Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

What does the Jacksonville Center do for Floyd County?

It helps keep Floyd green

For 13 years, the Jacksonville Center has been supporting artistic endeavors and rural creativity in our region. It is an organization of dedicated volunteers backed up by an extremely small group of paid staff members.

It serves as a focus for creating and supporting new artists and artisans. There is no other activity in Floyd that is dedicated to that activity. The public schools offer art instruction and various artists offer internships, but until recently, there were few other opportunities for artists to learn new skills and display their works locally.

Not everyone is aware that some internationally renown artists and artisans teach courses at the Jacksonville Center. Some instructors drive long distances to help students develop their skills and launch careers.

One of the outstanding aspects of the Jacksonville Center Community is the way experienced and successful artists share their hard-won knowledge with newcomers to the field of art.

Hundreds of successful artists and artisans in the region are members of the Jacksonville center and some are members of the Board or manage the Hayloft Gallery exhibitions. Their actions inspire others to contribute to the Center and to take courses.

Every year, some students choose to become artists and artisans after taking courses from the professional artists at the Jacksonville Center. These new artists become contributors to the local economy and some return to teach at the Jacksonville Center as they gain professional skills and generate their own following of fans.

There is a synergy at the Jacksonville Center that keeps it going, even though the Center is perpetually strapped for operating funds. Grant money may pay for buildings and additions, but operating expenses are supported by donations from businesses and individuals. That is why there are so many volunteers who give time and money to keep the center open. It is one of the few places in the county where you or your children can unlock your creativity and learn skills from professionals in the field of arts.

But, even after 13 years of serving Floyd County, some people still don't understand why government grant money is provided to the non-profit Jacksonville Center for the Arts in Floyd instead of "deserving individual artists".

They really don't comprehend that the Jacksonville Center IS DESERVING INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS.

They also don't understand that grants aren't "given" away. They must be won through a carefully thought-out application process and after a lot of hard work. The grants are government's way of extending government services without adding the taxpayer burden of a staff of government employees and a local government office.

The few naysayers who say "stay away from the Jacksonville Center and support local independent artists and craftspeople and their displays in privately owned galleries and studios" do not have a clue what the Jacksonville Center does and must not be talking to the many artists and gallery owners who support the Jacksonville Center and donate time to it.

If you are an artist, you want your work in as many venues as possible and you want those venues to promote you and your privately owned studio as much as possible. The Jacksonville Center does this. It is open to all artists and is a resource that this county is very fortunate to have.

The next time you find someone criticizing the Jacksonville Center for "competing" with Floyd artists in any way, you might ask them exactly "who" is being affected. You will not get any specifics, only general grumbling.

The Jacksonville Center is non-commercial and is run by local artists and other volunteers. Anyone criticizing the Jacksonville Center as being "bad for local art businesses" has a hidden agenda and deserves being investigated themselves.

We need all of the cultural incentives we can muster to inspire us to unlock our creativity. The Jacksonville Center and the artists who support it are a driving force for self-sustaining economic development in Floyd County. Selling talent will help keep Floyd green. Selling only land leads to another, and less desirable future for Floyd.

Help develop local talent in all areas and help keep Floyd green.

Floyd County Artists and Group Dynamics

These desert cottonwoods are the latest in a series of pastels produced by my wife Gretchen. Her daily association with five other artists in the newly created Floyd Artists Association has spurred her on to create in areas she had not previously explored.

The rest of these images are works from other artists in the group. As you can see, each has a unique perspective and vision.

As an interested observer, I see the effects that occur when several artists work together in one studio. They may be working on different projects, but they take time to observe each others solutions to tricky problems and this accelerates the learning process.

They have created a strong bond of mutual support which draws upon the different strength that each brings to the group. They are growing as artists and at the same time they are working in concert to refine the business model for their gallery/studio Art Under the Sun in Floyd, Virginia.

They also provide affordable classes and individual instruction for aspiring artists in the Floyd area. They want to encourage others to unleash their creativity and build a strong community of emerging artists in this area of Virginia.

If you would like to learn more about the classes or about joining this group, visit the website artunderthesun.org or call 540-745-7367.

(click on images to enlarge)

Artist Laurelsong Cook at the Cafe del Sol

This powerful image is just one of many paintings by Laurelsong Cook that have just been put on display at the Cafe del Sol, in Floyd, Virginia.

