I’m here with eight other artists from the Van Ness Housing
Coop. It’s the first time we have been
brought together to exhibit. It’s fun to
meet and greet one another. One woman
says, “With so many of us at Van Ness, we ought to have ourselves an artist
saloon.” Maybe it will happen and usher
in another surprise.
Around the perimeter of the room hang our paintings. There
are oils and acrylics - mostly abstractions. They grab attention with their powerful
strokes of bold color. By contrast, there’s
a soft pastel. It depicts friends
talking. I’m struck by expressions and their
eyes. Some connect and others stare
blankly beyond the painting. I wonder to
myself, “If pictures could talk, what stories would be told.”
Watercolorists are well represented with four of us in the show. Each has a distinct style. Several use a line and wash technique
combining ink pen drawing with delicate watercolor washes. My friend Marguerite has done some delightful
street scenes from Provence France. You
can view some of her work on her blog http://inkpaintwords.wordpress.com/
A new friend Martine has a whimsical painting of two cats
perched on a windowsill. They’re intent
on every movement of a red bird feeding outside. More of her work can be viewed
at http://martineart.webs.com/
It’s wonderful to be here among these artists. A few years ago it would have been
unimaginable. I was just dabbling with
watercolors. Sure I went to some classes
in Boston and Maine. I even got to go to workshop in Andalusia, Spain. It
was a lot of fun, but through it all I lacked an understanding of basic
techniques. My painting was hit and misses and often I missed.
All this changed when I began to teach. A teacher needs to know his material. I spent many hours dissecting techniques and painting
them one step at a time. During my Peace
Corps Service in Ukraine, long winter nights were filled with practice and then
more practice. My own art work got a lot
better as I understood more about basic techniques. Soon I began teaching classes to aspiring
artist and enjoying every moment of it.
I submitted four paintings and three were accepted for the
exhibit.
Maine Winter is from memory, but inspired by my life in
Maine. Often I drove a road in South
Portland and viewed the distant city from across the frozen harbor. Of course the cluster of pines in the
painting is a way of identifying with Maine, the Pine Tree State.
English Cottage is an painting I made for an Internet
contest. They supplied a photograph as
jumping off place. I then decided to
add a second building nestled into the trees.
Do you see the line and wash technique?
I like the way the sky formed. It uses what is commonly called wet-into-wet.
A friend asks, “How did you paint that?” We talk about the unique characteristics of
watercolor. “For sure it can be
difficult, but there’s magic too”, I say. “Unlike other media, watercolor flows and
mixes on the paper. It’s spontaneous and
somewhat unpredictable.
I liken it to having a dance partner. One leads and the
other follows and sometimes roles are reversed.
When I lay a wash across the paper, it’s like gliding into a first step
and then waiting for my partner to responds.
On and on we go responding to one another. I think that’s why I like watercolors. You never know exactly where you’re going to
end up. So many surprising things can
happen – just like life.”
Winter Glow comes from my imagination, but is informed by my
memory of Ukraine. Ukraine can be so
very cold and it has an abundance of birch trees. The glow from the depths of the forest is a
mystery. Is it a sunrise, sunset, fire
or some other glow? Like the mystery that
is Ukraine, it awaits interpretation.
Right now the room is filling up. About a dozen of my friends have come to show
support. I'm delighted. Ben, a Peace Corps friend, is
here too. I jokingly call him my patron because he commissioned a painting last Christmas.
Lots of people are
circulating and looking at the variety of art. Several indicate an interest in mine and ask for a card. Fortunately, I made up a few just so that I
would be prepared. I haven’t sold
any. But who knows, I may be surprised. The exhibit will be up for a month.
When I served in Ukraine, I got a chance to teach
leadership skills to young leaders of the Country’s emerging civic
society. I remember saying that before
you start a new project, it helps to imagine it.
I said, “It’s like your first step happens in the mind.” I encouraged them to take time to envision outcomes
and let their minds feel the contours of what they were about to start. It’s like Stephen Covey writes in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. “Begin
with your end in mind.”
Last New Year’s, I was thinking about finding a way to show
some of my art. I thought about scoping
out coffee shops and various restaurants.
I began imaging my work on public display. But
before I could take further steps, I got a letter - “We would like to invite
you to participate in the exhibition program of the Fine Arts Committee of the
Chevy Chase Citizen’s Association....”
It’s
amazing how life can surprise you just as you begin to think about starting something new.
