Because artists tend to do most of their work out of public view, the common perception remains that artists are different, doing their work under cover of secrecy, ala Tom Waits’ sung question, “What’s he building in there?” Whatever the sauce…or source of the inspiration, the art rarely is chalked up to the reality. There’s … [Read more…]
The consistent “pot-stirring” of hobgoblins begs a look at the “magic” of the landscape in which the hobgoblin moves. Shakespeare’s Puck, a hobgoblin par excellence, is a “knavish sprite” who serves Oberon, the Fairy King. Puck possesses a range of magical skills, from creating mistaken identities to changing Bottom’s head into a donkey’s head. In … [Read more…]
In another “lifetime,” I worked for an individual who deflected criticism of her planning decisions by saying, “Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” The comment squashed and squished any further discussion because who wants to have a simple mind? However, last week’s look at consistency brought the quote alive, and I asked myself a … [Read more…]
A recent popular blog (http://reddotblog.com/artists-are-you-consistent-a-gallery-owners-perspective) shared the belief that artists need to understand the importance of consistency in order to increase the odds of securing gallery representation. The range of responses doesn’t surprise me. Some view placing consistency over creativity the same as selling their artistic soul because it places the impetus of the creating … [Read more…]
Bodacious…a combination of bold and audacious. Downright and unmitigatedly, perhaps even notoriously, thorough or complete. Boudicca… Warrior queen of the Iceni, a people living in eastern England. Boudicca’s husband was considered a Roman ally, but on his death the Romans took the land, enslaved the people, flogged Boudicca, and raped her daughters. In A.D. 60, … [Read more…]
The land holds this story of two friends who were lost this past week – Gary Standley and Taoufik Agoumy. It is a tale of two very different individuals, separated by physical and cultural oceans. Unknown to each other, more than a friendship with me links them. Taoufik and his wife Oulya came into my … [Read more…]
Each time I drive past Travis School, the one-room schoolhouse where I started my whole adventure in learning, I see the possibilities. “Some day, it could be a __________” or “Someday, wouldn’t it be great if __________?” I have never doubted that the school with such a mix of memories for me would ever be … [Read more…]
My husband recently emailed me this photo with the comment, “Your desk doesn’t approach this!” His words calmed my guilty panic about the growing piles of books and notes surrounding my computer. Although I have never subscribed to the “day’s-end-clean-desk” model touted by efficiency experts, I can retrieve what I need to work on a project. … [Read more…]