I have a great affinity for Hawaii and Laurelsong's painting evoke memories of a tranquil and spiritual existence that is all too rare in today's world.

Laurelsong works in acrylics on canvas and her stunning array of underwater and island images capture the feeling of life in that tropical paradise..

Laurelsong never planned to leave Hawaii, but she recently married Luke Staengl, local Floyd businessman, and Hawaii's loss is our gain.

Watching Laurelsong and Luke hang paintings in the Cafe del Sol is like being invited to a private party. Each painting that goes up on the wall changes the equation and invites one to examine the paintings anew.

These paintings have such vibrancy and power that they literally brighten even the darkest corners of the Cafe. The subject matter inevitable reminded me of Wyland's work, but where Wyland's images seem to project static serenity, Laurelsong's paintings vibrate with life. That's my personal bias of course, give me life over serenity any time.

Laurelsong's philosophy is that art can heal our bodies and minds. If you visit her exhibition at the Cafe del Sol, you will see for yourself that her work creates an upbeat and optimistic mood.

Thanks again to Sally and Frank Walker of the Cafe del Sol for making it possible for us to enjoy fine art with gourmet coffee.

Moving out of your comfort zone - part 4

Earlier this year, I wrote an article about moving out of your comfort zone in which I said that this action can produce rewards beyond your expectations. This pastel drawing is a result of this kind of adventure. It is just one of many of Gretchen's drawings now on display in her new online gallery at gretchenstlawrencestudio.com

Gretchen decided to redefine herself as an artist after years as a high tech program manager and she has been successfully establishing a distinctive style and a following in just a few short months.

In the process, she had to overcome all sorts of self-imposed barriers to becoming a professional artist. She was helped to a large degree by the fact that she works with a group of supportive artists and paints with them on a weekly basis. Working in a community of aligned people eases the stress of moving out of your comfort zone.

Recent changes in technology have lowered the bar to launching a career in almost every area. You can now create and publish your work on the Internet for less than it costs to subscribe to a major newspaper.

You can create professional looking websites and keep them updated for a few dollars a month. This opens the door to new opportunities for professionals in their mid-forties who see career roadblocks looming in their future.

Think of it this way: You have been accumulating business experience for many years on somebody else's nickel. Isn't it time you turned this hard won experience to your advantage and used it to secure a livelihood that gives you great satisfaction and which you can control?

As a self-employed businessman or artisan you may make far less money than you did as a high-flying big city executive, but you gain something priceless: control of your own time.

There is so much that you gain in this transformation that it would fill a book. You can check out the articles I've written in the micro business category to get a taste of what is in store when you move out of your comfort zone and take control of your future by creating a business of your own.

You may not choose to become an artisan, but the path to success in any new field often starts with training or apprenticeship. In October, I wrote my first article about late-life artists who are transforming life experience into art. I noted that many of these mid and late-life artists were launched into a new career by taking a course taught by a professional artist.

I have continued to follow these artists and see that a number of them are producing an increasing volume of excellent work and are developing viable careers. It takes hard work, but they say it is extremely rewarding and would not consider reverting to their previous occupations. 

You have the same opportunity and it all starts when you decide to move out of your comfort zone. When you decide to make your move, you will find that there are people who are willing to assist you

Gretchen's Hammer

I have such a thing about hard, shiny tools that Gretchen has to drag me away from the tool displays in places like Lowes and Home Depot. When I saw this hammer at the recent Winterfest Arts and Crafts event at the Jacksonville Center, I was instantly hooked.

Gretchen wasn't with me and the combination of a well-made hammer and the marlinspike knotwork was too much to resist. I just had to have this one-of-a-kind tool, so I purchased the hammer from Tom Barnhart and he gave me a jute bag to take it home in.

When I showed Gretchen the hammer and saw her eyes light up, I suddenly realized that she would make better use of it than I would and the hammer would be kept and cherished as an "inside the house" tool. I presented it to her with only  the slightest quiver of regret and she has been happily using it ever since.

Tom Barnhart of River House Designs in Christiansburg is a practitioner of nautical knotting which has a long and colorful history. He learned this skill while in the US Navy back when knot work was a required skill. His display at Winterfest had many examples of beautiful knotwork. Here is his card for those of you who would like to see more of his work.

