For good luck and the search for awe
Early January – I received a text and then an email from Rossi inviting me to “chain letter” show at the Holland Project. For Good Luck, a locals exhibition celebrating the start the new year. Artists received invitations via a chain email, and the only way to participate was to “pass it on.” The Holland Project wanted to see where the path led and what unpredictable chain of artists would show in the gallery.
I, of course said yes to Rossi and then passed the email on to another artist (who didn’t respond…so sad.) It was a very short window for producing a new piece of art (4 days.) I embraced the challenge and in doing so I had a creative break-through for a visual idea I was trying to figure out for the Pollinator Show coming up in August. I had playing with the idea of how to represent wind. The first representation of wind showed up at the RTIA show last September where I placed my bird magnets on tiny circle discs scattered beside a large-scale bristlecone woodcut. So, this idea was still floating in my mind. I had some circle wood panels in the studio (12” diameter) and some extra prints from a print exchange I had just finished. I started to collage the prints and ceramic pieces to the wood and then paint into the composition, visualizing how the wind would interact with the shapes and colors. I was under a deadline, so I had to harness the creative juices I had AND use what materials I had in the studio at the moment. The first piece finished in 2024 and also the beginning of a new series of work…what comes from being challenged in a short amount of time…chance…luck…friendship….
A New Day, Collagraph Intaglio, Ceramic, Pen and Ink, Acrylic on Wood 12”x12x1” 2024
This one piece led to many pieces that then helped solve a visual problem that I was having. In the end, I have my “wind” that will travel between paintings for the upcoming show in Fallon. Woohoo!
Studio work in progress January 2024
I want to write a little about my own search for awe. Last year I read Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. Dacher Keltner, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley defines awe as the “feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.” Reading this book during a time that I was struggling with healing after an MS attack was in itself an awe experience. I would find myself crying while reading it, engulfed in the words.
After reading this, I began to search for awe. In his book, Keltner explains that in order to find awe, we must experience the 8 wonders of life: moral beauty (e.g., courage in battle), collective effervescence (e.g., participating in a shared event), nature, music, visual art, spirituality, mortality, and epiphanies. Many of my daily node drawings during this time period reflect on moments of awe.
There was a passage in the book that spoke about the “default” self. The self focuses on individualism, as Keltner explains, “Today, this default self keeps you on track in achieving your goals and urges you to rise in the ranks in the world, all essential to your survival and thriving. When our default self reigns too strongly, though, and we are too focused on ourselves, anxiety, rumination, depression, and self-criticism can overtake us.”
The For Good Luck show was the first of 2024 and it allowed me to really think about awe. We all had to sign up to sit in the gallery during open hours. I signed up for a Saturday sitting and I had asked if I could bring the NV Awe: Tiny Treasures project with me. I was hoping that I could get more participants involved in the project. My best friend from elementary and middle school joined me in this little adventure. Jill and I had not seen each other since high school, so that in itself was an awe moment!
NV Awe Discs (First Layer), Nathaniel Benjamin taking two discs to work on, Doomed Movement and his buddy finished disc.
During that day, I realized that for me, it’s the quiet times in the gallery that I enjoyed the most. I was able to find awe while looking at the art. I had time to slow down and just observe and think. I enjoyed the company of Jill, remembering the days of childhood. I enjoyed the “play” from fellow artists coming in that were willing to take a chance with the NV Awe: Tiny Treasures project. For me, that time is precious and unforgettable. “And so, in awe, we go in search of new forms of understanding. Awe is about our relation to the vast mysteries of life.” – Dacher Keltner
During that quiet time in the gallery, I was able to study all the art pieces and chose two that I purchased for my art collection. The first is from an artist that I have admired for a very long time. Megan Berner works with digital and experimental techniques such as instant film, digital transfers, and cyanotypes. The second piece is from a former student, Ashley Frost. She describes her work as processed based. Her current works are a continued exploration of mark making and investigates themes of transformation through the lens of nostalgia and memory.
Above: Megan Berner Below: Ashley Frost
