Because Art is on My Mind

Photo of Rebb's Little Notebook

How is it that we can possibly remember without a word, an image—some small gesture to seal the experience into our inner selves?

I was taken aback by the variety of artistic expression that I saw in the Portland Art Museum. I saw a wide variety of different styles techniques and inspiration that the artists expressed. I saw the texture of a diamond in one of the paintings—an artist that worked in a jewelry store. I saw it. It was fascinating to recognize it and then have it confirmed in learning about the artist. There was another painting where the artist was inspired by the Portland landscape and the way he captured it from an aerial view was very appealing and I could see it that way from the airplane ride. It was unmistakably Portland.

When I saw one of Monet's Water Lilies paintings, it didn't dazzle me the way it has in books. I was disappointed in being disappointed. There were many cases where I wondered how much of a role the art frame played in the experience of the whole piece of art. Also in the back of my mind was the question of who decides—what, when, where, how does an artist receive his or her acclaim? It is truly a subjective experience and some never live to see their acceptance.

I saw many pieces that I did not connect with and naturally a part of me would want to judge and that’s alright. How do we know if we don’t somehow judge for ourselves— either with a positive or negative reaction? I also thought about how there are artists with great technical abilities and others with a keen eye for color and shape.

There is a spot for all artists, whether in museums or sealed into books—or whatever artistic form the passion manifests. Some will be able to sustain themselves monetarily on their passion and others may not see that day. I enjoy the arts very much; I enjoy the act of being touched by another and it helps to know something about the artist in order to meet them in their world—to sort of cross over into their psyche—into their inner landscape.

Some artists are more relatable as a whole, while others impact people on an individual level, and what makes that so, I wonder? The question, I suppose, is a subjective one—a wonderfully subjective question with endless answers that can be engaged at different points in life when we meet the artist and ourselves again and again.

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Photo is of Rebb’s little notebook, one of a few that went with her last year for a short jaunt to Portland. She is still processing the experience and decided to share what was on her mind at that time when she visited the museum. She added a few thoughts that cropped in presently.

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Have a nice weekend and may your creativity soar!