Matters of the Heart and Mind Dictate most of our Priorities

“An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming.” Tecla Barber, Park Ridge, New Jersey in May 2016 Guideposts

I loved this quote from Guideposts. After I read it, I knew I must plug it into my art blog. Because of health constraints recently, I haven’t been able to dedicate myself to either writing or artwork. I’m hoping that means once my life is on an even track, I’ll be launching into something at least better.

Robert Browning’s poem will forever reverberate in my brain: “Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?” Indeed.

I’m flying out to see my two daughters who live in Texas. I’ll be taking a break from blogging while I’m gone so don’t be alarmed that I’ve dropped out of sight. It’s only temporary.

Daughter Holly with her two children when they were "just beginning."

My daughter Holly is a voice teacher and a performer. She has one audition while I’m out there. The other daughter, Paula, is an art teacher and an artist. She is having a show for her students and for herself at her school while we’re out there.

Paula with her three boys and husband and father, James. An Army Family.

Paula joined the Army to earn enough money for college. She toughed it out through Basic Training and finished her 2.5 years. She did what she had promised herself: she got her art degree at Mary Hardin-Baylor University in addition to marrying and having three boys.

Holly completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Chico State in CA and her music degree from Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins where she taught until she had children. She now teaches voice and piano at home in addition to home schooling her children. Major accomplishment for both of my girls!

One of Paula's paintings

Some of her student's work:

 

While I’m gone, I invite you to check out my other blogs:

Carol Anfinsen – The Art of Living; Musings from my Dancing Heart @ 

https://anfinsenart.co/   

A Christian blog titled: “Witness Spoken Here” @
http://www.witness-spokenhere.com

My Etsy Shop Anfinsen Art @ 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnfinsenArt?ref=hdr_shop_menu

My Art Website @ http://carol-allen-anfinsen.pixels.com/

Seeing is Believing; Quality and Professionalism Ring True

In the 60s, I saw with my own eyes the stunning perfection of the most famous sculpture of all time: The Pietà.

According to Wickipedia, “In 1964, The Pietà was lent by the Vatican to the 1964-65 New York World's Fair to be installed in the Vatican pavilion. People stood in line for hours to catch a glimpse from a conveyor moving past the sculpture. It was returned to the Vatican after the fair.^”

I was on that conveyor belt anticipating my first glimpse of the famous sculpture. The display had blue floodlights giving the white marble an aura of holiness. When it appeared, I was breathless and in awe of this magnificent work of art by Michelangelo Buonarroti. The memory has stayed in my mind as if it were yesterday. The statue's spiritual aura made indelible marks on my soul. Great art will do that!

“Made in 1498-1499, the Pietà is a world-famous work of Renaissance sculpture housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. It is the first of a number of works of the same theme by the artist. The statue was commissioned for the French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères, who was a representative in Rome. The sculpture, in Carrere marble, was made for the cardinal's funeral monument, but was moved to its current location, the first chapel on the right as one enters the basilica, in the 18th century. It is the only piece Michelangelo ever signed.”

"Dainty Diva" mixed media on canvas (SOLD) prints available

When you see the grandeur of something up close and personal, your perspective is changed forever. I sat on a gymnasium floor with a crowd of hundreds listening to Louis Armstrong when he was in his prime. Trumpet in one hand, handkerchief in the other, he crooned for over an hour, took a break, and then crooned for another hour. We sat spellbound swaying to the music.

We came to dance, and we melted at his feet savoring each familiar, throaty phrase.

On that same floor, I whirled with my future husband to the “Big Band” sounds of Less Brown and his Band of Renown. For most of us, this was our first experience listening to a live orchestra of singers and performers. Our tiny college town was graced by many famous performers.

Margaret Whiting and Peggy Lee serenaded us within the walls of that same cultural center. It wasn’t so much the fame that surrounded these singers, but the quality of their performance that sent tingles up my arm. Here were voices of pure perfection, smooth as honey and always on pitch. Remarkable talent witnessed first-hand.

"Tickles from God" 24 x 18 acrylic on canvas

The exquisite thrill of hearing live music or watching performers on stage surpasses any recorded performance by far. When the Army/Navy Marching Band played a concert in our town I was very young, but I will never forget. Bouncing on my seat, listening to the trumpets, trombones and percussion instruments made me a believer. Truly, seeing is believing! 

I’d love to hear of your experiences witnessing a live performance or a famous work of art. Please share with us!

Art is Celebration and History in the Making

Original Photo of Anhinga at Lakes Regional Park

 When I sold my painting “Broken,” the buyer said it reminded her of the people she saw in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic. The woman and child in the painting inspired her and renewed her compassion for the people there and for their hardships.


There are as many reasons to buy art as there are people. Some people buy a work of art for the tranquility it gives them in a chaotic world. Some choose something humorous that makes them smile. Others walk on the dark side and select something provocative to jar the sensibilities and promote conversation.

Anhinga in Paradise -- watercolor

Art arouses in us the unspoken words of the heart. Yet, there are those who view art as frivolous and unnecessary; an added expense we could probably do without. These people absorb like sponges, unaware of the affects that art produces in their lives.

God is the master painter of the universe. To be unappreciative of art is to deny the beauties of nature that surround us. After all, it is God’s world we artist’s try to capture, with all the emotions and feelings that life evokes. For centuries man has tried to conquer time and space; to mold it and bend it in our own image. Nature inspires us and challenges us. People reach out to us in a way that deepens our appreciation for the inevitable pain and suffering life brings and for the joy that sometimes bears fruit.

Sand Crane Dreams -- mixed media

Art reminds us of who we are. It’s a looking glass into the past and the future. Like the painted pictures on cave walls, art records history and events. It enlightens our journey and reminds us of what has been. It was the sketches and notes in the Lewis and Clark journals that record their discoveries and experiences. It was the stories and drawings in war diaries that illustrated the horrors of war. It was the diaries of pioneer men and women that teach us who they are and about their struggles and sorrows as they built a fledgling nation.

"Americana" mixed media -- The way it was

We must never forget. Writers have written countless pages to record these events and the sacrifices incurred by our predecessors. On the other hand, one canvas may capture in a visual setting those early warriors; their struggles surpass imagination.

The Arts have the potential to degrade us or uplift us. The Arts provide broad commentary on the state of our nation and world; and yet is minute enough to focus on individual character and perspective.

We must keep the arts alive for future generations; to offer hope and light, and to record history and monumental changes in society. Artists are witnesses of and recorders of the present. We must participate in life and celebrate the process.