Sunday, December 27, 2020

Thought for the Day

Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement, 
[to] get up in the morning and look at the world
in a way that takes nothing for granted. [. . .]
~ Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
____________________________
 
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907 - 1972), Jewish Theologian and Philosopher; Activist, U.S. Civil Rigihts Movement; Writer

Obituary, The New York Times

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Art for Advent — Fourth Sunday

On this fourth Sunday in Advent, art historian James Romaine discusses African American artist Harriet Powers's Bible Quilt and how the quilt, comprising 11 panels organized in three rows, can be read. Powers, according to Romaine, expected viewers to understand her "visual sermon" and to read it with "a spiritual consciousness."

The video derives from Romaine's Seeing Art History classroom discussion of the artist, a former slave, and her work. See "Art for Advent 4: Harriet Powers, Reading the Bible Quilt" on YouTube.

Seeing Art History

Harriet Powers 

Bible Quilt (1885-1886), Smithsonian National Museum of American History

ARTSTOR's "The Enduring Significance of Harriet Powers's Quilts

Kristin Urban, "Harriet Powers: A Black Female Folk Artist Who Regained Her Glory", DailyArt Magazine, July 10, 2020

Thought for the Day

. . . even when tomorrow is no sure thing, when bodies fail, when dreams recede, when the world shrinks to the four walls around us, there is still something expansive that blooms in darkness. . . .

_____________________________ 

Quoted from Erik Jacobs, "Home", Emergence Magazine, December 13, 2020

Erik Jacobs, Award-Winning Photographer; Adjunct Faculty Member, Boston University Center fr Digital Imaging Arts

Thursday, December 17, 2020

New Artist Watch Feature at Escape Into Life

 

Sarah Summers, Tree Peonies, 2020

I am delighted to feature the work of freelance illustrator and designer Sarah Summers in December's Artist Watch for the international online arts magazine Escape Into Life.

Sarah, who lives and paints in the picturesque Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, has an extensive portfolio of work that appears on a wide range of commercial items, including fabrics, stationery, jigsaw puzzles, and holiday ornaments.

For today's Artist Watch, Sarah kindly shares with us six images that convey her abiding interest in native plants and wildlife and express her deep appreciation of the countryside where she lives and has her studio. Also included are a brief Artist Statement and a short biography.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Art for Advent — Third Sunday

Art historian James Romaine continues today, on the  third Sunday in Advent, his classroom discussion of African American artist Harriet Powers and takes up the Pictorial Quilt, that, in Romaine's words, is "a sermon made material". As the images of the quilt in the YouTube discussion show show, various panels depict Bible stories, including those of Job and Jonah, but they also seem to visualize more recent events known to Powers. Through quilting, the artist, Romaine points out, turned a formerly oral tradition into "a strategy of visual story telling".

Powers's quilt is dated 1895-1898.

Seeing Art History

Thought for the Day

[. . .] This is really what grateful living is: returning to the noticing of all that is sufficient. All that is extraordinary. All that already is in our lives – enough to take our breaths away – and using that to help us get through life in a way, through difficulty, through challenge…uplifted, enamored.[. . .]

_____________________

Quoted from Video Transcript of "Grateful Voices: Kristi" at A Network for Grateful Living, December 2020 

Kristi Nelson, Executive Director, A Network for Grateful Living; Author, Wake Up Grateful: The Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted (Storey Publishing, November 2020)

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Art for Advent — Second Sunday

Today, on the second Sunday in Advent, art historian James Romaine discusses African American artist Harriet Powers's The Redemption of Cain, part of her "sermon in patchwork" known as the Bible Quilt. On this particular panel of the quilt in which Cain appears, Powers visualizes the corrupting power of the Devil and the redemptive power of God.

Seeing Art History

Thought for the Day

[...] Let us remember those who have died for justice; 
For they have given us life.
 
Help us love even those who hate us;
So we can change the world.
~ Cesar Chavez, 'Prayer of the Farm Worker's Struggle'

________________________

Quoted from Cesar Chavez's "Prayer of the Farm Worker's Struggle" in Fr. Richard Rohr's "A Migrant Movement for Justice" at Center for Action and Contemplation, December 3, 2020

Cesar Chavez

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Art for Advent - First Sunday

As I have in years past, I am offering art historian James Romaine's "Art for Advent", which this year includes the work of African American artist Harriet Powers, a slave who lived near Athens, Georgia, her entire life. Today's YouTube video discusses Powers's Bible Quilt.
 
