August 12, 2011

Been thinking, thinking, writing and thinking – I HAVE A GRAND PLAN…I’ve been wanting to do something artistically to coincide with my 60th (I turn 6-0 on 9/28/12) like I did when 50 was looming when I had a grand “fit by fifty” plan (I lost 30 lbs and l and got a new hairstyle)

I started planning a sabbatical with a show at the end.  As the idea evolved, I realized that I couldn’t complete my “GRAND ART PLAN” by my 60th. So, I decided to make it about what I accomplished during my 60th year…using my 59th to prepare.  The idea is to take my 60th year off and have a self-directed year of study…primarily about art techniques and art history with secondary studies in literature/poetry and science/nature.  I want the project to revolve around Fairmount Park and my home.  I will use the 52 Montezuma Bald Cypress trees that ring my favorite part of the park as my inspiration.

            Montezuma Palm Cypress trees that line the lakes at Fairmount Park

My goals are simple but important to my future as an artist:

• To regain the discipline of working alone so that I can be a productive artist (not just in my mind).
• To learn the rules and techniques of printmaking and mixed media art so that when I break a rule it is because I want to and not because I don’t know any better.
• To find out if I have the talent, desire and discipline to become a working artist.

A show is required at the end of my “GRAND ART PLAN” to insure its completion. It has now evolved into a two room show. The first room will be “What I Did With 365 Days Off”. (working title)  This show will give a glimpse inside my crazy, quirky brain.  The second room will be my senior project “The Fingerprints Of Fairmount Park” (working title) depicting the 52 trees that will be my muses for the year.  [since this was posted in Aug 2011 I wrote a proposal that was presented to and accepted by the Riverside Art Museum…I will be having a show, called “52” at RAM in Oct 2013 ]

This is ambitious and I am feeling equal amounts of eagerness and anxiety but I can totally visualize the entire year and show.I decided I need to, first, get Zee’s buy-in. She has been incredibly supportive from the first moment. Then I wanted feedback from the most compulsively driven, creative person I know…Doug McCulloh. Doug is a local photographer who has shown around the world who just happened to help us/RPS with our marketing the past 20 years. Doug and I have gotten to know each other well over the years and he is one of the few people who knew that this button-downed business person had a crazy creative person inside.

Doug had such a positive reaction…he thought it was “a crazy good idea!” I had three questions…

• was the project doable
• was the project show worthy
• if the above two were “YES” would he consider an advisory role

YES! YES! YES! I skipped all the way home      

Zee is on board!  Doug McCulloh thought it was “a crazy good idea” and has agreed to be my lead advisor and curator. Beatriz Mejia Krumbein, the head of the art department at La Sierra University and Todd Wingate also agreed to play an advisory, curating roles. Jan Harvey and Kathy DeAtley enthusiastically signed on as mentor artists. More on all of these special people later…