The end of a very long weekend

We've just concluded a two day Winterfest Arts and Crafts fair at the Jacksonville Center in Floyd, VA.

Just before closing, I finally had time to enjoy a moment in one of Douglas Alan Terrill's elegant Appalachian rockers which were the talk of the show. They are based on the work of Sam Maloof, America's most widely admired contemporary furniture craftsman.

These rockers are more than furniture. They are sculptures that bring out the spirit of the wood. This rocker looks like motion captured in flight and it  is every bit as comfortable as it is beautiful.

This is a $3800 rocker and for the discriminating customer it is well worth it when you consider that a Sam Maloof original costs more than $12000 $25000! The image to the right is a Sam Maloof rocker.

Thank you, Douglas, for a most enjoyable few minutes.

I will have more about this artist in a future article. He has no website yet, but you can contact him by email.

Transformation by fire

 

I attend kiln openings whenever possible, because it is like experiencing Christmas all over again. Whether it is my own or another potter's work, that magical moment when the ware comes into view is a unique experience. So I was  really pleased when potter Sarah Mccarthy invited me to see the results of her latest firing.

There is an element of suspense in every kiln firing because carefully crafted pottery must be sealed in a kiln and fired at high temperature before it becomes useful and beautiful.

There are so many variables involved that it is always a minor miracle when a firing turns out as expected. For example, small variations in the placement of pieces in the kiln can affect firing rates and the performance of well-tested glazes.

The potter subjects forms with dull, greyed-out colors to the test of fire and receives back objects of bright beauty, if all goes well. As you can see here, all went well. :)

Uncomfortable questions about generating income from your artistic efforts...

Generating income from your artistic efforts is the first step towards supporting yourself. It is entirely different from technical expertise. Read on only if you like getting paid for your efforts.

Generating income as an artist may be more difficult than generating income as a business person because the answers to the following questions can be harder to answer:

What need does your product satisfy?

Who has that need?

What are they willing to pay to satisfy that need?

Like it or not, your chances of creating a viable career in the arts or any other form of business depends on how accurately you can answer these questions.

Before you throw up your hands and say, "He's trying to apply business logic to art and it won't work!" consider that every buying transaction involves satisfaction of a need. People buy books, hand crafted articles, and paintings because they want to be entertained, amused, enthralled, or validated. They also buy them for countless other reasons.

Generating income involves a customer exchanging money for something you provide. Trust me, it is a good thing and will do great things for your self esteem. It will also make others happy, which is always a good thing.

If you put attention on satisfying a need, you are putting your attention where it belongs, which is on a future customer and what this customer needs, wants and is willing to pay for. You are already thinking of your creation as part of a communication. It works like this:

(1)You create a work with a message,
(2) A potential customer recognizes the message,
(3) and admires it enough to purchase your work.
(4) You are validated by the acknowledgement and set about creating more work.

Now, you don't have to consider a future customer while creating your art but ignoring customers is a certain route to nonviability as a businessman or as an artist.

Here is a way to turn the first three questions inside out. Try asking yourself these two questions instead:

What problem do people have that I can solve?

How can I solve it for what they are willing to pay?

There are at least a thousand ways to exhibit your creativity. Doesn't it make sense to choose a few ways that people are willing to exchange money for?

If you would like to have people validate your creativity with cold, hard cash which you can exchange for food, housing and trinkets, try working through these questions until you come up with answers that make sense to you.

If it seems too difficult, leave comments and let's see what others can suggest.

Here's to your success!

(All of the items pictured are produced by artist/members of the Jacksonville  Center in Floyd, VA.  Examples of their work are on display in the Retail Shop or the Hayloft Gallery.)

Bob Rogers, Architect and Artist

Bob Rogers, a respected architect and really nice guy, is taking on a major challenge as a late-life artist.

Not content with the difficulties of becoming an artist, Bob is developing an art form at the same time.

Unlike "Junk Art" or "Recycled Art" (which are already established movements) Bob's pieces use recycled materials to create an armature on which he arranges story elements. We don't just observe Bob's art, we are lead into discovering a message.

To this observer, Bob's art is a playfully sophisticated melding of artwork and story.

His three dimensional pieces embody a thought-provoking view of issues we face and each has an unmistakable touch of insouciance.