 
Kristin Urban, "Harriet Powers: A Black Female Folk Artist Who Regained Her Glory", DailyArt Magazine, July 10, 2020


Thought for the Day

Divine help is closer than the door

~ Celtic Proverb

______________________________

Quoted from Andrew Hinton, Owen O Suilleabhain, and David Whyte, "Blessings" (A Reflection on the Music for a Visual Interpretation of David Whyte's Poems), Emergence, October 25, 2020

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Thought for the Day

What do you do if you're still here
after the story of failure has already been written?
~ Michael V. Wilcox

____________________________

Quoted in Ben Ehrenreich, "How Do You Know When Society Is About to Fall Apart?" in The New York Times Magazine, November 4, 2020
 
Michael V. Wilcox, Native American Scholar; Affiliated Faculty, Department of Cultural and Social Anthropology, Stanford University

 
Ben Ehrenreich, Novelist, Freelance Journalist
 
 

Thursday, November 19, 2020

New Artist Watch Feature at Escape Into Life

 

Anthony Apesos, Two, Oil on Canvas, 28" x 22", 2019-2020

 

Anthony Apesos, Wood and Stone, 28" x 22", 2019-2020

 

I am delighted today to present the work of painter Anthony Apesos in November's Artist Watch column at the international online arts magazine Escape Into Life.

Tony, who is a professor in Lesley University's Fine Arts and Art History departments, currently lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts. Founding director of the M.F.A. program in visual arts at the university, Tony also is the author of Anatomy for Artists: A New Approach to Discovering, Learning, and Remembering the Body (North Light Books, 2007); the book has been published in Europe in French, German, and Spanish editions. Currently, Tony is working on a book on historical painting methods, as well as a series of articles on self-portraiture in narrative paintings.

For Artist Watch, Tony has generously provided 13 images from his Tarot series, including the two above. The column also includes an Artist Statement and a biographical profile.

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Thought for the Day

 I have reached this city of Washington under circumstances
 considerably differing from those under which
 any other man has ever reached it.
~ Abraham Lincoln
_____________________________
 
Quoted from Abraham Lincoln, Response to a Serenade, February 28,  1861 (Epigraph, Ted Widmer, Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington (Simon & Schuster, 2020)

Abraham Lincoln Papers, Manuscripts Division, Library of Congress (www.loc.gov/exhibits/lincoln/interactive/journey-of-the-president-elect/feb11/artifact_524_html)

Abraham Lincoln, The White House Presidents

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Thought for the Day


There is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness,
because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for
mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy. When
you experience mercy, you learn things that are hard to learn
otherwise . . . You begin to recognize the humanity
that resides in each of us.
~ Bryan Stevenson
________________________________

Quoted from Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (One World, 2015)

Bryan Stevenson, American Lawyer, Social Justice Activist, Founder/Executive Director, Equal Justice Initiative; Professor of Law, New York University School of Law; Writer

Just Mercy (Film)

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Thought for the Day


[. . .] one of the best things we humans can do for each
other, [...] perhaps the greatest gift we can give,
is to see each other.
~ Jan Richardson
_______________________________

Quoted from Jan Richardson, "If You Abide" in Sparrow (Wanton Gospeller Press, 2020), page 20

Jan Richardson, Artist, Writer, Ordained Minister (United Methodist Church), Director of The Wellspring Studio; Retreat Leader, Conference Speaker

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Thought for the Day


If you remember how to wonder, then you already
have what you need to learn how to love.
~ Valarie Kaur

__________________________________

Quoted in "Awe, Wonder, and Love" in the Series "Order, Disorder, Reorder: Part One", Center for Contemplation and Action, August 13, 2020 (Reference: Valarie Kaur, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love (One World: 2020), pp 10-11)

Valarie Kaur, Sikh Activist, Civil Rights Lawyer, Filmmaker, Writer

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Thought for the Day


Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough
and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only
be done by projecting the ethic of love to the center of our lives.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

___________________________________


Reference: Martin Luther King Jr., Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story (Harper and Row, 1958, pages 103-103 

Coretta Scott King, Foreword to Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love (Fortress Press, 2010; 1981; 1963), pags x-xi

Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968). African American Minister, Civil Rights Activist; Winner, Nobel Prize

Thursday, October 15, 2020

New Artist Watch Post at Escape Into Life


Steve Maphoso, Beauty, 2020
Charcoal and Acrylic on Mounting Board
46 cm  x 42 cm

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGE


Today's new Artist Watch column at Escape Into Life features beautiful portraits by Steve Maphoso.

Born in Angola, Steve currently lives and works in South Africa. He has been exhibiting his paintings, drawings, and collages since 2017; in 2021, his first solo show is planned. The artist platform North Waveland represents Steve.

For today's Artist Watch, I have included eight images of Steve's artworks, his Artist Statement, and a brief biography.

