May-be I’ll Go Back To Bed

I find May a difficult month. Thank heavens for the flowering trees and wisteria, they’re the only reason I like this month. The problem with May is it is inconsistent in terms of weather when I’m not quite ready for summer but sick of winter and it’s also a very busy month. Too busy.

For some reason when May comes everyone comes out of their winter hibernation mode and want to make up for lost time and I just can’t keep up. Plus it is the opening of the art association and that takes up an unbelievable amount of time. I feel like I am constantly falling behind. Yesterday I spent most of the day at the art association in meetings about publicity, advertising, promotion — all those things that are so crucial to the success of the summer but which there is not enough time or money for. So we have to be creative. An art association being creative — imagine that.

But it is also an exciting year for NSAA. There are three major exhibitions on the schedule — something I can’t ever remember happening in one year. There is an exhibition of the New England Sculpture Society this summer and the Past-Present exhibition in the fall. Right now, however, is the opening of the American Watercolor Society’s Traveling Exhibition. I got to see it yesterday and, let me tell you, these are not your grandmother’s watercolors!

The Gold Medal Winner is a stunning piece (left) called Venetian Gold by Paula Fiebich which will take your breath away. Many of the other pieces are bold, brilliant, powerful. This is a style of watercolor that takes your breath away — you have to get up close to the paintings to see how it was done.

I studied watercolor with Betty Lou Schlemm, A.W.S., D.F. She is one of the strongest watercolorists I have ever met and I loved taking class with her. It was just the wrong medium for me. But I learned so much from her, most especially how to see. How to look and observe.

Learning to look and to observe what you see is a skill that every artist, and most other folks, too, would do well to cultivate. There are two significant aspects to learning see and observe. One is that it makes you a better painter/writer/sculptor or whatever. But also it is a respectful way to live your life. Learning to observe is as close to a spiritual discipline as I can think of. As you pay attention and learn to accurately see and record, you pay homage and give dignity to the things you are giving your attention to.

Someone once said that if you want people to think you are a fascinating conversationalist, learn to listen. I’ve seen the truth of that many, many times. There have been so many times when I’ve spent time with a person and just let them do the talking, only asking questions here and there to draw them out even more. Later I have been told by that person how very, very much they enjoyed our conversation and how interesting I am. When I said barely more than a sentence.

Well, I’m wandering here but May is a good month for wandering thoughts. I need to get to work — there’s a lot to do. So, if you are in the area, go to the North Shore Arts Association and take in the AWS exhibition. Spend some time enjoying the beautiful trees. And look. Look, see, observe. It is May — something good is happening.

Thanks for reading.