Arts As Important As Food

There is a Persian proverb that says:

If you have but two coins, use one for bread to feed the body and the other for hyacinths to feed the soul.

Beauty in all forms has long been known to promote health and happiness. This beauty may be in the form of flowers or man-made art, whether that be in the form of film, music, live performances, painting, poetry, or my personal favorite, sculpture.

According to researcher Dan Buettner in his latest book, Thrive,

Art, like flowers, nourishes the soul. Happy people usually have access to art...and live in places that are attractive to the eye. A city must provide venues for artists to create and exhibit their work...

One of the examples given in Thrive as a city doing a good job of this is the town of my alma mater, San Luis Obispo, California. It seems that students had good reasons for wanting to stick around this beautiful, inspiring, and art-nurturing city!

Loveland Sculpture Invitational Change in Schedule

This year there is a change in the schedule for the Loveland Sculpture Invitational...it appears it will not be open on Friday (which is a shame) but the good news is that if you want to see the fantastic works on Friday you can by attending the opening gala. Tickets are $25 for a pair and include wine, beer and food as well as the sneak preview of all the wonderful art.


You can get tickets at the website or at the door on Friday August 6th. The event runs from 4-8pm.

If we don't see you there, come on by on Saturday or Sunday. Admission to the show is still only $5. The show hours are 9:30am-6:00pm on Saturday and 9:30am-4:30pm on Sunday!

See ya!

Da Vinci Painted It All By Himself?

It has long been known that many of the great masters had teams of assistants who helped create the masterpieces we enjoy to this day. The assistants often had specialties...some might paint clouds, others rocks, etc.

Leonardo Da Vinci was no exception.

His painting, "Virgin of the Rocks" has long been thought to have been painted with a team of assistants. Recently the painting was cleaned and it is now believed that the master painted this one all by himself.

So if a team helped paint a masterpiece...does that make it any less masterful? If the "painter" is more or less a director does that make him any less a maestro? Is the ensemble method of art only valid in music and theater or large scale projects such as Christo's that would be physically impossible for a single person to accomplish?

These are interesting questions for artists and art lovers to ponder.

An artist is the visionary and the driving force to have the vision brought into reality.

Does that mean that perhaps the artist does not need to personally have any skill with brush, chisel or other tool?

After all, there are many artisans who have technical skills but lack the creative vision to bring something unique to life.

Perhaps the artist does have the skills necessary (as of course Da Vinci did) but lacks the time to breath life into all the visions that exist in his mind's eye. Thus using a team to bring the pieces forth benefits all...the artist, the team and the world.

I'd love to hear thoughts from other artists and art lovers on this...for example, if you bought an oil painting by a particular artist and learned that he or she didn't actually do all the painting on the canvas, would that matter to you? Would it have less value monetarily or spiritually for you?

If you'd to read more about the cleaning of the Da Vinci that insp, click here.

Finger Painting on iPad

This is an amazing demonstration of what a talented artist can do with latest technology.

The video is just under 8 minutes in length. Entire process took about 3 hours.

Now, how can I use the iPad to carve stone???

New Zealand Gallery Annual Sale

If you happen to be in New Zealand this month, be sure to stop by the Birdwoods Gallery in Hawkes Bay. They are having their annual sale so it is a great opportunity to buy some art to go with fine wine from the region.

Birdwoods has a nice collection of Shona stone sculpture along with metal pieces. In November 2009, Louise and Bruce converted an additional paddock into a beautiful sculpture walk with extensive olive tree plantings. Visitors follow a meandering mown path to view a further display of stone sculptures, as well as the life size metal giraffes and crocodiles. Sizes and prices range to fit every budget and suitcase (or shipping container.)

Birdwoods also has a Sweet Shop to tempt you as you stroll the garden...so literally they have something for every taste!

Birdwoods Gallery, Sculpture Garden and Sweet Shop Welcome to Birdwoods - a very special place in the heart of beautiful Hawke's Bay. Set in the countryside just 3km from Havelock North village, Birdwoods Gallery and its small companion, the Birdwoods Sweet Shop, are a 'must see' for all visitors and locals. Opened in February 2005 by Bruce and Louise Stobart, Birdwoods Gallery features sculpture and decorative arts from both local and African artists. The gallery's home is the original church hall from St Peter's in Waipawa dating from the late 1800’s which Bruce and Louise moved to its new home on Middle Road in 2004. The old hall has since been surrounded with a beautiful sculpture garden. Right next door to Birdwoods Gallery is the Birdwoods Sweet Shop, an old fashioned sweet shop 'just like you remember' housed in a charming one room colonial cottage made from reclaimed materials. Opened in December 2006, the cottage is a treasure trove of old fashioned sweets, lemonade, sherbet, fudge, ice creams and other novelties.

2010 Colorado Governor's Invitational Art Show Going On Now

The 2010 Colorado Governor's Invitational Art Show and Sale is now happening at the Loveland Museum.

This is an excellent opportunity to see some of the best paintings and sculptures from our talented Colorado artists.

This show started 32 years ago, moving to the Loveland Museum in 1990. These days, more than 4,000 people from across the country attend the show. (Don't fear...that's not all at once!)

The show's director is Judy Archibald and she says, "This show is one of the most prestigious exhibits of original art in the entire western United States." Her goal in selecting the pieces was to show talent and a variety of media.

The show opened last Saturday. 58 Colorado artists are featured with a maximum of 4 pieces in the show. The artists are professionals, from all across Colorado.

Beyond being an excellent show, the exhibit is a fundraiser for the Loveland Rotary and Thompson Valley Rotary with proceeds going to scholarships for art students in Loveland and Berthoud, Colorado, and helping local organizations including Habitat fro Humanity and House of Neighborly Service.

The local Rotary clubs provide the volunteers who are present at the show every day to answer question.

This is a great show to attend if you are an art student looking to learn and gather inspiration. As an artist, it is also a great show to see what your contemporaries are doing and maybe learn and be inspired, too! And, if you are an art collector, this is an opportunity for you to expand your Colorado art collection and help a lot of deserving people and organizations in the process!

The Loveland Museum is located at 503 N. Lincoln Ave, Loveland, Colorado.

The show is free and runs through Sunday, May 30.

For more information call 970-962-2410 or visit www.governorsartshow.org

Sculptor Fritz White Dies After Long Illness

Loveland lost one of her great sculptors this week when Fritz White died after a long illness.

Like many artists who now live in Loveland, White moved here to be close to the art foundry that was essential to his creations.

Fritz White was one of the founding 5 members of the Sculpture in the Park event that happens each August in Benson Sculpture Park. This annual event started in 1985 with just 50 artists and is now the largest juried outdoor sculpture exhibition in the country and has sales of over $1 million.

I never had the honor of meeting the sculptor in person, but have seen works by this gifted artist around our city...one in particular cannot be missed as you drive north or south on US 287, "Winning the Iron Shirt" which depicts one Native American claiming the war shield from his defeated opponent.

One year when I exhibited at the rival/sister show (depending on who you talk to) Sculpture Invitational I was seated next to a fine sculptor who had studied with White. Greg Todd told me that Fritz made all the difference to him when he said (and I roughly paraphrase!) that art is all about the creating...selling anything is a bonus.

Fritz White left behind a wonderful legacy of art, a fabulous show, many friends and admirers. We can honor him best by creating our work and living our lives to the fullest as he did. As his wife, Ina, said, "Show your work and be proud...Just do it. That's his legacy. He just wanted everyone to just do it."