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Thought for the Day


When you understand, you love. And when you love,
you naturally act in a way that relieves the suffering of people.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

_______________________________


Reference: Rachel Neumann (Ed.), Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace (Parallax Press, Rev. Ed., 2005; 1987)

Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist Monk and Spiritual Teacher, Peace Activist, Poet,  Founder of Plum Village Tradition

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Thought for the Day


Daylight changes all the answers.
~ Jane Mead
_________________________

Quoted from Jane Mead, "Talking to You" in To the Wren: Collected & New Poems 1991-2019 (Alice James Books, 2019), page 136

Jane Mead (1958-2019), American Poet

Jane Mead Profiles at Academy of American Poets and Poetry Foundation

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Thought for the Day


Poetry is more a corral than an open field.
~ Craig Morgan Teicher

_________________________________

Quoted from "Louise Gluck's Steady Growth" in We Begin in Gladness: How Poets Progress | Essays (Graywolf Press, 2018), page137

Craig Morgan Teicher, Poet, Critic, and Writer; Poetry Editor, The Literary Review


Sunday, September 20, 2020

Thought for the Day


What is a prayer but a song of longing /
turning on the thread of its own history?
~ Jane Mead
________________________________

Quoted from Jane Mead, "Sparrow, My Sparrow" in To the Wren: Collected and New Poems 1991- 2019 (Alice James Books, 2019), page 66

Jane Mead (1958-2019), Award-Winning American Poet

"A Remembrance: Jane Mead (1958-2019)", Napa Valley Writers' Conference, September 16, 2019

Jane Mead Profiles at Academy of American Poets and Poetry Foundation

Thursday, September 17, 2020

New Artist Watch Column at Escape Into Life



Jane Hickey Caminos, Fear
Oil on Linen
36" x 18"
© Jane Hickey Caminos


Jane Hickey Caminos, Acid Madonna
Oil on Linen
16" x 20"
© Jane Hickey Caminos

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGES

I am delighted to introduce the paintings of Jane Hickey Caminos, known as the "Narrative Painter of Women," in today's new Artist Watch column in the international online arts magazine Escape Into Life.

A long-time painter who has been exhibiting work since the 1990s, Jane has dedicated herself to and built her artistic reputation by telling women's stories through art, in particular, stories of gender violence across all cultures. An activist, Jane believes that artists have a responsibility to use their art to create positive change in the world. To that end, she continues to promote awareness of gender violence, both physical and emotional, through her ongoing series "On Women Bound." 

Today's Artist Watch feature includes 10 images from "On Women Bound," Jane's Artist Statement, and Jane's biography and social media sites. Jane has been especially generous in allowing me to present images of her work not only at EIL but also in this introduction. 



Jane Hickey Caminos, One of Three
Oil on Linen
24" x 30"
© Jane Hickey Caminos


Jane Hickey Caminos, Warning
Oil on Linen
24" x 30"
© Jane Hickey Caminos


Jane Hickey Caminos, Without Love
Mixed Media on Linen
24" x 30"
© Jane Hickey Caminos

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Thought for the Day


to be born into love
is an awakening
~ Shann Ray
___________________________

Quoted from Shann Ray, Atomic Theory 7: Poems to My Wife and God (Resource Publications/Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2020), page 101

Shann Ray, Award-Winning Poet, Novelist, Short Story Writer; Editor, The International Journal of Servant Leadership; Teacher of Leadership and Forgiveness Studies, Gonzaga University; Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Thought for the Day


When we dare to face the cruel social and ecological
realities we have been accustomed to, courage is born
and powers within us are liberated to reimagine and
even, perhaps one day, rebuild a world.
~ Joanna Macy
_________________________________

Quoted from Joanna Macy, "Entering the Bardo" (Op-Ed) in Emergence Magazine (Online)

Joanna Macy, Ph.D., Buddhist Scholar, Eco-Philosopher, Scholar of General Systems Theory; Founder and Root Teacher, Work That Reconnects; Teacher; Author, Memoirist, and Translator; Activist

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Thought for the Day

When loves goes wrong, the survival of the spirit appears
to stand upon endurance, independence, tolerance, solitary grief.
These are tremendously moving qualities, and when they are
called upon, it is usual for the heroine to overshadow
the man who is the origin of her torment.
~ Elizabeth Hardwick
__________________________________

Quoted from Elizabeth Hardwick, Seduction and Betrayal (Kindle; NYRB Classics, New Edition, 2011)

Elizabeth Hardwick (1916-2007), American Novelist, Essayist, Short Story Writer, and Literary Critic


Sunday, August 23, 2020

Thought for the Day


What we do to each other is compounded
by what time does to us.
~ Luiza Flynn-Goodlett
____________________________

Quoted in Luiza Flynn-Goodlett, "The Quiver Inside Each Atom: A Review of Ellen Bass's Indigo",  in The Adroit Journal, April 10, 2020

Luiza Flynn-Goodlett, Editor-in-Chief, Foglifter; Reviewer, The Adroit Journal; Poet

Thursday, August 20, 2020

New Artist Watch Feature at Escape Into Life



Sue Mooney, The English Pilot
© Sue Mooney

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGE

August's dog days are upon us, and that means it's time for a new "Dog Days" feature at Escape Into Life, the international online arts magazine. This month's Artist Watch brings us the vivid and humorous portraits created by Minneapolis-based Sue Mooney.

