Art & Connection

Any artists' open studio tour is not to be missed. I love listening to each artist talk about their art and the creative process. The woman working the pottery wheel at one studio described starting with a lump of clay and an idea, but then allowing the clay to become what it was meant to be. It's a collaborative process of creation between potter and clay. I am inspired to add pottery to my list of things I want to experience.

A painter talked with us about the different materials she used: watercolors, pastels, oils, and a plastic paper called Yupo. That looks like a fun medium to experiment with. We went to her studio because a small print displayed at the pottery studio had called to me. I showed the print to my mom saying "Doesn't this remind you of the Swift River?" That's the river I camped near as a child, the river I frolicked in for endless hours, the river I still love to visit, the river I want my kids to know. On the back there was a sticker that said "Hudson River" but that didn't matter. In my mind and heart it was the Swift River. The potters told me where to find the artist and more of her work.

When I met the artist I told her about the print I had chosen. She said "No, that's not from the Hudson, this one over here is the Hudson. That one is of a river near North Conway, NH." "Which one?" I queried anxiously. "Hmmm... it's been so long. It's the one beside the Kancamangus." That's MY river! It is a painting of my beloved river.

Our next stop was a multi-artist gallery. We spoke with several artists and admired their work. One photographer had a beautiful collection, a vast array of subjects. Some were of breathtakingly gorgeous vistas in awe-inspiring places. Some were heart-touching wildlife photos. And then there were the ones that resonated in me. The things you might walk by any day, the thing nearby the breath-taking vista that most people would miss. Rocks, lichen, roots, leaves. I spoke with him about each of these catagories of his work. He knew just what I was talking about. These unheralded treasures formed a common language between us.

As I leafed through his small prints arranged by geography: Antarctica, Rockies, Maine, New Hampshire/Vermont, I came across a picture of a waterfall. It was in tight, so there wasn't much but the water rushing through and over the smooth rocks as it began it's plunge. This time I turned to Dee Dee "Doesn't this look like Sabbaday Falls?" And you know what? It was. We hiked into Sabbaday Falls just a month ago. Its waters feed the Swift River.

And then there was the young woman without rules. Embellished books, cast concrete leaves, small sewn ornaments, fastastical paintings. I want her to lead an art exploration for my kids. Show 'em the tools of art, show 'em the possibilities, then let 'em create whatever is inside. No rules.

Dee Dee fell in love with one of her paintings. The artist explained it was a collage of sorts, a magazine photo superimposed on a photo of Missouri corn fields taken from a moving car. She had combined these images and blended them into a painting of her own. I don't fully understand why Dee Dee is so drawn to it, but then, it's not for me to know. I do know that I needed to honor this connection, and so for Christmas, Dee Dee will receive the painting of a girl, not so different from herself standing before all the possibility in the world. No rules.