What is art? Is it writing? Is it taking photographs? Or is it painting and sculpture?
I belong to a local art group. I quickly learned that they were focused on painting and little else. Well, after attentding several meetings, I lost interest. A few days ago, I received an email wondering where I was. This was my response this morning...
Hi Jud,
Thank you for the note. Yep, in the hospital again in August. It seems to be one health issue after another. I am facing yet more challenges now.
I am also helping two buddies out with building horse fences, working from 7 to noon most days. We call our company "the Old Goat Fence and Deck Company". Our motto is "If we ain't in the hospital, we show up!". Since I don't finish working until noon (getting much needed exercise), it precludes me from attending meetings.
But besides that, and although I enjoy the presentations, I get a feeling that OAG doesn't take photography seriously as an art form. It is focused on painting, mainly, and although I certainly enjoy and appreciate painting as an art, artistry goes beyond that. I left an Ocala photography club because they were too focused on only photography. Which I guess they should, being a photography club. But to me, art can be found in many mediums.
I will return on an off day from building horse fences. OAG should consider stepping beyond the confines of painting, though. Let me tell you a story why.
When I was young, I loved to read. I lived in our town library. Every week, I'd take out the maximum of three books, and I would devour them, returning week after week to get three more. Loving reading, I also loved to write. In 10th grade, we were given a book report assignment to read a book and report on it. I read my book, and worked very hard on my report. I wrote an outline, and then draft after draft. I submitted the final report. A week later, it came back with an F. I shot my hand up and asked my teacher why. My English teacher said because it was good. Too good. I was incapable of writing like that and I must have copied it. I was a lousy writer.
I went through life thinking I was incapable of writing. But about 25 years ago, I posted on a sailing magazine's online message board about what I learned from chartering a sailboat and sailing in the Caribbean. The magazine's editor emailed me and asked if he could publish it. Me? A guy who can't write? Sure, I answered, figuring it would be heavily edited. It was not. It was published word for word. And I got a nice check! I went on to write many magazine articles over the years, and then a wildly popular blog about cruising down the eastern seaboard on our 46 foot trawler, which has over a half a million hits (http://trawlerdriftaway.blogspot.com/). And finally, I wrote three books just last year, one of which is on Amazon's best seller list.
So my advice to the OAG, whether I am able to return or not, is to accept and nurture all art forms. OAG should not be focused on painting. It should include all art, from photography to the performing arts. Consider presentations by members, and what they do and why they do it. Why do you paint? Why do you photograph? Why do you write? Why do you do whatever it is you do? Why did you join OAG and what did you expect it to be?
Also, by having weekday meetings, you are limiting OAG to retirees. Consider also having weekend meetings, so those of us who work can attend.
Whether I can attend again or not depends upon the Old Goat Fence and Deck Company, but regardless, you have a good thing going there. From my decades in business though, I think you can expand and do better.
Best Regards,
Dave Gibson
I belong to a local art group. I quickly learned that they were focused on painting and little else. Well, after attentding several meetings, I lost interest. A few days ago, I received an email wondering where I was. This was my response this morning...
Hi Jud,
Thank you for the note. Yep, in the hospital again in August. It seems to be one health issue after another. I am facing yet more challenges now.
I am also helping two buddies out with building horse fences, working from 7 to noon most days. We call our company "the Old Goat Fence and Deck Company". Our motto is "If we ain't in the hospital, we show up!". Since I don't finish working until noon (getting much needed exercise), it precludes me from attending meetings.
But besides that, and although I enjoy the presentations, I get a feeling that OAG doesn't take photography seriously as an art form. It is focused on painting, mainly, and although I certainly enjoy and appreciate painting as an art, artistry goes beyond that. I left an Ocala photography club because they were too focused on only photography. Which I guess they should, being a photography club. But to me, art can be found in many mediums.
I will return on an off day from building horse fences. OAG should consider stepping beyond the confines of painting, though. Let me tell you a story why.
When I was young, I loved to read. I lived in our town library. Every week, I'd take out the maximum of three books, and I would devour them, returning week after week to get three more. Loving reading, I also loved to write. In 10th grade, we were given a book report assignment to read a book and report on it. I read my book, and worked very hard on my report. I wrote an outline, and then draft after draft. I submitted the final report. A week later, it came back with an F. I shot my hand up and asked my teacher why. My English teacher said because it was good. Too good. I was incapable of writing like that and I must have copied it. I was a lousy writer.
I went through life thinking I was incapable of writing. But about 25 years ago, I posted on a sailing magazine's online message board about what I learned from chartering a sailboat and sailing in the Caribbean. The magazine's editor emailed me and asked if he could publish it. Me? A guy who can't write? Sure, I answered, figuring it would be heavily edited. It was not. It was published word for word. And I got a nice check! I went on to write many magazine articles over the years, and then a wildly popular blog about cruising down the eastern seaboard on our 46 foot trawler, which has over a half a million hits (http://trawlerdriftaway.blogspot.com/). And finally, I wrote three books just last year, one of which is on Amazon's best seller list.
So my advice to the OAG, whether I am able to return or not, is to accept and nurture all art forms. OAG should not be focused on painting. It should include all art, from photography to the performing arts. Consider presentations by members, and what they do and why they do it. Why do you paint? Why do you photograph? Why do you write? Why do you do whatever it is you do? Why did you join OAG and what did you expect it to be?
Also, by having weekday meetings, you are limiting OAG to retirees. Consider also having weekend meetings, so those of us who work can attend.
Whether I can attend again or not depends upon the Old Goat Fence and Deck Company, but regardless, you have a good thing going there. From my decades in business though, I think you can expand and do better.
Best Regards,
Dave Gibson
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