these artists are solid, creative people. They along with their families can be seen at major festivals and craft shows throughout the Southeast. I am pleased to call them friends.

Porch Sitting

When I was 10, the bookmobile came near my house. I always brought home all the books than I could carry and stacked them on the front porch next to my favorite chair. Even though I knew there would be no more for two weeks, I read them all in just a few days while shifting into the kinds of contortionist positions I can only dream of now. I went to worlds beyond my imagination in those marvelous books. Now I don't have to wait two weeks for the bookmobile, I can make the trip to the main library which is just five blocks away and I still have stacks of books by my chair.

Fifty years later, I discovered another way into imaginary worlds and now I spend way too many hours on my computer soaking up images from museums, having conversations with artists and dreaming of places I'd like to go. And, with a laptop, it can all be done on the front porch.

One of my most used sites is Artcyclopedia.com Its statistics show 8,407 artists listed; 2,278 art sites indexed; and access to about 180,000 works of art. And now, I've discovered that I can have the Art News page connected to my blog subscriptions -- more worlds -- does it get any better? I think I'm a kid again!

Comment: This fast loose sketch (4.5" x 5.5") was done with a simple pen and a waterbrush while I was waiting for friends. I was interested in the reflections in the door, the black-green wicker and the swing chain, so perspective is mostly OFF and the chair just got in the way.

Tiny Lessons Learned

I learned a lot from these four baby sketches -- each is 2" x 2" and was timed for 5 minutes. I learned
--that it is not easy to get good depth in such a small space,
--that I don't like to do chairs,
--that looking up is harder than looking out and
--that sometimes 5 minutes is too long; other times it's not enough.

And the Choir Sang

Sketches can be made anywhere. This was done during a short piece. Later, added the flowers. I wish I hadn't.