Sue is a self-taught digital artist and acrylic painter who swapped out one career for another and has never looked back. In addition to dogs, she makes witty portraits of cats, birds, and horses, as well as wild animals; landmarks and urban landscapes; flowers; and a range of other subjects. She also accepts commissions.

Today's Artist Watch features seven images of Sue's dog portraits, her Artist Statement, and a brief biography. Sue's social media sites are posted along with past "Dog Days" columns to enjoy again.

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Thought for the Day


Where is our comfort but in the free, uninvolved, finally mysterious
beauty and grace of this world that we did not make, that has no
price? Where is our sanity but there? Where is our pleasure but in
working and resting kindly in the presence of this world?
~ Wendell Berry
________________________

Quoted in "God's Simple Pleasure", Center for Action and Contemplation, July 2, 2020

Wendell Berry, Author of Dozens of Works of Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry; Environmental Activist, Cultural Critic, Farmer

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Thought for the Day


[. . . ] start with simple: living
is not possible 
without life
~ Rosamond S. King
______________________________

Quoted from Rosamond S. King, "sometimes" in Hyperallergic, June 21, 2020

Rosamond S. King, Performance Artist

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Artists Talk About 'The Divine Feminine'


'THE DIVINE FEMININE':
A Conversation with the Artists

I had the opportunity and pleasure on July 29, 2020, of talking with painters Elizabeth Hudgins, Linda Maldonado, Elise Ritter, and Deborah Taylor, whose work appears in the online exhibition "The Divine Feminine", hosted by my parish, St. Michael's Episcopal Church (Arlington, Virginia), where I established the Arts & Faith ministry about a year-and-a-half ago. Our interview, the first since creating the ministry, was recorded live on the ever-ubiquitous Zoom. With much of the conversation captured on paper as well, I offer the artists' responses here for those who missed the live presentation or prefer the written word over audio or Zoom. (This version of the interview has been edited lightly for clarification, style, and grammar.) In an effort to give time to each of the artists during the live, hour-long discussion, I directed my questions to one or the other, and sometimes all of them. I have retained that format here.

All of the images illustrating this conversation are the artists' own and appear in the online exhibit.

Links to the artists' websites can be found at the end of this feature.

___________________________

Maureen Doallas: How did the four of you come to know each other and begin exhibiting together?

Elise Ritter: We all met years ago, through our wonderful community arts organization Arlington Artists Alliance, where each of us has held leadership positions. The Alliance has an art gallery called Gallery Underground, in Crystal City, and we all have shown there.

Around 2017, I read in a number of arts magazines and online that there were going to be many events in 2018 celebrating the centennial of Gustav Klimt and his group of artists in Vienna, Austria. I spent a semester abroad in Vienna, and discovered that I love the work of Klimt and the Secessionists. So, this [centennial] was going to be a very big deal in Europe, and in New York and Boston. I thought, why not Arlington? I sent out an email to some fellow artists in the Alliance to see if they would like to participate in a group show that we would name "Vienna Gold". [See "Vienna Woods and Klimt" on Elise's website.]

Thus was this group of kindred spirits formed. We had a successful exhibition at Gallery Underground, after which our work was shown by the Arts Council of the National Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. Maureen [Doallas, the interviewer] attended that exhibit and was able to see our different painting styles.

MD: How many exhibits have you done together?

ER: Formally, we have done two as a group entity: "Vienna Gold" and "The Divine Feminine". But we also have shown in various formations for many years. For instance, Linda and I had a duo show around 2014 called "Illuminations". Beth and Deb organize yearly winter art shows at Fort C.F. Smith Hendry House. Beth, Deb, and I once had a studio together at a gallery in Clarendon [in Arlington], and Linda and Beth had a duo show in 2006!

One of the best aspects of these theme [exhibits] is the challenge offered us: getting us out of our comfort zones. It's easy for an artist to stay the same, to create paintings using subjects and techniques that are familiar, especially if you have had good sales or have won prizes with them in the past.

All of us believe that art is about growth — and about pushing ourselves to try something new.

