It seems like a lifetime ago when I took a bearing and set
sail on my career as a painter, pushing aside my "regular" job (or
getting fired to put it bluntly) to focus on my "real" job. As with any
extended voyage, there have been many times of uncertainty, fear, and yes...
even triumph. Though fear and uncertainty still patrol these waters, they don't
seem to board my ship as often as they used to. Triumph, on the other hand,
seems to regularly fill my sails with victories both large and small.
There is a great deal of solitude in what I do, both in the
studio and the field. In my little creative vacuum, there's very little
opportunity for personal interaction with other artists. That lack of creative
feedback is often amplified when I'm mired in a project that seems to be
draining all my energy without much sign of progress. It can be a nasty cycle
of depression and self-doubt when things aren't going well.
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| This year's crew of usual suspects: Cindy House, James Coe, Jim Bortz, Sue Adair, Stephen Quinn, Michael DiGiorgio, Sean Murtha, Barry Van Dusen, Lucia deLeiris |
So I was both honored and excited when renowned New England painter, Jim Coe, invited me to attend the
"Gathering." Not really knowing what to expect, I cleared my calendar
for the proposed dates. I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity and the
7-hour drive to the Catskills was a small price to pay. From the beginning I
knew I'd likely be the first to arrive and the last to leave.
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| Break time! |
I've written before about the energy surrounding a group of
likeminded people. It's both exhilarating and exhausting. As it turned out,
this was basically a show and tell session for artists... and pretty damned
high level artists at that! This included thoughtful critiques and helpful
advice... all of which I took to heart.
The entire time I was there, I kept thinking back to a
conversation I'd had with Paul Rhymer more than a year ago when he told me,
"You've been walking in some tall grass, my friend!" There is
however, danger in that tall grass. There is a rush of pure joy that comes from
being included with such accomplished artists, each with their own specialties
and areas of expertise. Along with the inspiration of talking to and getting
advice from such a proficient group, there is a humbling sense of admiration
and an almost paralyzing fear of inadequacy. It's easy to take a look at
Barry's sketch books and wonder what the hell I'm doing! Tall grass indeed.
I expected to come away with a need to pause and reassess my
plotted course, but seem to have instead caught a wave and good wind for my
sail. I'm sure my course will shift... as it should... but the direction is
"forward"... even if the destination is unkown.
