I Quit?

This past month I have found myself wanting to quit my job. Of course I don’t really have a job in the true sense of the word. No one is paying my salary, and I am my own boss. Though I do sell my artwork now and then, I would literally starve to death if I depended on sales to remain alive. And the monies I earn for my writing, a more reliable steady income, would virtually leave me destitute if it were my only source of revenue. Still this low paying position of artist/writer takes up an inordinate amount of my time. For the thirty years that I practiced as a mental health professional, making a fairly decent income, I never worked as hard.

So truth be told I am just plain tired, exhausted really, burned out. I want to quit. Quit painting? Or writing? I don’t think so. What I want to quit is the business of being an artist – the marketing, networking, dealing with exhibits and galleries, going to openings, writing query letters, “building a platform.” Too much of my time is spent outside my studio dealing with other people and negotiating with the art/writing community, knowing and getting known, developing a reputation, tooting my horn so to speak. God, I’m sick of it.

The recluse, hermit, monk within is going insane. I want to stop complaining and being a grouch. Like Greta Garbo, “I want to be alone.” I want to retreat to my cave and paint pictures just because painting gives me pleasure. Or writing novels because I love the characters and stories I have created even if no one else ever reads the work. I want to stop thinking about what might sell, or how much I should charge, or about being more “cutting edge.” I’m tired of feeling competitive and of being self-critical when I spend too much thought on comparing myself to others. I want the time and space to express myself creatively, just because that’s what I want to do, without the pressure of earning a living, of having a job. And since I’m earning so little money anyway, why not quit?

I am officially giving notice to the world that I resign. For now, I am without a job – no more covering the gallery, running workshops, writing articles, or attending meetings, art openings, or writing groups unless I want to, and right now I don’t…

Who am I kidding? Next Friday night, June 3, 2011, is the opening reception for “The Art of Association.” It’s a collaborative exhibition of three local art groups: the Artists Association of Jupiter (AAoJ), Artists of Palm Beach County (APBC), and North County Art Association (NCAA) at the Lighthouse ArtCenter in Tequesta. I’m in AAoJ and APBC, so five of my paintings are in the show and two of my Dad’s. I wouldn’t miss the opening for anything. And there is a fabulous 3D photographer, Art Siegel, whose work I got to know at the “Vivid Art” exhibition in 110 East Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach. I just have to write an Examiner article about him.

Let’s face it, being an artist/writer is not a job. It’s my life. I can’t quit. I’ll just have to find more balance, meditate more, find time to relax, listen to what my unconscious is telling me. Above left is a photograph I took of a Buddha at the Morikami encircled by a wire fence. My painting of him “Buddha at the Morikami” on the right, free of the fence, is more than halfway done.

Altered States

“Season” has come to an end. Today Sunfest begins in downtown West Palm Beach, a celebration of the “Season” being over, a time to party because the snowbirds have returned to the north. In recent years the mobs of people have made it feel less celebratory for me. I imagine many of them are in fact out-of-towners. And unfortunately, I’ve finally reached the age where most of the musical groups are foreign to me. The only group I’m eager to see is Earth, Wind, and Fire, and they won’t be performing until Sunday evening.

In truth, this past month I have been enjoying guests visiting from around the country – family and friends from New York, Chicago, Boston, and California. When my friend Ronna was here a couple of weeks ago, I took her to the Norton Museum of Art. She’s heard me talk about it a great deal in the past and was curious to see the museum I have proudly espoused. Not having been to the Norton in a few weeks, Ronna’s visit offered me the opportunity to see the latest exhibits, but first I showed her the Dale Chihuly room. Ronna was excited by the current exhibit of his fabulous glasswork and paintings in the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, and his ocean themed ceiling installation at the Norton was a treat for her.

Though she was impressed with the permanent collection and the Fabulous Fakes exhibit of jewelry designed by Kenneth Jay Lane, she had no desire to see the Egyptian Treasures. Instead we concentrated on exploring Altered States: Jose Alvarez, Yayoi Kusama, Fred Tomaselli and Leo Villareal which began on April 2 and runs through July 17, 2011. Made up of collages, paintings, and installations by this select group of artists, the exhibit offers a transformative experience. The psychedelic colors and peacock feathers used by Alvarez, the detailed works by Kusama, and the intriguing drug filled collages by Tomaselli transport the viewer to an altered perception of reality.

