Story-Telling and Art

The last event of my show at Baldwin School was  a meeting with the Third Grade who were studying my paintings; imagine!.  I have taught elementary students a little bit, a long time ago. These students have an outstanding teacher who taught them a lot about looking and about talking about art.  They were fun.

I was a little concerned that too many limitations were being placed on their reactions, so I wrote them a letter:

Dear Third Grade:

It was fun meeting with you a couple of weeks ago.  I would have written sooner, but I got the flu!  While resting though, I have been thinking about our few minutes together.

I am very impressed and honored by the time and care you have each taken to consider and to comment, with great insight, on my artwork.  Mrs. G. has taken her wonderful knowledge skills in art history and appreciation and taught you very well; you are insightful viewers. I apologize for forgetting to point out some of Mrs. G's amazing observations that might have been helpful in your other studies.  My paintings have no people in them.  That is on purpose, as I feel people diminish the vastness and the eternal qualities of the ocean.  The permanence and vital import of the water is the main reason I am attracted to it.  While I love to play in the water, I also feel a full connection to the universe when I am near it.  It is an enormous force of nature and the source of all life.  It’s enormity in every aspect of our lives is immeasurable and I hope to capture that feeling in the images.

Having stated my point of view and having praised your formal art observational skills, I want to go on to encourage a skill that you may not realize you have developed.  As you were lining up to leave, a comment was made by your substitute, that there had been “enough story-telling and it was time to move on.”  There is never, nor there ever be “enough story-telling.”  I delighted in your stories; we were all interacting with the art work.  Your stories were direct reactions to the images.  They were sparked by the images and your stories demonstrated to me what my work brought to your minds.  Some of you were more verbal than others.  Some of you were silent. Silence is also a response to art, whether it is sparked by personal contemplation or by lack of interest, it is a strong response.

Art is an act of sharing.  It is a non verbal story.  Much of the artwork found in churches was made to tell Biblical stories because most of the people in the churches did not read.  Art is thought, ideas  and emotion; story-telling and education in a non-verbal form.  Your storytelling was wonderful and gave me much insight about the effectiveness of my pictures.

I am so glad that you enjoyed my work and I am delighted to have met you and to have heard and seen your interactions with my work, each other and with me.  Keep up your enthusiasm, curiosity and generosity.  You are wonderfully intelligent and joyful people.

I hope that they take my words to heart and know that talking in the presence of art work is a joy. Living with art is a privilege that I wish more people would undertake.  Buy real art, it does not have to be expensive and it brings huge wealth to your life.  

I have a HUGE inventory ;)