MD: Who typically takes the lead in coming up with an exhibition theme?

Elisabeth Hudgins: That is a group decision. One person often takes the lead in organizing the details of the exhibit once our theme is set and a rough timeline is worked out.

MD: What is the source of the concept of "The Divine Feminine", and how did you decide on it as a theme for an art exhibition?

Linda Maldonado: The idea of focusing on the feminine was kind of a natural with this group of women. The "Divine Feminine" concept itself is such an old and honored one that it sort of floated into our consciousness and seemed like a good fit, with plenty of room to accommodate our different approaches. And there is a large body of literature that provided us with considerable inspiration.

MD: One aspect of the show that I very much like is that each of you has taken a different approach to how you interpret the concept. At the same time, you've created four micro bodies of paintings that could stand alone yet work especially well together. To what do you attribute the cohesion? Was there much back-and-forth discussion on what would work and what would not?


LM: Yes, we came up with the idea of a "campfire", to meet monthly to discuss, share, review, and critique each other. We were supportive of each individual's own style and vision. Early on we agreed that our subject matters would range widely.

MD: How long did it take to put the entire show together?

Deborah Taylor: A lifetime!

EH: That's true! Every artist puts a lifetime of experiences into her work. We started researching the concept in the spring of 2019, with plans to show a year later.

MD: I'd like each of you to speak a bit about your individual creative processes, and whether you found yourselves impelled or wanting to experiment with new techniques or materials for this exhibit?

LM: I've been pursuing an intuitive approach, meaning I don't begin with an image or detailed plan. Instead, I might begin with specific colors and textures and just play with paint and paper till I get a sense of where the painting wants to go. At some point, [while thinking about this show,] I realized that my results were focused on the natural world, and, in particular, waterfalls, which I'd never much painted before.

DT: My creative process started with the notion of exploring what "The Divine Feminine" means to me individually as an artist, a mother, and a therapist. Mother Nature and flowers played heavily into the concept, as did the idea of women as "containing vessels" for those around them.

EH: My process for this show was very different from my norm. I was at a remote cabin, without my art supplies or the internet, but surrounded by a wonderful Virginia landscape. Spending time down at a stream, I started stacking stones into cairns, and noted how some took on the feminine form. I was reminded of the many pre-historic "Venus" figurines, which are some of the earliest figurative artworks. After taking pictures, I went back to my studio and  tried to re-create those rock cairns. When it came time to paint, I began experimenting with a technique using extremely thinned acrylic paint, poured on paper and allowed to dry untouched. When dried, the pigment formed very watery layers, which felt exactly right for these images.

ER: I usually paint spiritual themes — angels, spirits, and landscapes. But I was inspired to try something new for this show. I was fascinated with my fellow artists' subject matter — Mother Nature, waterfalls, vessels, primitive formations, flowers. I thought I would try figures — paintings of women in relationships. For me, "The Divine Feminine" is connection and relationships. I have been helped immensely by my friends, and wanted to portray the love I felt for them.


MD: It's traditional for an exhibiting artist to provide some kind of Artist Statement for viewers to read. The four of you have gone further, including as part of the show the sources of your inspirations, which include poems, cairns, quotations, and more. Why did you decide to add inspirations as part of the exhibit?

EH: For this show particularly, we felt that it was important to have viewers understand our processes. We spent such quality time time bouncing our ideas off of each other that we felt it might be interesting for viewers to get a glimpse of how artists' minds process ideas.

DT: It felt important! The exhibit and the process were meaningful to me; adding inspirations was a way to express that meaning. I see painting as a meditative process that is crafted in the same way that a poet crafts her poem or a dancer drafts her moves, each stroke holding concentration and meaning.

MD: How did you present these when the exhibit was on walls?

ER: We printed [the inspirations] on card stock and hung them next to the paintings, along with title cards that gave the [artist's] name, media used, and price of the artwork. 

A guest could spend a lot of time there [at Gallery Underground, where we were exhibiting], viewing the art and reading the inspirations. 

Interestingly, our opening was the first Friday of March 2020. Attendance was great and sales were good, as well. But within a few days, the gallery was shut down, it turned out, for many months. [This was because of the pandemic.]

MD: How do your documented inspirations serve the exhibit and the viewer?

DT: The inspirations and the artwork help explain who I am as an artist as well as a person. This is the thing about art: It is impossible (at least for me) to separate myself, consciously or unconsciously, from what I produce.

EH: The inspirations add depth to viewers' knowledge of how an artist might go about interpreting a theme. They make the exhibit much richer and deeper, so that it becomes more than just a visual presentation.

LM: Once we had put the paintings together with the title cards and companion text, we were all pleased with the reactions of viewers, who took the time to read our inspirations and see the visual responses they created.