Two years ago when I was in Sydney, Australia I had the good fortune to see an exhibit of Kusama’s work. At the time I found her paintings interesting, but her installations were unforgettable. Mirrored rooms filled with tiny lights created a feeling of being in outer space and witnessing infinity. I hoped to someday see an exhibit of her work in Florida. The Norton show includes several of her paintings, but perhaps the most impressive piece is her sculpture of a standing, nude, Barbie doll-like figure with a brown wig and covered with polka dots.

The installation at the Norton is by Leo Villareal. “Firmament II” welcomes the viewer’s participation, and the Norton has helped by providing wide comfortable chaise lounges to recline on while one views the changing lights above. Fred Tomaselli is quoted as believing that “art is obligated to transport the viewer… to the sublime.” Villareal’s piece has the power to do just that. Ronna and I must have remained on the chaise for at least a half hour where together we were transported to the heavens.

Later we took a long walk at MacArthurs Beach State Park where I showed off the natural beauty of my chosen state, and Ronna took a picture of the two of us on the boardwalk leading to the beach.

Capturing the Light

The light, the light, capturing the light eludes me. Paintings that do catch the light are the most effective. Or at least that’s what I learned in school. It’s the reason why Kinkade, whose work I find saccharine, is so successful. It’s why Rembrandt is considered one of the greatest painters who ever lived. I never cared for his work either, which I find much too dark, and his subject matter, primarily portraits and biblical scenes, doesn’t grab me. Yet Vermeer mostly painted portraits, and he’s one of my all time favorites. Vermeer really knew how to paint the light. His studies of women in domestic scenes take my breath away.

Yesterday, I showed my painter friend, Han, a photo I took of orchids at the recent Hatsume Fair at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Garden. I was excited about the photograph not for its photographic value, but because I thought the orchid would make a good watercolor. Han shook his head when he saw it. “Not enough light,” he said. “I could paint the light,” I replied knowing that I just have to paint that orchid.

My paintings often have too much light. It’s the shadows I ignore. Nancy Jones, a photographer and the wife of Bill Jones who is an exhibiting woodturner at A Unique Art Gallery, stopped by last week when I was covering the gallery. We talked about artworks, and she said the shadows interest her the most. So perhaps it’s the shadows I need to concentrate on. By focusing on the shadows, the light will emerge and will be more striking in contrast to the dark. Sounds awfully philosophical to me.

Above is the picture of the orchid I hope to paint and also a photo of my recent work, “Wakodahatchee November.” It was the colors that inspired me to paint the scene on a 30” x 40” canvas, one of my larger pieces. I’m exhibiting it in Vivid Art, a show in Delray Beach, which begins next week, April 4 and runs through June 3, 2011 at 110 East Atlantic Avenue. 110 is a commercial office building on four floors with a lot of wall space and an open atrium that can accommodate paintings up to 72 inches high and 60 inches wide. The building nestled between Café de France and Blue Fish restaurants is an exciting new venue for local art groups. Talking about light, the open atrium is bright and inviting. Here’s hoping it will draw affluent viewers eager to buy art.

Taking Flight

The very talented artist known as Han has been teaching Photo Reference Watercolor, Oil, or Acrylic Painting at A Unique Art Gallery in Jupiter for the past few months. I met Han in July when he joined the art collective, and the two of us became friends. He began teaching his class on Saturday mornings, which is the day I mostly cover the gallery.

Originally on the first Saturday but more recently on the third Saturday of the month, I run an Unleashing Creativity workshop. Han took part in a couple of workshops, so I decided to take his class. We figured that way neither one of us would have to pay. We would just exchange services. My sister, Jan, was studying watercolor with him, and I decided to try it myself.

A hundred years ago when I was in college, watercolor was a medium I did not enjoy. I’ve been oil painting since my early twenties, and I’ve always thought that oils are much easier to use than watercolors. After all, you can correct mistakes in oils but with watercolor you have to get it right from the start. So I was nervous when I started taking Han’s class.

I teach in my creativity workshops not to worry about the product and instead to enjoy the process of creating. If the process (the creative experience) is good, it will more likely result in a meaningful, worthwhile finished product. Though I try to practice what I preach, I’m not immune from an internal judge, who can be very critical of my work. Still I didn’t allow my self-criticism to inhibit me from trying to paint with watercolor, and the result has been a new love.

