Saturday, July 31, 2010

Maitland magic

I stood at the Gate of Life and said, "Give me a light that I may go softly into the unknown." And a voice replied, "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That will be to you better than a light and safer than a known way." -- quotation carved in stone in the outdoor church at the Maitland Art Center.


Thanks to friends and classmates who keep pointing me to the treasures (almost) in my own backyard. While the greater Orlando area may conjure up images of Shamu, Harry Potter, and Minnie Mouse for most folks, I'm learning there's a rich arts community throughout central Florida.

A case in point is the Maitland Art Center which we visited this morning. Founded in the 1930's by artist Andre Smith, it's an idyllic retreat that invited artists to relax, refresh, and re-locate the muse within. Today, it's recognized as a Florida Historic Site and promotes knowledge and education in American art and artists through its offering of classes, lectures and exhibits. The complex consists of 23 separate structures linked by beautiful gardens and courtyards, all configured in the rare "Mayan Revival" style. The property includes an outdoor church under a canopy of massive live oaks laden with hanging moss.

This day, there's an exhibit of the works of American Impressionist William Vincent Kirkpatrick. His work is reminiscent of the French Impressionists -- it glows off the canvas!

Friday, July 9, 2010

A glimpse into the artist's soul

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significane." - Aristotle, Greek philosopher (382-322 BC)

As much as I love art -- various kinds of art -- it saddens me that my own artistic efforts never developed beyond my melted crayon pointillisms in 7th grade art class. My work did manage to end up in the family gallery of my childhood home, but I didn't inherit the talent my younger siblings obviously received. Still my parents (my mother especially who had considerable creative giftings) encouraged my efforts and fostered my interest in art. Before we newlyweds had a stick of furniture, they made sure we had framed art for our walls!

So I'm always thrilled to meet someone who possesses that true soul-of-the-artist. Rachel is one of those people. She's the new friend I've met through my online courses, my buddy at the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Conference, and a co-sympathizer through this MA process. She's also an accomplished sculptor and painter. I visited her St. Petersburg home and studio today and got a better understanding of what inspires her, what pushes her to create.

In addition to seeing her work, I got to see a bit of her past thanks to a photo album and portfolio of her past work and exhibitions. Rachel turned her back on academic pursuits at Boston University in the mid-70's and wound up in Jamaica where she created a new life for herself that included a husband, a baby girl, and a simple but contented existence in a grass hut overlooking the Caribbean. And Jamaica -- along with tragedy in her personal life (her husband died when her daughter was three) and a re-emergence of her Christian faith -- became the crucible for an artistic expression that has continued to this day.

Much of her work would be defined as abstract, but when she reveals to you the inner impetus, the vision or inspiration that drove her to shape a particular piece of mahogany or alabaster into a certain form, you see it! She believes her inspiration comes through her own devotional life, from the Holy Spirit. And she recognizes stages in her artistic life where different themes emerge.... hands, the nest, the altar... God's nurturing love, eternity, the spirit within...

Rachel loves texture, working with bits of metal or cloth or bone to enhance her work and give it depth. She loves blending images of classical mythology with Christian motifs. She's comfortable working with a broad variety of materials, creating works both small with intricate detail or bold and colossal.

She also loves studying the role of faith and devotion in the lives of artists, and we had a meaningful time sharing sources, comparing notes on where we are in our own lives, and how we're trusting God to reveal the next chapter. Whille sharing a lunch of tuna sandwiches, we also shared our fascination with the luminescence of Fra Angelico's Annunciation, William Blake's struggle with his own faith journey, and the challenges of going back to school at this stage of our lives. A memorable afternoon!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Buon 4 di giuglio!

"Ancora imparo." (I am still learning.) -- Michelangelo

Like any true American, I love a good 4th of July celebration -- small town parades, fireworks, and the shameless array of good summer eats (nothing beats Ohio sweet corn). But this July 4th, I have to admit my thoughts also wander back to a year ago when my husband and I celebrated the holiday week-end in Florence, the opening scene of a wonderful vacation through Tuscany and the Cinque Terre of Italy. Would it be terrible to admit I didn't mind trading in a grilled hamburger for a plate of trofie al pesto...just this once?
I hadn't yet begun this blog, so comments and mementos of the trip were not posted. Maybe it's because I've been harvesting basil for pesto off my lanai, or maybe it's simply incurable nostalgia, but here are a few of the highlightsof a memorable trip to Italia:

* the wonderfully informative and entertaining art tour we had of Florence, including the Uffizi Gallery, the Duomo, and the Galleria dell'Arte that houses Michelangelo's David. Did you know you can tell a medieval building from a Renaissance building simply by the size and symmetry of the windows?

* the ancient Etruscan walls that surround Volterra, a beloved landmark miraculously saved by the townspeople from destruction by the Nazis;

* the rich, vibrant colors that leap off the canvases by Botticelli, Rafael, da Vinci -- centuries after their works were created!

* the unique political status of the powerful city state that existed on the peninsula during the Renaissance, and the bitter (and often bloody) rivalry between the cities. No wonder it was the 1860's before Italy united as a country for the first time.

* the drama that played out in a world of big commissions and even bigger egos -- how Donatello, Brunelleschi, and Michelangelo himself outwitted their patrons.

* seeing Fra Angelico's Annunciazione "glow" within the modest exhibit room of the diocesan museum in Cortona. Interesting note: the artist painted the angel's words of greeting to the Virgin Mary upside-down so they could be read from heaven.

* being enthralled with the over-the-top ornamentation of the cathedral in Siena, the medieval towers of San Gimignano, the breath-taking coastal views hiking between Vernazza and Monterosso;

* breathing air laden with lavender, rosemary (bushes of it over 10' high), and roses...

* rolling down Tuscan hills covered with sunflowers, olive groves, and vineyards in a tiny Mini-Cooper. Surprised we fit in it!

I don't need a coin in the Trevi Fountain to guarantee my return one day. Arrivederci literally means "until we see each other again". Enough said!