WELL…it happened again, just the other day, as it has so many innumerable times over the course of my pursuit.
As I was engaged in completing my shopping at one of our local “big-box” stores, I was approached by one of the employees whom I knew as a resident of our community. A very kind and gracious lady, whenever she sees me, she engages me in conversation concerning my Carousel carving.
SO…this time, her questions centered upon concepts which have been asked of me more times than I could EVER count. Questions ranging from how I carve, how I decide WHAT to carve, what type of wood I use, how long does it take me to carve an animal, etc., etc., etc.
BUT… the question which REALLY commanded my attention was her response to my statement concerning Artistic ability.
As I am known to state: “Everyone is an Artist! No matter what you do, whether it be placing dots upon a sheet of paper, knitting, cooking a meal, or raising children, EVERYONE is a CREATIVE GENIUS!” Moreover, what an individual creates IS Art!
OKAY
So, it usually takes a great deal of convincing examples on my part to have an individual understand and agree with my concept. But, the conviction is ALWAYS certain.
SO…what is Art? Must a piece of Creativity follow a certain “pattern,” or possess a accepted concept before it is rendered as “acceptable?”
NOPE!
AND…what makes something/anything a thing of “Beauty?” A thing of “Worth?”
Is a patch of greenery growing along the side of a road simply a bundle of weeds? Is a tree simply a piece of wood? Is a forest simply something to be eradicated in the name of “progress?”
Over the past twelve years, I have assisted and encouraged innumerable individuals to put aside their preconceptions, and view their Talents and their surrounding environments with a “new perspective.” It has not always been a easy task.
History is filled with examples of how difficult it is to put aside preconceptions.
One of the most prominent examples of this process was noted by the British poet and Artist, William Blake.
For William Blake, imagination represented the pillar of the spirit, an essential part of being human and an inexhaustible source of beauty. In one of Blake’s most beautiful letters, the then 20-year-old poet wrote: “The art of life is to train the eye to notice what is truly beautiful and noble, an undertaking that would well change the way we live in today’s world.”
He continued…“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.”
Unfortunately, Blake lived in the dark and died in poverty. His genius and his vision were only fully appreciated after his death. But his words speak Truth…especially in today’s world.
FIRST STOP
After I completed my shopping and returned home that afternoon, the questions of my Friend persisted to remain in my mind’s eye. I decided to take a walk…perhaps I could escape these persistent thoughts and questions.
I decided to walk over to my studio-barn. Recently, due to the re-emergence of my health, I had decided to complete the internal construction of the first floor of the studio…the area in which I had, until my illness, constructed and carved the majority of my Carousel animals.
I slowly ran my hands over the newly installed (yet incomplete) wooden walls. As I approached the Southern-facing wall, my eyes fell upon the “dedication” plaque I had printed over 14 years prior, when the studio was first constructed.
My breath actually stopped! The date of the studio’s dedication was stated as “September 17, 1985.” This was the same exact date of the day I now stood today as I gazed upwards at the plaque.
How could I have been so forgetful…how could this day of Beauty and Gratitude have escaped me?
How could I have wandered away from completing the studio’s interior…and wandered SO far away from my own Creativity, and ceased my carving?
Somehow, over the years, I lost part of my Vision.
NEXT STEP
The day was coming to an end. The rays of Sunlight were fading into oblivion. I decided to walk into the “woodsy” part of our property.
After a short while, I stopped. There before my eyes stood a magnificent reminder of the Past…a huge tree stood in barren essence, spreading its limbs upward to the approaching evening. Beneath its branches once stood a wooden bench, upon which two of my now departed Friends spent Time together, while the essence of Nature infused itself into their Lives.
I remembered!
Within its upper branches, their youngest son once built a fragile platform, and spent nights under the protection of the leaves, while being lulled into sleep by the creatures of the woods.
I remembered!
The bench is long gone..as well as the platform…as well as my Friends. But, the Beauty of the woods still holds their Spirit.
AND, the TREE STILL STANDS.
Now, of course, that tree may be viewed as a deteriorating and rotting piece of worthless wood.
Of course, the questions asked of me while shopping that day may be viewed as simple queries; but, they moved me back into my studio later that same day.
BACK IN THE HOUSE
As the evening lights came on inside the house, I noticed a piece of “work” framed and installed upon the far left corner of the stairway leading up to our loft area. This work is a composite…made-up of innumerable dots, forming the picture of Gene Kelly hanging from the lamppost while voicing the song, “Singing In The Rain.” This picture/artwork was composed by more than 37 individuals I worked with when I began my role as a regional Art Director. Each of these individuals was a patient at the Time…and each of them believed they had NO Artistic Talent, nor Imagination. BUT THEY DID!!!!
THANKS, JANE
Yep, thanks, to the store employee/friend who questioned me that afternoon. Jane, your words took me back to the tree.
Maybe, just MAYBE, if we are fortunate, we ALL will see more than just a Tree…and maybe, just MAYBE, we will recognize the Beauty within ourselves.
“I walk the maze of moments
but everywhere I turn to
begins a new beginning
but never finds a finish
I walk to the horizon
and there I find another
it all seems so surprising
and then I find that I know”
ENYA
(The Memory of Trees)
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