What Joy

For all Art Farmers on this Monday...

What Joy. What Thrill.  To wake in the morning. To wake in the knowing. To know in the lying. The lying ahead. Ahead lies a thrill. A thrilling ahead.  A thrill so big.  So bold.  

A big, bold thrill waiting to happen.  Waiting and wanting.  Wanting to happen.  Waiting for taking.  A thrilling event.  An event drawing breaths.  Big and Drawn.  Drawn to Happen.  It happens to be a drawing event.  

Drawing closer.  Drawing forward.  Drawing towards.  Drawn to.  Drawn to make.  Drawn to mold.  Drawn to shape and Drawn to share.  Oh, to see. Oh, I see.  Oh, I see so much to share.  What Joy to wake in the morning!  

Great American Impressionists of the West

From time to time, it does a heap of good to explore new territory and last week that is just what this farmer did.  It was time to saddle up and head west.  While in Miami last December for Art Basel, I learned of another art fair in California that was fit for a visit.  The Los Angeles Fine Art Fair. 

It is true, I have made many a pilgrimage to Northern California but the southern parts have always been out of reach.  And that is mighty peculiar, for in recent years the great American Impressionist Painters of the early 20th Century, most of whom embody the beauty of the wild Southwest, have captivated me.  And so it was.

Edgar Payne "Canyon De Chelley"

It was an enormous privilege to see first hand works by the likes of Granville Redmond, whose masterpiece "Blue Lupine and Poppies" exhibited carefully thought out degrees of tonalism. 

Granville Redmond

Another painter I was drawn to was Edgar Payne.  Payne's "Hilltop Shadows" showed thoughtful depth and atmosphere that was almost other-worldly.  This piece was only one of several iconic works by Payne throughout the fair.

Edgar Payne "Morning Light"

William Wendt stopped me dead in my tracks.  Not only is the palette good enough to eat, but his manner of laying down color is what struck me.  There is an organized rhythm to his brushwork that is akin to a tapestry.  Two stand out pieces of Wendt's were, "The New Bridge" and "Ranch in the Valley". 

William Wendt

Perhaps the piece that struck me most of all was a very small, modest work by George Gardner Symons.  "By the Pond", measureing at 6" x 9", is an outstanding example of plein air painting with loose, lyrical strokes.  It captures a single moment without being overworked and displays the kind of liberated brushwork many of us strive for.  It is truly a gem.

George Gardner Symons "By the Pond"

Sustainable Soul Food

Just a young sapling, this new year, and already showing signs of hearty growth.  Hearty growth depends on rich soil and rich soil is the soul of a good crop.  Last week, in the first quiet days of January, The Farm got a generous helping of sustainable soul food from a newly forged kindred spirit.  But first, let's mosey back a step or two.

Last autumns final harvest was a painting of a lone woman on a wooden swing.  Beyond her lies a splendorous sweep called Idaho.  At her feet, a majestic spread of valley, rich and verdant, is cradled by a mountain range softly fading to meet the sky.

To be clear, the image just happened to present itself first in a spectacular photograph taken by the son of the woman on the wooden swing.  This art farmer was so taken by the photograph he had no choice but to paint it.  As a consequence, the son-shutter bug was so taken by the painting he had no choice but to offer it as a gift to his mother, the woman on the swing.  Upon receiving the painting, the kind woman was so taken she had no choice but to, in turn, offer nourishment back to The Farm and farmer from where it came...

"You've captured two things in your painting: 1) the actual swing motion & pause in midair, & 2) my total immersion in the action where the air & I are one.  Swinging puts me in a meditative state where creation & I become one. It's the closest I come to flying free of gravity, and you caught that feeling in this painting.  Thank you for that gift."

That kind of nourishment feeds creative fields.  To plow paint out in the fields is one thing, but to tap into one's soul, to capture the essence...well, there just aren't words to describe it.  Thank YOU to the very kind Vickie Marron and her son who captured the moment that started it all, Michael Marron.  These two folks are fine additions to our family of Honorary Art Farmers!