Even though he has been at it for only a few months, he is creating works that leave a lasting impression. I find myself going back to view his work and discovering new insights each time.

As an architect, Bob has these professional goals: To change the nature and methodology of architectural practice to more fully embody the firm's mission - "Architecture for Sustainable Living - Connecting Body, Mind, Spirit and Place".

As an artist, he seems to be carrying on a similar mission through his art work.

Bob has a long history with the Jacksonville Center in Floyd. His firm, Architectural Alternatives, supervised the transformation of an abandoned 1940's dairy barn into a showcase for regional art and crafts training.

The above piece titled "Public School" will be on display at the Canopy of Trees Exhibition in the Hayloft Gallery at the Jacksonville Center in Floyd, VA through November 25.

Tag: late-life artists

The miracle of selling creative work

I recently got an entirely new viewpoint on how necessary and vital it is for artisans to acknowledge themselves when one of their pieces is purchased.

Their creation of the piece may be a triumph of will over the barriers of time, lack of money, and fear of the unknown, but there is the absolute miracle that a customer has so duplicated the message in the work that they have purchased it with money that would otherwise have been spent on food or other necessary aspects of survival.

For the vast majority of people, there is never enough money to go around, but they will find money for art or craft work that speaks to them.

So we have this miraculous transactions where an artist creates a work by pushing through all sorts of barriers and it gets purchased by a customer who overcomes a different set of barriers to buy the piece because it means so much to them. Each transaction like this validates the idea that people don't buy art for the purposes of surviving. They buy art in order to live!

This concept alone could encourage someone to move out of their comfort zone and become an artist. It also recognizes the creating and selling of art as the spiritual activity is actually is.

Support your local artists.  You won't regret it.

Paper Clay is a medium with great possibilities

Jayn Avery, a well-known Floyd potter who operates the Blue Heron Pottery, recently taught a 3 day introductory course at the Jacksonville Center using paper clay as the medium.

Paper clay is a mix of clay, paper pulp, and water. It is easy to use, extremely strong in an unfired state, and easily repairable at nearly every stage in the forming process.

The clay is available in many different formulations with firing ranges from cone 05 to cone 10. You can get an idea of the many options available by visiting one of the many supplier's websites.

When glazed and fired, the final results are indistinguishable from conventional pottery except that it weighs less.

For more images and a discussion of Jayn's course, visit Jacksonville Center Online.

To give you some idea of the potential of this medium, see what artists like Barbara Sorenson are creating.  Barbara was among the first to confront the use of paper clay and it has turned out to be a productive medium for her work.

Tag: paper clay

You are not a commodity - Part 2

I said in my earlier post:

If you do not stand out from the crowd, you risk being considered a commodity. This has serious implications for the self-employed business person or artist.

My wife asked me a very good question about "standing out from the crowd" which is worth discussing before I go any further.

Gretchen has begun revitalizing herself as an artist after a twenty-year detour into industry. She is already attracting attention and has begun to exhibit her paintings and pastels in local galleries, but at the same time, she doesn't consider that her work is that different from the works of more experienced artists in this area.

I am not sure I convinced her, but her work is readily distinguishable from the work of the other artists she paints with. To my eye, it is not so much a matter of technique as a matter of intention. No matter what she paints, I feel that she imbues each painting with a certain feeling of life. As her technique improves, she is able to elicit more emotional response from the viewer with less effort.

Once she figures out what she wants to accomplish, there will be no stopping her if she decides to pursue a career as a professional artist.

The artist as a micro-business

It recently dawned on me that our local artists could profit from the experience of thousands of micro business owners who have harnessed technology to reach and interest prospective customers.

I am using the term "artists" to include artists, sculptors, musicians, and artisans of every persuasion who create beauty which evokes an emotion in the hearer or beholder.

Here are two concepts you might want to consider:

Art is the creation of an emotional impact, whatever the medium used.

Business, on the other hand, is the art of exchanging goods or services with a customer for money, support, or viable exchange of some kind.

Marrying art and business is a difficult task and is successfully achieved only by individuals who understand both.

A treat for the eyes and ears at Oddfellas Cantina

Last Wednesday, Gretchen and I wandered into Oddfellas Cantina to hear Bernie Coveney and Chris Luster playing with Rob Neukirch. 