MD: To what extent did your inspirations affect how and what you created?

LM: Early on, I spent a lot of time studying inspiring quotations and poetry. Once I finished a painting, I selected my title and companion quotation after finding a connection between the artwork and the words. In two cases, I discovered "emerging" from the paintings a feminine face or figure that I didn't consciously create. I definitely felt that the cloud of inspiring words and ideas affected what my brush painted.

DT: The inspiration of "The Divine Feminine" totally influenced what I painted. The Mary Oliver quotes went hand-in-hand with the paintings. I had read a lot of her poetry in the past and re-read it in conjunction with this show. Sometimes, favorite quotes inspired what I painted and sometimes what I painted inspired the quotes I chose.

MD: Before coming to St. Michael's, the exhibit had been shown in traditional form; that is, on the walls of Gallery Underground (in Crystal City, Arlington; now known as National Landing). St. Michael's had scheduled a September 2020 showing in its Parish Hall. Then the pandemic hit, changing everyone's immediate and future plans. Eventually, because of the virus's prevalence and all the changes that brought, we decided to present the exhibit earlier and virtually. What concerns, if any, did you have about migrating this exhibit from the walls to virtual space?

EH: At first, having to take the exhibit to a virtual experience seemed like it might be limiting. You feel like you miss seeing people's reactions, in having [viewers] come face to face with an artwork in a gallery. 

We also knew there were advantages. Viewers might spend more time with the work "from the comfort of their own homes"; they might come back multiple times; they might explore more of the background material.

DB: Knowing that so many things, art exhibits included, were going online then and now, I was keenly interested in how it would be pulled together. The way that the show is presented on the St. Michael's website took away any concerns I had.

MD: What were your reactions to seeing the show for the first time online?

LM: I was so excited to see the way it was organized, each painting [given] its own space for being perceived. I heard from a number of friends who viewed it that they appreciated the way it was displayed.

DT: I love it! It is beautifully presented. The presentation opened my eyes and thoughts to many possibilities in the future.

EH: It was really a revelation. Maureen had done a fantastic job in organizing the show to make it coherent and seamless. It was as though I was seeing the exhibit in a new, fresh, more cohesive light.

ER: I liked the fact that [online,] all of our paintings were the same size and carried the same weight. At a physical [bricks-and-mortar] gallery, so much depends on how the show is hung and where  the paintings end up.

Also, I was fortunate to be a part of Maureen's first online exhibition, which was about artists' responses to the pandemic. I knew the results would be incredible.

MD: What do you most miss about being unable to present the show in a traditional way?

EH: Interacting with the viewers. Being "surrounded" by the work.

DT: I miss the people and the receptions, and being able to interact with viewers and being asked to answer questions. It is a different experience, not better or worse — just different.

MD: Do you see virtual exhibits as part of your futures, and the future of art exhibitions more generally? Or do you think virtual exhibitions such as this one are here to stay?

EH: Yes. I think the limitations we are living with have opened new doors. I hope that in-person art experiences don't go away but this has shown how a virtual exhibition can enhance and add to an art exhibit. It makes the exhibit much more widely accessible. We, as artists, want our work to be viewed by as many people as possible.

DT: I definitely think that the virtual exhibit is here to stay for many reasons, with the pandemic being just one. I think that virtual exhibits do reach a larger audience, which is nice. They reach more people geographically, as well as more people who are strapped for time, and those who otherwise might not go to an art gallery.

ER: I think the virtual art gallery might actually afford for artists more creativity and experimentation. The bricks-and-mortar galleries demand, and rightfully so, strict standards for matting and framing and presentation — and fees. These costs and the time involved are primarily the responsibility of the artist. Online exhibitions might free up the artist to present more art, and art that isn't necessarily framed. It's important for the artist, we are learning, to provide dimensions and information about the frame and mat, if included or not.

MD: What do you hope will be viewers' take-aways from "The Divine Feminine"?

DT: The ideas of feminine power, energy, hope, continuity, and history — Divine Feminine past, present, and future.

EH: I hope it will make viewers think of all the ways The Divine Feminine touches their lives. I hope viewers pause and think of what The Divine Feminine means to them.

MD: What's next for each of you individually and as a collective?

EH: During this stay-at-home time, I have been busy doing a few commissioned pieces. One was a large-scale painting, which I really enjoyed doing, so I plan to experiment some more with working on a larger scale.

DT: I will continue my practice of doing art every day. I find that I can experiment with a lot of different styles and media, as well as explore diverse subject matter. Inspiration can be found just about anywhere.

LM: I will continue as president of Potomac Valley Watercolorists, and continue to create with collage and papers.

