Broel Studio Community

I’m opening a new exhibition on the 22nd of June at the Pendleton Center for the Arts. This show will showcase works in a variety of mediums including fabric, glass and bronze.

The overarching themes that thread the work together are “rootedness” and “blooming”. I am continually processing through thoughts that deal with my place in relation to my ancestry, my current place of living, my obligation to community and the purpose of my working. As I continue to deal with these ideas (and many more) I am intentionally trying to put down “roots” so my life and work can have the essential structure needed to experience a rich period of blooming.

I hope you have the opportunity to experience the exhibition. However, if you are unable to see the work in person and would like to see additional images, please visit the Pendleton Center for the Arts web site. If you have additional questions about the works in the show or would like to comment on my rambling thoughts, please feel free to get in touch with me.

I’m minding my own business, doing my thing and…Wham! A couple of friends put it out there. I hate it when people lay down a dare. The terms: “put a piece on eBay and start the bidding at $.99.” Someone is going to get a screaming deal.

This past week while in Austria I heard a thought-filled lecture on the subject of beauty. I have been interested in this subject for quite some time and was pleased with the opportunity to expand my thinking on the subject. The presenter, Jim Parker from Southern Seminary University aimed to show that beauty is in fact not a relativist concept, but rather an objective, universal property. He put forth the argument that beauty, like goodness and morality is an objective truth that is inseparable from the God of all creation. The consistent pursuit of that which is beautiful is an indication that humanity has an unquenchable desire to know and behold beauty. If we think of beauty as being a dynamic of God then Sartre’s notion of having “a God-sized hole in my heart” makes sense of our “beauty seeking” as part of a larger spiritual search.

Parker went on to make the statement that “beauty” as the old adage goes is not simply skin deep, but rather “’pretty’ is skin deep and beauty goes through to the soul.” He continued on by saying that everyone longs to behold and encounter beauty, but we are never satisfied because the beauty, which is created by man, is never ultimately complete.

He went on to say that our creations are like the aroma that alerts us of the impending richness of a delicious meal. Our creations (aroma) are not the thing that brings full satisfaction, but it is the meal (our relation to God) that satisfies us completely.

During a discussion following the lecture, Joe Kickasola, associate professor at Baylor University, offered a position that seemed to me to be the middle road between universalism (absolute) and relativism (non-absolute). He talked of beauty as a dynamic not a property of a thing. In this way, beauty is not necessarily easily definable, or universal but it is a dynamic that points us to something greater than ourselves. Beauty seems to be generated from the truthfulness of a thing – the transparency.

The sky is beautiful because it is the sky – it is not trying to appear that it is something it is not. Thinking of beauty in this way makes me wonder if it is possible for artists to create beauty if it is not born from the truth that resides in them?

I was honored to have an opening reception in Austria for the installation of my newest work. With the help of a couple other artists/conference members I was able to create a couple of site-specific pieces that enlivened the historic space and complemented the paintings I had brought from my studio in Walla Walla.

Tom from the Netherlands and Daniel from Austria assisted me in the formation of an installation created from earth and stone which figured prominently in the exhibition. We moved wheelbarrows full of soil and rocks from a nearby meadow and arranged it into a large semi-flat circle on the old wooden floor of the exhibition space in the Schloss Mittersill castle. The piece was lit with a strong spotlight from above. It extended the forms that I have been working with in paintings and glass installations. It also inspired me to continue my thoughts of mortality and my deeper spiritual search.

When the exhibition opened and people filed into the room they were quite unsure how to interact in the space with the large earthen form that impeded the route of normal foot traffic. After a brief time of uneasiness over the unexpected installation the conversations and champagne began to flow which turned the evening into a truly memorable and festive event.

After a long journey from Seattle to Munich I finally arrived at Schloss Mittersill in Austria for their summer arts conference. For the next week I will mount an exhibition of new work and conduct a seminar on painting. I’ll be posting new images and written entries throughout the entire conference, so check in from time to time to see and hear about what’s going on over here.

The focus of my seminar is translating external seeing to internal artistic vision. The aim of the seminar is to help others experience new ways of liberating their internal notions into a competent, visual format. We’ll look specifically at formal devices used in painting (color, line, form and design) and will try to develop new ways of using them to infuse a greater personal energy and narrative into the work. My hope is that the participants will feel the freedom and confidence necessary to move beyond the simple “recording” of what they see to the expression of what they feel in the context of what they are see.

Artists (visual artists, musicians, illustrators, writers, etc) from around the world have traveled to this place to find support and encouragement from like-minded souls. The community here is so energetic and welcoming – the atmosphere is quite electric. There is an obvious hunger in all of the attendees to express themselves freely in a safe and accepting community. Schloss Mittersill is that community.

I’ve been thinking about our fast-paced, contemporary lives and am wondering if anyone has the time to enjoy the richness that simple pleasures can bring. My schedule has me traveling quite a bit lately, so I’ve had “forced” thinking time while I soar through the air in a tin tube with wings.

Sitting like a sardine on a plane, tens of thousands of feet above the earth can really give you an opportunity to pause and reflect. Looking out the window at the white wisps and patterned landscape I really had the sense that my life had become overly complicated -much because of my own doing. I’m sure if you are like me, you’ll fill up your day, week or year doing good things, fun things, and exciting things. My problem is that I’m involved doing so many things that I forget to remember what I’ve already done or I forget what really brings my joy. For me, it takes a spirited effort to focus on slowing down to enjoy what I’m doing and what I’ve already done. There should be no real need to speed off onto the next thing without fully comprehending what has just been finished.

My daughter taught me this point so well the other day through a drawing that she made for me. It was very similar to a drawing she had made for me the week before, and that drawing was nearly the same as ones she had previously made for me. I asked her to tell me why she enjoyed making those specific pictures and she told me that she “liked the trees and the clouds and the grass.” They were her “favorite things.” Her words have stuck with me. Not because they were revolutionary, but because they were simple. Her honesty shed light on the importance of being present and enjoying the things that you’ve experienced. It also showed me that reminding yourself about those things is very important.

As an artist I think it is crucial that I continually reflect on my experiences. I want to focus on having those memorable moments burned into the core of my being, so that when I recall them visually I can re-experience them emotionally as well. I think that’s a great place to create from and good place live each day. Carve out some thinking time to regain perspective on the places you’ve been, the experiences you’ve had and the things you’ve accomplished. Slow down a bit and reflect on everything that has formed you to this point in your life.