We never know what we are going to hear on Wednesday nights because that's the night the musicians try out new songs and invite musicians in the audience to participate.

We were sitting there enjoying the music when we were joined by photographer and blogger Doug Thompson and his wife Amy. The band kept jamming and were having so much fun that Doug and I started shooting pictures.

It was one of those nights where the music was so good and the songs were so entertaining that I began to lose track of time.

Sally Walker dropped by from the Cafe Del Sol about then and we persuaded her to join us.

We were having a great old time and it felt like the evening couldn't get any better, when Rob and Bernie persuaded Sally to take the stage and sing.

The fact they were playing something she had never sung didn't stop Sally. She took the mike and swung into action without missing a beat. She is an expressive and talented singer and her singing that night was just magic.

We had such a great time that we stayed until closing. I think we are making up for years of living in places which didn't have any local entertainment.

That seems to be one of the big differences between Floyd and other places we have lived. We can live, work, and play in Floyd. We don't have to drive miles into the big city to hear top rate musicians. Furthermore, there is live music in this town six nights a week.

The biggest problem we seem to run into is deciding which of our friends do we listen to on any given night. When you have good friends playing at several places, it makes for an interesting dilemma.

While the band was warming up, we noticed that one wall displayed watercolors by a new artist, Chris Bazeley.  Chris is an English illustrator with a touch of cartoonist in his makeup. According to the artist's brother, who lives in Floyd, the exhibit will hang on the wall for two months.

I would cheerfully hang any of these watercolors in my office, but this one, Reading Light, was one of my favorites.

You can see from the detail that his pictures have a subtle humor. I find it quite appealing.

Go to Chris Bazeley's website to see more of his fine art, including Flying School and Inflight Refueling.

An infinity of blog posts...

Stumbleupon.com might be the inspiration you need

With Stumbleupon.com, you will never run out of interesting topics to write about again. It is a free service that enables you to find pages you are not looking for. You don't search for them in the conventional sense, you stumble upon them.

StumbleUpon uses ratings to form collaborative opinions on website quality. When you "stumble", you will only see pages which friends and like–minded stumblers have liked.

No description will give you the reality that 10 minutes of stumbling will do. I find that it exposes me to sites that I could never have found otherwise. It is so fascinating, and addictive, that I have to limit my use of it in order to get my work done. My current strategy is to stop after a completely satisfying discovery.

Here is a discovery I made only moments ago:

Stumbling upon the Art of Philip Straub

Philip Straub is a concept artist, illustrator, author and art director. He is quite prolific. He does everything from oil paintings to digital art to children's books and home decor products.

I could fill up pages, but these images speak for themselves. They cover the range from surreal fantasy to cartoon-like simplicity.

You can check out his website which contains digital paintings, illustrations, and Fine Art Limited Edition Archival Prints. You might also want to Check out his 3D textures.

Here is a photo of the artist himself. 

Sunday Morning with Marla Olmstead

I was browsing through my Blogroll this morning and I discovered some more paintings by Marla Olmstead.

Sick Teeth 

The power of aesthetics is amazing. It is like a carrier wave on which one can put almost any message. This painting is titled "Sick Teeth" and that is the emotional impact I get from looking at it.

Contrast the emotional response from "Sick Teeth", shown above, to "Candyland", shown below. The first painting feels painful, the second feels almost sugary.

Another view into the mind of a gifted five-year-old painter....

Take time to visit Marla's website again as it is continually being updated. I get an emotional lift whenever I browse through her photo gallery.

Visiblemotion.com continues to do an amazingly tasteful presentation of Marla's life and her works. A PR website by this talented group could be an asset of exceptional value.

Tag: Marla Olmstead

Singer/Songwriters at Oddfellas Cantina

On the first Thursday of every month, patrons at Oddfellas Cantina get to hear the offerings of regional singer/songwriters like Bill Payne and Sonny Campbell (who doesn't have a website yet). Bill is on the left with his guitar - Sonny is on the right playing his bass.

These two are balladeers in the oldest tradition. We enjoyed hearing them sing and play songs about their personal experiences, about war and a lot of other subjects. They call their music Blue Ridge Americana and it makes for very pleasant listening.

