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| Welcome to SKETCHES, Michael Gerrish's WhyART.com newsletter. I offer thoughts to stretch your mind and spur your actions to produce positives for you and those you touch. Author Daniel Pinkwater said, "I believe it is impossible to make sense of life in this world except through art." Artist Francis Bacon said, "The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery." This "talking head" sees truth in both statements; let's start making sense by exploring and expanding the mysteries which surround us! |
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Artists
and Authenticity: Know Yourself.... I don't get colds very often, perhaps every few years or so. But, when I do, I get them in threes. I've come to understand this after decades of experience. I've learned not to put away the meds and extra box of tissues until "Round Three" is finished. Of course, there is some disagreement in our household as to whether or not it's three separate colds or one cold separated into three movements due to my refusal to permit healing to take hold...but I reject the latter interpretation...for now. If we are wise, we get to know ourselves better as we age. I guess that's how we are able to age...<G>. This wisdom is crucial for artists, because it enables artists to connect with their authentic experience. Authenticity is more than attribution (as in signed by and certified by); it is self awareness and self expression in action. Artists may internalize others' techniques to develop their own skills, but they must reveal who they are and what they stand for if they want their art to be authentic. Part Two... Along the shores of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers, Spring arrives dressed in shades of brown and gray. We are at flood state in Troy; the high tide, snow melt and March rains brought the crest of the Hudson to 1st Avenue last night. Here on 1st Street we are 25 feet higher...and drier...but I can see the Hudson from my 3rd floor studio. It is moving fast, carrying trees and assorted flotsam which it has lifted from the shorelines north of here. The water is a monochromatic brown, bustling and bubbly. The sky is a multihued gray, moving in a patchwork of shades and speeds. The trees beneath and beyond my windows are a mottle of browns and grays as they sway silently and gently in the nearly calm air. In July it will all be green. Leaves will hide the alley, the traffic across the river, and yes, even the river from my view. July is just three months away. In that short span much will happen where you are, too.
Find a window. Take a walk. Don't leap across your calendar to find the
perfect future date; fill it with enjoyable experiences day
by day...or night
by night. "I suggest to artists that you take every opportunity of being alone." Agnes Martin |
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Sketches
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at any time. I appreciate your thoughtful comments.
Michael Gerrish • 159 1st Street • Troy, NY 12180 •
(518)266-0304 • mrg@whyart.com |