Next Wednesday, March 9, 2011, A Unique Art Gallery and our neighbor Unique Glass Art, are benefiting the Audubon Society of the Everglades on our Second Wednesday open house from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. The theme is “Taking Flight,” which is the feeling I get working with watercolors.

Jan and I have been bird lovers our entire lives. Our mother was not a dog or cat lover, so our

childhood pet was a brilliant parakeet. We are convinced that Skippy, who had a huge vocabulary and spoke in sentences, was a reincarnated human. He was a bird who flew away from home and found his way back.

Ten years ago when I started painting again after not painting for nearly twenty years, I began with a painting of Baby, my parakeet at that time, in a hibiscus tree. So I suppose it’s not surprising that the Audubon fundraiser inspired me to spend the last month using watercolors to paint birds. I’m hoping that the fundraiser is a huge success and that people will want to buy my new watercolors.

A Unique Art Gallery and Unique Glass Art are located at 226 Center St., one block west of Alt A1A, next to the Jupiter Ale House. Learn more about the organization, its artists and programs on the Association’s website, www.artistsassociationofjupiter.com. For more information on this event call Susan Lorenti at (954) 588-7275 or Carolyn Austin at (561) 747-2024.

Time is passing

Season is here, and life is busy. Too busy sometimes. Last week the Women in the Visual Arts exhibit opened at 110 East Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. The office complex on four floors with a lot of wall space and an open atrium that can accommodate paintings up to 72 inches high and 60 inches wide is an exciting new venue for WITVA. This exhibition was open to non-members, all Florida artists, both males and females over the age of 18. I was thrilled to receive an Invitational Award to show six of my oil paintings in another exhibition in the building. I’ll have to decide which pieces to put in.

Meantime, I’ve been so preoccupied with A Unique Art Gallery and the Small Spaces: Big Ideas, Small Works Show that I haven’t been painting as much as I like. The show is opening on February 3rd, and though it was time consuming, it’s amazing how easy it went. A lot is involved putting on an exhibition. We had to put out a call for artists, organize the submissions, get them to JB Berkow, the juror, then notify the artists, receive the accepted works, and finally hang the forty-four wall pieces and set up pedestals for the six 3-dimensional works. The opening is next week 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 9, 2011. Everyone is invited to 226 Center Street just west of Alternate A1A in Jupiter for wine, refreshments, socializing, and viewing and purchasing art.

Next week will be especially busy since Wednesday is the gallery open house and Thursday night is the Pink Cocktail Party and Fashion Show at the Lighthouse Art Center, 373 Tequesta Drive in Tequesta where the ArtyBras will be auctioned. Last year $5,000 was raised for breast cancer research, and this year the art bras will benefit the Ella Milbank Foshay Cancer Center at the Jupiter Medical Center and the Lighthouse ArtCenter. I have AlgeBra in the show, which I will be modeling.

Saturday, February 12 is Everglades Day. I volunteered to sell T-shirts at the annual event that begins in the morning, but I will have to leave early because Rare Earth Gallery, 41 S.W. Flagler Avenue in Stuart is having its 2^nd annual fundraising event to benefit Treasure Coast Hospice. They entitled this special day: "HEARTS for HOSPICE." I donated an item for the auction and also volunteered to participate at the event. So I will have to leave Everglades Day by noon and head up to Stuart. On the way home, I plan to stop at my friend David Willison’s solo exhibit opening in the Art on Park Gallery, 800 Park Avenue in Lake Park. The exhibit began on February 6th and runs until March 3^rd, but the 12^th is the big night from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. I imagine I’ll be exhausted by the time I get home, but it should be fun.

New Beginnings

On December 8, 2010 my friends, Carrie and Mike, delivered their new baby boy, Joey, who is now two weeks old. I wish I could say that I took the photograph of him and his father. When I saw it, I knew I had to paint it. Carrie emailed me the image, and though I never paint portraits, this one of Mike and Joey is an exception. I started the under painting a few days ago, and I think I may be able to pull it off.

It struck me as very coincidental because “New Beginnings” is the theme of the Second Wednesday Open House at A Unique Gallery on January 12, 2011. I realized that if I can finish the painting in time, it would be perfect to exhibit in the show. This Second Wednesday is particularly important to me because the proceeds of sales and the raffle will benefit the Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County (MHA). The theme was chosen to acknowledge the opportunities in the New Year for the recently established artists collective, the recipients of MHA’s services, and everyone’s chance at a new beginning.