The performance was occasionally uneven, because they do not play together often, but that did not diminish our pleasure in hearing them perform original material. I was impressed enough to buy two of their CDs, Bebop Hoedown  and Naughty and Nice .

Listening to them made me realize the vast gulf between skilled performers who smoothly interpret other people's songs and the unmistakable authenticity of a musician who performs his own compositions. The singer/songwriter delivers the message first-hand and there is no substitute for that heart to heart communication.

Britt Mistele, President of the Southwest Virginia Songwriters Association, is the man responsible for booking singer/songwriters into Oddfellas Cantina. You will have a chance to see him and his next group of singer/songwriters on November 3rd. Make it a point to be there.

Marla Olmstead at work

I spent two hours watching Marla Olmstead paint yesterday. It was an enlightening experience. This pre-schooler works at a canvas that is bigger than she is with an intensity and purpose that is both natural as rain and yet extraordinarily focused at times. She does all of the work and the only help she requires is for someone to clean her brushes and bring her more paint when she needs it. The actual pattern of her activity is described below.

Her father, Mark Olmstead, sent me a DVD which provided a complete record of Marla's actions in creating the painting you see here. This DVD also gave me an unparalleled opportunity to see the dynamics of the Olmstead family at work. I feel privileged to have been granted an intimate view of the Olmsteads and the way they interact with Marla and her brother Zane.

It took Marla at least two hours over several days to complete this work which is called "Ocean".

Laura Olmstead held the camera while her daughter painted. Her camera work was a bit jiggly at times because she was keeping Zane out of the paint, handling telephone calls, and carrying on conversations with Mark as the painting progressed. Typical mom stuff, but her love for her family came through very clearly. The overpowering impression I got from watching this DVD was of a supportive and communicative family environment.

Marla does not paint in cloistered silence. She kneels on a sheet amid piles of brushes and pigment tubes and works her way around the canvas applying colors with a sure hand. Sheryl Crow sings in the background while Zane dances and clowns for the camera. Phones ring and Mark pads in and out of the room in stocking feet picking up discarded brushes and bring in new ones as they are requested.

Marla will lay on colors with a steady hand and create some striking pattern. Then she will pause, pick up another brush, mix colors and transform the original pattern into something quite different. Occasionally she will ask her mother what colors will mix to create other colors. This happened twice when she blended paints on the canvas and she didn't get the effect she expected.

She used both solid and transparent colors in ways that were not intuitive to me at all, but the final effect was always pleasing. She would alternate between swift and methodical application of paint to bemused dabbling as if she had lost the thread. She did not seem to tire, although she would paint in one position for 20 minutes or more.

She was very definite about what she was doing most of the time. Occasionally, she would say, "I'm done", meaning that she was going to work on some other part of the canvas. She was also quick to mention mistakes. She paints, as I mentioned before, by applying pigment and then blending and painting over much of the original effort. Once she said,"That was a mistake. I didn't mean to paint over that part."

When she finished the painting, there was no doubt in her mind it was done. She applied an area of color in one corner, laid down the brush and said, "It's done".

And so it was. I watched it being done and still have no clue how she arrived at the final effect. When the camera pulled away to show the completed painting, the whole was greater than the sum of the parts.

I do not think Marla is the only pre-kindergarden artist to emerge. I have the distinct feeling that others may appear with talents similar to Marla's. I saw a painting by three-year old Noah and it shows some of the same power to evoke an emotional response as Marla's work. I think we are in for an interesting era.

Marla is headed for kindergarden this fall. I hope they don't scold her for not coloring between the lines. She needs to continue making her own lines.

Marla Olmstead continues to delight...

Marla's website is continually being updated with new work. It now includes a video of her painting an entire piece from start to finish. There is a short excerpt of this video, Making of Ocean, on the site and it was captivating.

Watching this tiny artist applying paint with swift, sure movements is quite an experience. There is an absorption and a focus to her actions that is at odds with her age. It is quite evident when she is done with a particular action. She does what she intends to do and moves on.

I have received an invitation from Mark and Laura Olmstead to attend Marla’s upcoming exhibition this July and August in Binghamton, NY and I am going to do whatever it takes to get there and meet Marla and her family.. Th exhibition opens on July 1st, with a reception at Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts at 186 State Street, Binghamton, NY. It will feature her latest works and a showing of the DVD, "Making of Ocean"

I can readily see why certain critics and reporters have difficulty believing that Marla is capable of the work she turns out. As I wrote in my post, How do you get someone to listen to you?,  people often cannot accept data from someone who does not fit their pre-conceived notions of the "proper source" for that kind of data.

