Marin School of the Arts Director teased in an Instagram post that this art work by John Grade is the inspiration for the Center for the Arts that broke ground this Summer at Novato High School. We have been very excited for this project and we have this sublime new piece of information to ponder. It just adds to the anticipation of a 2021 completion date.
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Going away for a few days gave me the opportunity to read and I opened up Henry Miller's Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch and found thoughts on Art worth noting.
"The world presses down on all alike. Men are not suffering from the lack of good literature, good art, good theater, good music, but from that which has made it impossible for those to become manifest. In short, they are suffering from the fact art is not the primary, moving force in their lives, They are suffering from the act, repeated daily, of keeping up the pretense that they can go about their way, lead their lives, without art. They never dream -- or they behave as if they never realize -- that the reason why they feel sterile, frustrated and joyless is because art (and with it the artist) has been rules out of their lives. For every artist who has been assassinated thus (unwittingly?) thousands of ordinary citizens who might have known a normal joyous life, are condemned to lead the purgatorial existence" What if it was the lack of art in our lives that was messing us up? What if it doesn't matter how good at it we are and that we just need to be doing art, or at least being a spectator of art to be content? Miller states quite clearly that while he is a successful writer, he paints not because he is good at it, but because it makes him happy. "And so, when I'm studying a postcard from Mecca, or one of Utrillo's suburban scenes, I say to myself, "one thing is as good as another." Am I happy? Does it make fun? I forget about the good life; I forget my duties and responsibilities. I even forget about the poison oak which is cropping up again. When I paint I feel good. And if it make me feel so good, the chances are it will make the other fellow feel good too. If it doesn't, I should worry....Now what were those pigments I meant to use when looking at the hills a while ago? Oh yes, yellow ochre, Indian yellow, brown-red, raw sienna and a dash of rose madder. Perhaps a touch of raw umber too. Good! It'll probably look like baby shit, but who cares? Moi, je suis l'ange de cocasse....And don't forget, I remind myself, when you mail that book to what's his name in Immensee-- or is it Helsingfors? -- don't forget to wrap it in a "failed" water color! Strange how people suddenly develop an appreciation for that which is tossed away!" Everyone needs a distraction. We think that the Internet with its memes, fights, or Candy Crush are mindless distractions, but they do not put us in the state of contentment and it doesn't take us out of the modern world that is draining us. Dear Reader, I know that you are reading this on the Internet. I come here to tell you to log off now and paint, draw, take photos, write, or make something with your hands. If you need inspiration, read a book, listen to music, go into the garden, or walk in nature. Miller's words hit me because he is saying what I have been thinking for some time. He published these words in 1957, way before the Internet. What they had then was the dull, everyday grind and the dumb brutality of American life. Back then they needed art as we need it today. We got to stop with the excuses why we cannot do art or make art an integral part of our lives. We do not have to be good at doing art to do it and we certainly have no excuse for not supporting artists by going to an art show, see a play, listen to live music, go to a ballet or dance performance, or go see a film. If you do art, do not fear failure. Miller has a great idea for your failed art: wrap gifts with it. One of the biggest factors in my return to creating art is that my son was auditioning last year for the Marin School of the Arts. He was auditioning for the Rock/Contemporary Music Program for guitar and electric bass and the Digital Arts program. He was accepted and I realized that in encouraging him to go to a school of the arts, we were prioritizing the arts in a big way. I think it made me think of the wisdom or lack of wisdom to not make the arts more of a priority. I had been a photographer and sold some of my photos, but I used to be good at drawing and painting. So last year and this year, I have been trying to make space for my art because we are an arts family.