ER: I have been spending this summer in the Pacific Northwest, close to family. It seems like one of the few safe places to be, in this time of Covid-19, is out in nature. We've hiked a number of mountain trails; observed and heard rushing streams; and smelled and saw fields of lavender. I have a feeling these elements will make it into my paintings in the near future.

In terms of our group, we are closing in our next theme. We are very excited about having a new goals, a new direction. Plus, we are working with Chuck Kipp, owner of Sterling Framing in North Arlington's Cherrydale section, to create an ongoing gallery there that features all of our work and that of artist Kat Jamieson. This should open after Labor Day weekend.

We will show at various exhibitions through the Arlington Arts Alliance as well. And any time we can continue to work with Maureen through the Arts & Faith ministry at St. Michael's, we would love to do so!
~






Note: Current and past online exhibitions can be accessed on St. Michael's Arts & Faith page.

Sunday, August 2, 2020

Thought for the Day


You can make the society you want to live in.
~ Marilynne Robinson

__________________________________

Quoted from Online Conversation, "Story, Culture, and the Common Good with Marilynne Robinson," The Trinity Forum, July 24, 2020 (Robinson made this comment in response to a viewer question at the end of the conversation, which is 51:19 minutes long.)

Marilynne Robinson, Award-Winning Novelist, Essayist and Nonfiction Writer

Marilynne Robinson on Facebook

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Thought for the Day


[...] every day is a doorway
every moment is the world revealing itself. [...]
~ Lisa Creech Bledsoe

______________________________

Quoted from Lisa Creech Bledsoe, "Great Bear" at SWWIM, June 10, 2020

Lisa Creech Bledsoe, Poet and Writer, Author of the Collections Appalachian Ground (2019) and Wolf Laundry (2020)

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Thought for the Day


. . . You may have to break
your heart, but it isn't nothing
to know even one moment alive. . . .
~ Ellen Bass
__________________________

Quoted from Ellen Bass, "Any Common Desolation" in Indigo (Copper Canyon Press, April 2020), page 62

Ellen Bass, Award-Winning Poet, Editor, Nonfiction Writer; Chancellor, Academy of American Poets

Thursday, July 16, 2020

New Artist Watch Feature at Escape Into Life



Adrienne Stein, Strawberry Moon, 2019
Oil on Linen
7.5" x 9"

Copyright © Adrienne Stein

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGE


I am delighted to showcase the work of painter Adrienne Stein in my new Artist Watch column in the online international arts magazine Escape Into Life

An award-winning artist who lives and works in Pennsylvania, Adrienne reanimates historical painting genres with fresh insight and symbolic imagery. Inhabited by figures, folklore, archetypes, and natural elements, the worlds she paints are fueled by a sense of personal and universal myth and reinterpreted in lush, magical environments.

Today's Artist Watch spotlights eight of Adrienne's beautiful paintings and includes an Artist Statement and brief profile, as well as links to Adrienne's Website and social media.


Sunday, July 12, 2020

Thought for the Day


What does it mean to write poetry in a world where
metaphors are weaponized, and people erased in them?
~ Philip Metres
____________________________

Quoted from Philip Metres, "Of Seeing, the Unseen, and  the Unseeable: Technology, Poetry and 'When It Rains in Gaza'" (Sec. 10), New Ohio Review, June 11, 2018

Philip Metres, Award-Winning Poet and Translator; Professor of English and director, Peace, Justice, and Human Rights program, John Carroll University (Metres's most recent book is Shrapnel Maps (Copper Canyon Press, April 2020).)

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Musings in a Time of Crisis XXXIV


Fatal Celebration (July 3-5)

      In memory of 9 children lost to gun violence
          on Independence Day Weekend, 2020


They were six
and seven, sometimes

as young
as four, sometimes

as old as eleven
two were
two were seven
two six  two eight

the one just four, well
here our eyes land
and do not move

If you ask where
they came from
I could answer
Everywhere but

that would be wrong
We know today
they numbered nine
Let us name them
and if not, then

their play places:
Atlanta; Avon, Indiana;
Chicago; Columbia,
Missouri; Galivants
Ferry, South Carolina;

Hoover, Alabama;
Philadelphia;
San Francisco
Washington, D.C.

Lives taken now
noted, new numbers
added to archives
to help us remember

they died by gun
on our July 4 weekend

their fatal celebration
lost among the sounds
of bursting rockets

the sparklers held
in their tight little fists
raised against the red glare

________________________________

https://gunviolencearchive.org

Even during this pandemic, the children continue to die. I wish I knew their names, and not their incident numbers.