If Marla was a fifty-year-old painter with a scruffy beard and an attitude, some critics would have no trouble  falling all over themselves with significant comments and knowing remarks. When it is a four-year-old who is producing the work, their thinking locks up and they keep looking under the table for the man in charge.

Fortunately, Marla just keeps on painting, serenely unaware of the fact that CBS has doubts about who is holding the paintbrush. But then, CBS is skeptical of anything they didn't make up themselves. There is an object lesson here. If you have unusual ability or talent, don't rely on mainstream media to publicize it. Use media that you can trust.

Just to end this on a positive note, here is a painting that I find stunning.

Jeannette Caruth - adventures in painting

Jeannete Caruth embodies a refreshing and inspirational approach to creating breathtaking paintings. She paints what people ask for!

In seven years, this self-taught artist has gone from painting postcards for friends to a major exhibition at the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond earlier this year.

UPDATE: Jeannette now has a store on ebay! You can see the originals and prints she has for sale at artbyjeannette. 

She has an interesting approach to her art, because she is not one who has to "have" before she can "do". She still works at an easel in her kitchen, using whatever brushes and found objects are at hand.

Until a few months ago, she supported herself by working at a local pharmacy and selling her paintings at craft fairs. Working by day and painting by night, she developed a loyal band of supporters and enthusiasts who promote her work at every opportunity. Her work is currently affordable and her painting is extraordinary, so she is sure to become more sought-after as time goes on.

In 2003, someone asked her to paint the famous "Boating Party" scene by Renoir even though she had never painted faces before. This painting of Renoir's girlfriend and her dog was Jeannette's first attempt at recreating Renior's style. It is a detail from the Boating Party and shows Jeannette's intuitive mastery of her art. The young woman appears true to the original, but is imbued with more life than the original.

This may be a result of Jeannette's personal spirituality. A warm and gracious person, she continues to amaze her friends with her unassuming ways and incredible level of production. She didn't start painting until 1998, when a vacation trip to Spain, Italy, and Switzerland inspired her to begin drawing. Once back home, her friends asked her to paint them...and so it began.

She painted landscapes, illustrations for childrens books, seascapes, flowers, and murals. Two years ago she started painting faces and became absorbed by Renoir's work. After creating a series of impressions of Renoir's work, she began painting portraits. Not content with producing work of a classical style, she recently branched off into painting of an oriental nature. This detail of a recent tapestry is unlike anything she has ever done before, and it is exquisite. The mountainous landscape sprawls across the ten foot hanging and create a sense of calm repose in the viewer.

Her next direction of choice is abstract painting, which I think will be her most interesting and challenging effort so far. When an artist paints representational scenes, there are visual cues which help convey the message. In an abstract painting, the observer does not immediately recognize what is producing the emotional responses to the painting. I believe it takes greater mastery to evoke emotion with an abstract painting than with a strictly representational painting. She has yet to show us any of her abstract art, but when she is ready, I will be displaying it here.

(click on the images to enlarge them. Use the following link to see the entire tapestry.)

Business as Usual

I have been admiring this sculpture for a long time because it captures my feelings about certain aspects of corporate life. This creation of cast resin on an iron frame stands on the median strip of Highway 29 in the middle of Charlottesville, VA and towers over passing vehicles.

The collection of empty suits stands arrogantly indifferent to the corrosion (faux rust stains) that disfigure their plump, tailored surfaces.

From my point of view, the artist has captured the essence of business by the numbers: Empty suits proudly arrayed in close formation while rampant corruption threatens to overtake all.

This morning, I finally stopped and took some photos. This afternoon, I managed to locate the artist, David Currier, and discovered the title of this work: Business As Usual.

David is a 48-year-old sculptor with several major works to his credit. He was cartooning when he left school, did some painting and ended up working for the art foundry Tallix in New York. When his children were small, he moved his family to Charlottesville and began doing sculpture.

His works have been displayed by artinplace.org  which presents outdoor sculptures that provide the Charlottesville community with a wide range of artistic styles, themes and media to enhance our concepts of space and place and enliven our sense that art has the power to move us.