Last year, I went to a memorial of my Drama Teacher in High School, Lee Clements. I saw the dancing teacher and heard stories about how performing arts still plays a role in people's lives in their 50s and 60s. My friends who were in Choraliers with me and friends that were in Jazz band still enrich their lives by performing or consuming the arts. Looking back at my public school, I realized that we had a rigorous arts program back in 1981-84. It made me start thinking how I would reshape education so every child in this country would not only have the best academic classes, but would have access to arts education and industrial arts education so they would have skills beyond the basics. Every child in America deserves to find out what they are good at and the ability to do that thing while they are in school. Not every child will excel in academics, but they may be good with their hands, be a gifted musician, be a talented actor, or great at dance. What I propose is in addition to math, science, english, foreign language, history, and civics, we also introduce classes in the arts and industrial arts. The arts department at every school in the nation would offer theater arts, orchestra, jazz band and combo, vocal music, film, digital arts, drawing, painting, sculpture, creative writing, and dance. What I would like to see is what Marin School of the Arts has. This video shows how the arts really makes a difference in everyone's life. The arts provide practice in being empathetic and standing in someone else's shoes. The arts have been shown to reduce stress, depression, and when you are in the zone, it takes your mind off pain. Art can be therapy sessions throughout your life. Then I would have an industrial arts department where we would offer instruction in the trades like electrical, plumbing, HVAC, mechanics, carpentry, construction, culinary arts, drafting, welding, fashion design, textiles, interior design, lab technician, and emergency medicine. My husband's grandfather went to a private polytechnic school in San Francisco that taught academics, but also electrical, mechanics, drafting, fashion design, textiles, and other trades. I think we need to revisit that. Both the arts and industrial arts promote resilience. Not everyone is going to be academic, so you need to let kids understand that while they must be exposed to academics, there are other things they can do with their lives. Academics, the Arts, and Industrial Arts are not mutually exclusive to each other. The arts, especially music helps with performance in Math. Exposure to the trades means you may be able to do your own wiring or you know of a former classmate you can call for help. I have seen first hand how arts education keeps kids, who wouldn't normally be engaged in school, engaged in school. It gives them a reason to wake up and show up for school. It builds their self confidence and well being to find what they are good at and be with kids who have found what they are good at. Not everyone who has arts education or industrial arts education will end up doing any of it professionally, but they will learn those skill and be able to use them if they need them. If they are not performers or tradesmen, they will be better consumers or teachers of the arts and trades generating demand for the arts and trades. The arts and industrial arts are also safe from robotics. So many jobs we have today are on track to be automated or sent oversees. The arts and industrial arts will be resistant to that trend. If we make a commitment to the arts we will have new career paths for people who are not necessarily academically inclined. There is money in the arts. Watch the credits of the popular show, Game of Thrones and you will see actors, musicians, fine artists, digital artists, construction, model makers, set design, craftspersons, costumers, electricians, makeup artists, camera operators, and food services. Given the growth of all kinds of entertainment platforms, arts and industrial arts can offer practical skills. Every school should support kids who are good working with their hands, or who can create art. This is a piece I finished yesterday. Again, I was influenced by a black and white photograph of these two women in the 1920s kissing. The original had them among weeds and barbed wire. I decided to have them in grass and blossoms of spring. I used Sennelier oil pastels and Faber-Castell oil Polychromos pencils. The color vibrancy these materials provide makes me happy.
This is my first oil pastel art that I was able to use my new set of Fabel-Castell Polychromos pencils. I am loving this combination. You cannot deny the vibrancy you can achieve with Sennelier oil pastels and the Polychromos. The reference I used was a black and white photo which gave me the freedom to play with the color. I find I get the best results when I use black and white photo references because it gets me out of trying to replicate the source and allows me to just use it as a launch point.
I am old enough to remember having to wear swimming caps and hating it. Yet, swimming caps used to be works of art on their own. Swimming caps could be wonderfully playful like the one in this oil pastel. I am really feeling my own color choices here. I love the green in the cap and her eyes, and it would totally make sense for her to wear a cap that matches her eyes. The plumb like color details really is a great contrast. It really makes the other colors pop. Art Circle resumes on Tuesday, June 5th in the Studio. We will contribute to post here in the meantime. If you are interested in signing up we will post on the Selfcare Studio events where you can sign up.
i have been playing with more mixed media: charcoal, chalk pastels, and graphite. I am also into creating expressionist work where the emotion is more important than naturalism. I am thinking about the Weimar period because the times we are living in. We are living in times of absurdity.
iI am starting an art journal that began as an art experiment with black gesso and black watercolor ground. Here I am using the watercolor ground as a way to add relief and texture. I used mostly Sennelier watercolor, but also Winsor & Newton Designer Gouache.
I began creating this version human heart grabbing at the red walls of the page of the journal. It hit me that the heart of the heart is a pomegranate. Pomegranates have a lot of symbolism in regards to fertility and creation. I have always been interested in the story of Persephone who spends her time in two different worlds. The pomegranate was an item of desire and temptation. This isnt done. I will be connecting this heart to the facing page that will be a volcanic fissure inspired by what is happening in the big island of Hawaii. Having spent time in Volcano and Pahoa I left feeling a connection to that place. I was there in 2014 when there was volcanic activity as a flow headed toward the town of Pahoa. There is a smell of sulfur, drizzle, and tropical vegetation and it felt like the primal smell of creation. Pele creates and you just have to get out of her way. If you feel the sulfurous warmth of the cracks of the earth you feel close to the beginning of it all. My heart is with those who live in this place and are being displaced from their homes. It is a scary time and it is hard to face that Pele can wipe the canvas clean over your dreams. There is no cleaning up lava, Pele just claims it. My heart is torn because I see tragedy, but I also see the beauty of Pele’s work. Hilo side of Hawai’i is lush and spirit filled because it is so close to lava soaked earth. I will post when this art is finished. I am really liking using watercolor ground and gesso as a way to have unique watercolor paintings. The pomegranate detail turned out to be more realistic than I could hope. |
AuthorD.K. Castellucci is an artist living in Marin County who works in acrylic, oil paint, oil and soft pastels, charcoal, gouache, watercolors, graphite and Archives
December 2023
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