Monday, July 6, 2020

Musings in a Time of Crisis XXXIII

My greatest fear is that I wake up, and 
our democracy is gone.
~ Congressman John Lewis

[T]here are forces today trying to take us back
to another time and another dark period. We've come so far
and made so much progress, but as a nation and as a people,
we're not quite there yet. We have miles to go.
~ Congressman John Lewis

_________________________

Directed by Dawn Porter, the newly released documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia Pictures), is now available for streaming nationwide. The film is about one of the most important civil rights leaders in America. Using archival footage and interviews with Lewis and his family as well as those figuring significantly in Lewis's life, it exposes both the issues of the past and present and the inspiring examples of Lewis's civic activism and leadership on such legislative issues as voting rights, civil rights, and gun control.

The documentary's co-producers are Dawn Porter, Erika Alexander, Ben Arnon, and Laura Michalchyshyn.

Here is the film's trailer:



The Hyperallergic article by Eileen G'Sell, "A John Lewis Documentary Probes Tensions Between National and State Power" (July 4, 2020) looks in some detail at the film.

~

The Washington Post has issued "11 Things to Watch to Better Understand American at This Moment". The article by Bethonie Butler, includes such films as 4 Little Girls, 13th, Do the Right Thing, and I Am Not Your Negro.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Thought for the Day


[W]hat we do to each other is compounded
by what time does to us.
~ Luiza Flynn-Goodlett

_____________________________

Quoted from Luiza Flynn-Goodlett, "The Quiver Inside Each Atom: A Review of Ellen Bass's 'Indigo'" in The Adroit Journal, April 10, 2020 (Online)

Luiza Flynn-Goodlett, Poet, Writer, Critic; Editor-in-Chief, Foglifter (Flynn-Goodlett's most recent collection is the forthcoming Look Alive (Southeast Missouri State University Press, March 2021).)

Ellen Bass, Poet; Chancellor, Academy of American Poets; Nonfiction Writer; Editor; Teacher (Bass's most recent collection is Indigo (Copper Canyon Press, April 2020).)

Saturday, July 4, 2020

The Flag on the Fourth of July (Poem)





The Flag on the Fourth of July

Stars curl
and spiral

this night

O the sight
of all that

blue
and red
and white

all that
bursting

all that
fire

all that
might 


My Other July Poem:



Also See:





And if you have time for reflection, listen to Frederick Douglass's "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" as delivered by actor Ossie Davis:


"A Nation's Story: 'What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?'" at National Museum of African American History and Culture


Thursday, July 2, 2020

Musings in a Time of Crisis XXXI


We have years of activism under our belts. 
Now we just fight harder, we fight smarter, and we fight as one.
~ Alejandro, Film Subject, The Unafraid
______________________

I had an opportunity last night to view online, on Good Docs, the feature-length documentary The Unafraid. Anayansi Prado and Heather Courtney are the co-directors/-producers and cinematographers.

The film follows a small group of DACA youths in Georgia — the storylines of three in particular are narrated — after their high school graduation in 2014. By law, they are shut out of the top five public universities in the state and must pay tuition at the international student level — obstacles none of them can overcome. In the years covered, which end just before 45's election in 2016 and his subsequent attempt to force the deportation of more than 800,000 persons with DACA status (the recent Supreme Court decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals came too late to be noted in the film), we see how the young people are impelled to become political activists and how for all three and their families the "American dream" becomes their "American nightmare."

The Unafraid is deeply moving in parts, as it portrays quite well not just the multi-generational struggle to create a better life and future in America, especially but not only in the Deep South, but also what forces those with no money, no education, and no papers to leave their countries for the United States. The sacrifices made are tremendous, and what it means for families to risk everything to come here is wholly unappreciated by policymakers who would rather erect walls than uphold the values this country is supposed to represent. Our cluelessness robs human beings no different from ourselves of so much, from the most basic rights and services that those born here take for granted, to the opportunities to realize better lives for our children, opportunities slow in coming, if at all, to the undocumented.
In addition to showing us the truths about forced migration and its life-changing consequences, the documentary also sharply reveals the racism endemic throughout this country. To be brown means having a life that doesn't matter, if you want to go to college, if you want to make a living that lifts you out of poverty. To be brown means not having the right to believe in the "American dream". To be brown means, in the argot of the film, to be "very afraid" until you become one of "the unafraid" who finds the strength to risk opening a closed door. 
That any one of us might watch this film and not see the wrongs we perpetuate in our government and socioeconomic and cultural policies, as well as through our myth-making, is to be deliberately obtuse and tragically indifferent to the riches that immigrants, undocumented people, asylees, refugees, and DACA recipients offer us.

A virtual discussion of the film for those able to watch it last night takes place this evening on Zoom. I intend to listen and to be part of it.

Here is the film trailer: