Hi, welcome to another issue of pARTake, and Happy Father’s Day to you all. This is not a Dad’s Day tribute issue. I have Daddy issues and don’t want to address that today, but there will come a time. Today, I’m sharing inspiration in three parts: Art News, Three Things, and an Art Gallery Announcement. If you’re new here, I always start with a personal note (in italics) before diving into the more substantial parts. This is an opportunity to let you know what’s happening in my world and gives you a chance to get to know me a little better.
One of my regular readers and a dear friend, whom I don’t see often enough, commented privately with this: “Thank you for giving us your heart.” I like this comment for many reasons. One, she took the time to read and comment and saw something in one (or many) of my letters that I didn’t. It’s validating for someone to recognize that. Also, I’m not gonna sugarcoat this one: I LOVE to hear from you. In our fractious, busy, unsettling, and often contentious world, it’s not easy to stay connected. And life is fleeting and short. Anyone living “on the back nine” of life will tell you that the longer you live, the faster time flies. And so, thank you in advance to those of you who take a minute to drop a comment, tap the heart to indicate you’ve seen or appreciated my work, and especially when you reply privately by hitting reply to this letter in your email inbox.
I coined pARTAke on my About page as a place for creatives. I help inspire you to lead with your heart, and I also want this to be a space where you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts with me, too.
I hope you are well, safe, and creating like a badass, or at the very least, thinking like one!
Maureen
xo
(Note, the ART NEWS portion was sitting in my drafts. It’s 2024 news, but still relevant. I’m not sure why I didn’t send it then. Maybe because I was embarrassed to admit my insecurities. I look forward to hearing from you.)
ART NEWS
This is such a banal, blanket statement, but I’m leading with it: Feelings are what make art beautiful. Bear with me. I’m reaching for something here.
Do I create art to move you? I’d be lying to myself if I said no. Of course, I want you to feel what I’m feeling, or better, feel something. But my ego isn’t so inflated that I assume my art will move everyone or anyone. If I were in the business of making art for the masses, I’d be in the art licensing business. Mainly, though, a significant part of my art process, or probably ninety-nine percent of it, involves making me feel good, because when I make myself happy, it’s reflected in my art. And naturally, when I’m upset, unsure, or distraught, my art reflects that too.
Most of us who create know that not every piece we create is a winner, nor should it be. Some of my “best” art was discovered by playing with an idea or a new medium. But it’s easy to get caught up chasing that dangling carrot, the one that says Sell me, Sell me, Sell me! Notice me, Notice me, Notice me!
When I first decided to submit my art to a gallery, I was equally excited and felt like I was going to throw up. Speaking for myself and possibly other artists, when my work is on public display, I am vulnerable. Will someone write about it? Buy it? Or worse, ignore it? I tend to stand back and watch the crowd and their reactions when they come across my art. It can go either way. I’ve seen people stand and stare, point and talk, and I’ve seen people walk on by. I’ve sold art at gallery events. It’s an unnerving experience all around, and sometimes I wonder why I do it.
When it comes to submitting art to a juried exhibition, the process is quite different. In a jury show, there is only one person, the juror, who selects the awards to be given. One. And while the artists know who that person is before she submits, the artist who plays to that juror’s sensitivities is a fool. I remember thinking initially Who is this person? I Googled her and her work as we do, and started thinking about what she might like, but that vision quickly faded because I could never crystal ball what she might like and I ultimately I knew if I continued on that dangerous, slippery path, I was chasing that damned dangling carrot, not following my heart.
I submitted LUNCHTIME (below), the piece that won my first art award, the OVAL Presidents Board Award in the 2024 Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibition. Here’s what happened when my name was called.
When I walked to the podium to accept the award, my cheeks and ears burned with pride. Once I received the merit award, though, which typically doesn’t include a financial prize (mine didn’t), I stood and listened while thirty other artists accepted financial awards. About ten artist awards in, my ears still burned, but my feelings shifted to the ugly J word: Jealousy. Don’t get me wrong, I was honored to receive the award. Still am. However, I can be sensitive and insecure, jealous and competitive, just like everyone else.
It takes backbone to continue producing and submitting art without winning an award or selling a piece. It can feel like the F word: Failure. However, like any creative endeavor, you must dedicate the time and effort. You also have to decide whether art galleries and selling art are right for you. Whether you do or don’t want to show and sell, most of us will not rise to the level of Georgia O’Keeffe, Ruth Asawa, Picasso, or any of the other “Masters.” Am I Debbie Downer here with this statement?
Anyone afraid to create because you won’t rise to that level, hear me out: you aren’t supposed to. You’re supposed to do you.
THREE THINGS
Book: The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession, by artist and illustrator Amy Stewart, is a collection of essays and watercolors that explores our fascination with trees. This is an inspiring collection of fifty essays, sprinkled with Amy’s watercolors, as well as tips: How to make a leaf collection; How to plant a tiny forest; How to move a large tree. She shares a tree glossary, as well as places to visit to see live tree collections. It’s a splendid gift of a book! So good. I picked up a copy at my local library, thanks to my friend Susie for letting me know. Amy writes at It’s Good To Be Here on Substack. Worth a visit!
Podcast: Women, do you remember your first wrap dress? Men, Do you remember seeing a wrap dress for the first time? Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus Interviews Diane von Furstenberg, who changed the world of fashion with the iconic wrap dress, and refuses to ask How old are you? but instead asks How long have you lived? (brilliant!) plus other sexy stuff. Plug your earbuds in for this one on your next walk. (Fact: I wore a purple and pink wrap dress and strappy gold sandals on my first date with my husband, coming up on my seventeenth date anniversary on the 24th of June. Nailed it!)
Art: Ruth Asawa Retrospective at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Thanks
for bringing this exhibition to my attention. If you, like me, can’t go, listen to this community-source audio collection from visitors to the exhibit, courtesy of SFMOMA. If you go, LMK!
ART GALLERY ANNOUNCEMENT
My twenty-piece watercolor and mixed media collection, Birds & Botanicals, will be on display at the Owensboro Convention Center in Owensboro, Kentucky, from August 5 to October 7. More details coming soon.
Stay curious. Stay safe. Make an impact.
I so resonate with this. My jealousy pops up in the weirdest places, and then it gnaws away at my soul doing no one any good. As usual, you make me so happy Maureen. Hugs.
Congratulations on your gallery announcement, such beautiful art. Keep on