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Unexpected serendipity, the healing of art and the bliss of rejection
Art shows up to heal and I take off...
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I am honored to be included in these events and surprisingly supported by the ones I was declined for. I will write another entry on this in the weeks to come but for now I will say that if I'd been selected for a couple of events I'd applied to or expected to be invited to, I would have found myself hundreds or even thousands of miles away from home, when my closest friends needed my support most. From late March through this week I have been busier than ever beyond the usual demands of teaching at a university and entering shows and being an artist.
Amid all of it, it has been true grace that I have been around to be able to support those that have supported me. It is truly humbling. April 1st began a whole new level of support...and in late May my best friend lost her second parent in 22 months. After the services were over and the family went home, she had an art & textile workshop to attend out of state. I dropped her at the airport, watched the dog, watered the plants & attended to their house, while she was away.
From the workshop, the main story told, was about the healing aspects of creating the art and the community of artisans and teachers gathered there. Each had a story, and each one needed to be there, each one was somehow part of this pre-scheduled workshop. I was as grateful as she, that she had that cathartic focus and experience of learning while also creating beautiful art. The class was intensely packed with new techniques and inspiration, and yet time flew. I picked her up at the airport on Saturday night.
Sunday she took time from preparing for a class she is teaching today, to lend a hand with frame selection and some packing, amid her own resumed busy schedule. While I'm away she will water my plants and tend to my house. I in turn have a pre-scheduled rendezvous with my easel and some paint and the yet unknown subject that require my undivided attention and focus. My time will be packed with new inspiration and time will fly. |
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The main point is that when life gives one a different outcome than we thought we wanted, it may in turn be the most important thing we could have asked for. It seems appropriate to quote that Stones song.. "You can't always get what you want, But ...you might find You get what you need" .
I thought I was sending out a quick e blast to mention a belated award from January they simply forgot to tell me I'd won... and to remind folks about Bucks County plein Air ( http://www.facebook.com/bcpleinair ) this week, The Plein Air exhibition at Patricia Hutton galleries in Doylestown http://www.patriciahuttongalleries.com/ Beginning Saturday, they will highlight their plein air artists including B.C.P.A competition artists Dorothy Hoeschen and Kirk Larsen, along with Barbara Sesta, Michael Filipiak, and Dean Thomas - all award winning artists; and
I almost had to miss the opening reception for the event today, to take a potentially breakthrough acting role with an A-list celebrity...last night that schedule changed. So now I must stop writing and finish packing so i can get on the road in time to make the orientation meeting in Bucks county... The community of artists is one of the most beautiful in every way. They are talented and even more important, their spirits are incomparably compassionate...that is how we endure this artistic roller coaster with each other. I'll arrive later today, where I will greet my blessings with open arms and an open heart, and know I am where I need to be and I am so taken care of this universe.
I am sure the spirits of my family and friends will visit me at my easel as they have so many times over the years. I will shed some tears of joy that I have them and art, in my life...thank you for reading. -Kirk L.
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