First Flight Out Nashville Airport Art Exhibit

I'm excited to be included in this show, which has an opening reception Saturday, September 28th from 2-4 p.m. The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority has a wonderful collection of art and for the first time in its history, the collection is going to be on display somewhere other than the airport.

 

I hope you'll plan to attend the reception or at least view the show during its exhibit (through January 5, 2014) at the Nashville Public Library.

 

 

Arts at the Airport receives funding for the visual arts from the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) and the Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC). The Flying Solo Exhibition Series is funded under an agreement with TAC. For more information about Arts at the Airport, please call (615) 275-1614 or email arts@nashintl.com

A World of Wonder

the "Hickory Horned Devil"

The other day while walking from my house down to my studio, I was shocked to stumble upon this insect. Living in a rural area of Tennessee, I often encounter nature and its creatures in interesting ways, but I had never in my life seen anything like this.

What you're looking at is the Hickory Horned Devil. It was 6 inches long and fatter than my thumb. The critter reminds me of what I used to see as a child when I'd visit my grandparents in the Caribbean and snorkel around coral reefs.

Not only is the larva stage of this insect amazing to look at, it turns into the Regal Moth, which has a 6" wingspan.

Things like this are what inspire me and give me hope. We live in a world full of fun and wonder, but it's only when we take time to really look for it.

How to Make a Living as an Artist

Recently, I read an article in the Washington Post about professional artists working in the United States. As a full-time artist myself, this gave me something to think about and I wanted to share some of my thoughts here on the blog.

Except for the blue chip artists at the top (who also started at the bottom), making a living as a full time artist over a long period of time is incredibly difficult in many ways. Keeping the work relevant, fresh, honest and true for decades is the main challenge that professional artists face. And this doesn't even begin to address the issue of making money as a full-time artist.

It takes an odd combination of business skills and personality traits to develop and maintain relationships with galleries while also building a market and following for the work. The right attitude is sometimes difficult to maintain. The "art world" can be brutal in terms of its fickle way of treating artists, which is also a challenge.

Finding a balance between working in the studio, other life interests and staying connected to the world as well as people is important and different for every artist. It takes a deep commitment to the work, discipline and a constant curiosity about the world around us to maintain a consistent studio practice over many years.

 This is a serious endeavor. Art is work...that's why it is called an artwork. For all artists there are times when interest in the work wanes and one must continue working. There is really very little support for artists in this country except for the commercial marketplace. Because of this, making a living as an artist for an entire career is extremely difficult. That is why the percentages in the article are so low.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to continue to make a living working in my studio. It is a hard won dream come true that could not happen without a few things. First are the galleries that I have worked with. Carol Stein at Cumberland Gallery in Nashville has believed in my work, exhibited and sold it for twenty five years.

Then there are the collectors who have supported my work over the years. I appreciate them immensely. There have been a handful who have continued to build significant holdings of my work, for which I am very thankful. These are relationships that are very special and an integral part of continuing to work in the studio and support myself.

Life as a professional artist has a certain ebb and flow. I would never want to discourage anyone who is considering pursuing the artist's life...but it's important to know going in what to expect.

I'd like to close with a quote from Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art.

 

"Creative work is a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of our contribution. Give us what you've got."

Tapestries Featured on ArtStormer Blog

I was honored to learn that I was recently featured by Betsy Wills on her blog, ArtStormer. Wills created her blog as a way to chronicle her interest in the visual arts. And while she claims to be ignorant of art curation or selection, she has a keen eye and a way with words.

There are so many talented artists in the world and as someone who makes my living solely from my art, I appreciate people like Betsy who are passionate about helping to showcase artists and their work.

You can read the full post by Betsy Wills on her ArtStormer blog here.

Betsy: Thanks for the kind words!

Shakerag Workshops 2013

I just finished teaching a weeklong printmaking workshop at Shakerag Workshops in Sewanee Tennessee.

Sewanee is the home of the University of the South and St. Andrews Sewanee high school, where the workshops take place. It is set on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau in rural Tennessee just north of Chattanooga.

Shakerag was started ten years ago by Claire Reishman who is a ceramic artist and English teacher at St. Andrews. I first met Claire many years ago while I was teaching at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts on Deer Isle .  She is a wonderful woman and  has made a huge contribution to the arts by creating  Shakerag.

The workshop I taught had twelve delightful and hardworking participants. We focused on collagraph  prints which simply means that one creates a textured collaged surface on wood panels which is then inked with oils paints applied with brushes and rollers and then run through  an etching press.

 

 

Each print is unique. The heavy paper is moistened which helps to create an embossed surface on the paper.

 

 

The class was so much fun and I feel inspired by the interactions and all that I learned from students and other instructors during the week.

 

 

There is such a feeling of camaraderie and deep bonding through the common interest in making things by hand at these workshops. All of the instructors give short presentations about their work and lives which I always find inspiring and eye opening.

 

 

I learn so much about craft and processes about which I was previously unfamiliar.

 

 

I began teaching these workshops when I was in my early thirties at Arrowmont School of Crafts in Gatlinburg Tennessee and have taught at Penland School of Crafts as well many times. Being involved with these schools has enhanced my life and work greatly in so many ways and I don’t think it all would have happened if I hadn’t moved to Tennessee in the mid-eighties.

The Forest Unseen: Looking at the land with eyes of an artist and a scientist

I've been connected with the folks at the St. Andrew's Sewannee School for some time. This is where I'll be teaching my upcoming summer collograph workshop, at the annual Shakerag Workshop.

As an artist living and working in rural Tennessee, thinking about how I connect with nature is a big part of what I do. I've written about my experiences gardening, spending time with the earth and just taking it all in.

This is why I wanted to share a wonderful book with you, written by a Botany professor at Sewannee by the name of David Haskell. Over the course of one year, Haskell observed the activity of 1 square meter of land on a wooded slope in Shakerag Hollow, Sewannee, Tennessee. His book, The Forest Unseen, chronicles just what he observed and witnessed during the 12-month period.

By taking time to stop and really observe the land, Haskell saw many things that others most definitely would miss.

As an artist, I rely very heavily on the powers of observation. All artists are individuals looking at the world, trying to glean something from what we see. That's what I experience when creating a new piece of work.

I often feel that as a society, we need more hope. And nature is a great place to look and find that such a hope does exist...if we simply stop and look for it.

Here's a short video about the book and Haskell's experience. I think you'll enjoy it.

Growing Season for Blackberry Farm Hospice du Rhone

When asked to create a piece of art to be used for the Hospice du Rhone event at Blackberry Farm, I immediately knew that some of the imagery I have been recently developing would be perfect.

Growing Season, 2013 watercolor, pencil, colored pencil & collage on watercolor board 25x36"

For the last couple of years my work has become more narrative and figurative and two of the figures I've created appear in this work. {Here are other examples of recent work with figures: La Frontera, La Frontera Fly, and Troubadour}

Located at the bottom right of Growing Season is a character I call The King of Falling Fruit and on the left Reaching Man. They both represent an attitude towards life, which is that one needs to constantly reach and stretch in order to find things in life.

As artists we need to constantly reach and search for ideas and images for our work; to experience as much as possible in order to speak about what we find.

To me, fruit is a metaphor for good things in life. There is fruit everywhere in this piece, like rain from the sky. In this case the fruit is grapes and the King has his hands out to get him some.

The title of this work, Growing Season, is derived from handwriting by John Coykendal, the master gardener at Blackberry Farm. This could be a straightforward reference to a growing season in a garden or vineyard but also serves as a reference to the growing season of our lives from birth to death.

-- Andrew Saftel