When I am working on a new piece of art friends always ask me what is the title? For me the title develops at various stages of the work. For me titles tend to be developed from a much deeper place, from my "emotional passages", or as a hidden surprise to the viewer.
Reflecting on the ways I have navigated thru life, I find there is a fierce internal force burning inside me. Sometimes is is subtle and other times and it is brutal and knocks you flat on your butt with no respect for time of place. This force I refer to as my Emotional Passage. When I approach my day I often wonder what new emotional passage I will encounter and how I will experience it and/or shape it. But more importantly, how I will react to it... The reaction is the most important! Meditation and time have helped me keep this in perspective, but it is also the stimulus that energizes my art.
As we watch our society, I wonder how the lack of personal contact and electronic over stimulation will shape the emotional passages of our fellow humans, especially our children.
Here is a short list of some of my different Emotional Passages... each has had a profound effect on my life and my art. To explore each is beyond the scope of this post. Family/ Work: Childhood, sports, schools, marriage, moving, divorce, raising children, work, studying, basketball, residency, fellowship, lack of sleep, politics, surgery, preforming spine surgery, weddings, loss of loved ones and the joy of grandchildren, watching death, sickness and aging. building homes, building furniture, pets, back surgery, a knee replacement and of course my life at the lake.
Emotional life: Love, fear, happiness, depression, sorrow, joy, pain and anger, acceptance, peace, and bliss. Art: Learning to see, peace, ecstasy, classes, trusting my thoughts, thinking, stretching my boundaries, inspiration, nirvana, mind therapy, shows, acceptance, rejection, excitement, frustration, elation, losing fear, trying new ideas , learning to look beyond, and freely challenging the status quo.
Spending a great deal of time reflecting is helpful. As is sitting down with friends and discussing how my emotional passages interplay with each other and my art. When I do this, I invariably develop better art and the title becomes clear. Sometimes titles have other meanings relating to past experiences. Usually the more direct or simple they are the more they fit my work. Thus the title of this work was PASSAGES.
Art Show Update: My latest work "Passages"is on display at the Kinder Morgan Building lobby in Houston. The Show is titled "Textures". It is on display this summer. My work is about our travels last winter to the North East to be with my wife's family. The work was done as 5 panels with enamel on copper. Then mounted on a rough hewn walnut base. For me it reflects a feeling of serenity and joy. I hope you can visit the exhibit as all the works are amazing. The show is put on thru the Museum of Fine Arts Adult School, called the Glassell School of art. I will be completing the certificate program this fall when they move into a new fabulous building. I will keep you posted on the celebration and graduation show. This will be another passage.
Art Travels: This spring Elizabeth and I went to Washington DC for an anniversary and I was drawn to explore electroforming after seeing the June Schwarcz Enameling show at the Renwick Gallery. Her work was profound and groundbreaking as was the show. To see more of her work go to: http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2017/schwarcz/
A Special Thanks: To an amazing artist who I have met working on a new process and direction in my work called electroforming. His name is Michael Glancy and he teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design. He is an amazing glass artist who was very open and friendly with my investigation. Thank you!!! To see more of his work go to: https://michaelglancyglassworks.com/
Thanks, and until we meet again.... Namaste AL
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