Like many artists, he supports himself by working at whatever keeps income coming in. Currently, this involves working on sculpture enlargements for other artists and by painting houses.

I hope to convince him to start blogging, as his work and his ideas deserve a wider audience.

For example, he has never worked in a corporation, so his insights come from a study of business as an outsider. I admire the fact that he didn't create this sculpture as a snap judgment. This is an artist that will attend a symposium at the McIntyre School of Commerce to hear what businessmen and venture capitalists have to say about matters of global concern.

I would like to see him create more sculptures for larger audiences. As a start, I am going to ask him to let me use this sculpture on the cover of my next book about corporations.

What do you think a book with that cover would contain? Especially if I used a slight variation of his title: Business as Usual?

Marla Olmstead has a brand new website

I spent a delighted half hour exploring Marla Olmstead's brand new website. It is an incredibly well-done presentation of Marla as a personality and as a painting phenomenon.

Visible Motion has combined Flash animation, videos, sound, and pictures of Marla, her paintings, and her family into the most engaging and esthetic personal public relations website I have ever seen. From the music of Brudda Iz (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole) at the opening to the multiple treasures in the Photo Gallery and elsewhere, every moment spent on this site was entertaining.

Fans of Marla Olmstead will get a much closer view of this charming child artist and will see the reactions of people at her gallery showings. There are a few momentary snatches of Marla painting, which will not satisfy the naysayers, but I am willing to enjoy what I see and will wait expectantly for more footage.

Talent on the internet

One of the absolutely mind-blowing benefits of being a blogger, is the vast amount of talent that is available to you with a little bit of link-hopping.

You visit a friend's blog and you notice a link to someone else's blog and the next thing you know, you find yourself on a site you would never have located on your own.

Let me give an example of an enormous talent I discovered recently. Doug Thompson is a world-class photographer and writer, and god knows what else. He has several websites and a blog, Blue Ridge Muse, deserving of repeat visits.

I met him in person for a few minutes and that was enough to make me decide that I am going to find an opportunity to learn photography from him.

I learned more in five minutes of looking at his work and the pictures piled on his desk, than I have in years of reading books on the subject.

I met Doug through Fred First, who does an outstanding job of blogging about his quiet corner of Floyd, VA.

Tag: non-zero-sum publishing

Marla Olmstead - artist with a backlog

Marla Olmstead, my favorite four-year-old abstract impressionist, has a backlog of 60 requests for her paintings. At her current prices, that is well over a million dollars in potential business. 

She has been painting for about three years and has turned out less than twenty paintings, so she is going to be very busy for some time. Marla paints for about an hour, three mornings a week, and most of her paintings are taller than she is.

She has been featured in Time magazine, Art & Antiques Magazine, the NY Times, In Touch Magazine, in addition to hundreds of other newspapers and magazines.

She has also been featured on The Today Show with Matt Lower and Katie Couric , CBS Sunday morning with Bill Geist , Inside Edition, NPR weekend edition, as well as 60 Minutes Weekday Edition.

Gaby Wood, of the Observer (UK), visited Marla and interviewed Anthony Brunelli, the artist and gallery owner who discovered Marla and hosted her first exibition in August, 2004.

Anthony says, "We've had calls from all over the world. We have a waiting list of 60 people who want to buy her work. Do you know,' he asks, as a hint of tension creeps into his voice, 'how long it's going to take her to do 60 paintings?'

Gaby captured another interesting tidbit from Marla's mother and father:

"It's hard to watch her paint,' Laura Olmstead tells me, cringing slightly, 'because we feel in our hearts that some of her best work has been painted over.'

Mark laughs in agreement. 'She'll paint something we think is gorgeous, and then she'll just paint over it. And we'll go, "Grrhhh!"'

I think they are doing a creditable job of shielding Marla from exploitation. I've exchanged emails with Laura Olmstead, and she is the complete antithesis of a showbiz mom. Marla is not only talented, she chose great parents.

Read the rest of Gaby's article and check out Marla's new paintings.

You can see why this diminutive artist has inspired other mothers to encourage their children's talents. I am sure there are other young artists out there with similar talents. We seem to live in interesting times...

Marla Olmstead - Fire Already