Since 1949, MHA has been dedicated to improving the lives of people who are touched by mental illness. Through advocacy, education, research and outreach, the organization reduces the stigma of seeking mental health treatment and leads a community collaborative effort to increase access to care. My original involvement with the association began over twenty years ago when I owned my private psychotherapy practice. As a healthcare provider I appreciated the support I received from MHA, and now I’m pleased that it will be the recipient of the gallery’s fundraising.

January’s Second Wednesday is also meaningful because my Dad was chosen to be one of the featured artists. If he were still alive, he would be joyful. Dad would have loved Carrie and Mike too, and he would have wanted to do the portrait of Mike and Joey which he would have captured with his pastels. He was great at drawing people, and perhaps that’s what held me back. There was always a bit of competition between us, and I was intimidated by his masterful work. Still, I haven’t really been motivated to do portraits, so perhaps my focus on landscapes had nothing to do with him.

Lupe Lawrence, my friend and a fellow landscape artist at the gallery, shared with me that someone told her she couldn’t paint portraits. That’s all she needed to hear and proceeded to begin painting them. She recently exhibited one of her powerful portraits in the “Peace on Earth” exhibit, which will be on display at the Lighthouse ArtCenter in Tequesta until the end of December. I’m hoping my portrait turns out as well.

In any event, I’m looking forward to the “New Beginnings” open house and I’m inviting everyone to attend. It will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 226 Center Street in Jupiter just west of Alternate A1A next to the Ale House in Center Plaza. In addition to my Dad, Herman Schreiber, three other artists will be featured: sculptor Norm Gitzen, and painters Chris Oakes and Genevieve Johnson. Hope to see you there, and in the meantime have a joyous holiday. Happy New Year!

A Scary Gallery Experience

Last month, I wrote about gallery experiences without knowing that I was about to face the worst experience ever. Just days after writing the blog, my sister, Jan, suggested that we call the owner of a gallery in Boca Raton which had three of my late father’s pastels. We hadn’t heard from the gallery owner in a while, and Jan thought it made sense to check in with him before the “Season.” She called him on a Saturday and was surprised to get his voicemail and no return call to the message she left. By Monday when we still hadn’t heard from him, I tried calling and emailing.

Feeling slightly paranoid when he didn’t answer either the calls or the emails, I decided to look online. I freaked out when I discovered that the website was down. This did not bode well. Clearly the gallery was closed, and what happened to our paintings!?! After some research, we located the property manager who confirmed that the gallery was shut down, but he was not forthcoming with the whereabouts of our pastels. We were very anxious for a day or two and then decided to call the Boca police.

Our talk with a police officer prompted the gallery owner to return our calls. He sounded devastated about the loss of his gallery and explained that he owed the property management rent money so they were holding the artwork hostage. More calls to the property management went back and forth until we finally reached their lawyer. We informed him that we had a signed Consignment Agreement, a legal document which required him to return the pastels to us.

Thankfully, in just a little over a week we had Dad’s work back. I’m convinced that without the Consignment Agreement our work might still be in storage along with all the other artwork we saw the day we picked ours up. I’m writing this as a warning to any artist who has work in a gallery without a signed agreement. I’m very grateful to J.B. Berkow, a well-known local artist who wrote the book What They Don’t Teach You In Art School. It’s a must read, and the agreement I use came straight out of it.

On a happier note, I’ve been enjoying the Unleashing Creativity Workshops so much that I’ve decided to offer my services as a creativity coach to individuals for private sessions. I met with my first client and found it extremely rewarding.

I’m also pleased to announce that I’m a featured artist for December in a Unique Art Gallery, 226 Center Street in Jupiter, along with Han, Lupe Lawrence, and Nancy Fried-Tobin. Everyone is invited to our Second Wednesday Open House on December 8, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. The theme is “Nurturing,” and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Loggerhead MarineLife Center. Jan and I are happy to announce that we will be showing Dad’s pastels in the gallery beginning in December. Another reason to attend the open house. Happy Holidays!

For the nurturing theme, I’m exhibiting my orchid paintings. The above photos are “Orchids in the Entry” which I just finished and “Orchids On the Fence” from a couple of years ago.