Hidden Treasures, Artistic Inspiration

A visit to a somewhat obscure museum and some other sightseeing have given me so much food for thought, as well as great lesson motivations.  The museum was The Nicholas Roerich Museum; the beautiful paintings above and below are by Roerich.

My husband and I recently spent a few days playing tourist in NYC, and decided to forego the big art museums that we've been to so many times (the Met, MoMA, the Whitney, the Guggenheim) and instead explored a lovely little museum, discovered a magnificent cathedral, did some sightseeing of the city from the Top of the Rock, and communed with butterflies at the Museum of Natural History.

But first lets go back to the Nicholas Roerich Museum, and the inspiring paintings of Roerich (Russian; 1874-1947).  I thought his rich landscapes could be terrific motivations for multiple lessons.  For example, when teaching perspective - use these paintings to show foreground, mid-ground, background.  (By the way, Roerich spent part of his life residing in the Himalayas, which is why so many of these majestic mountains appear in his work.)

Perhaps the paintings could be used for teaching about color harmony and how certain color relationships can be effective in landscape painting, or how to uses values of color to create form.  Many of Roerich's landscapes were monochromatic, or mostly monochromatic with a focal point of a contrasting or complimentary color.  Other landscapes were more of an analogous color combo, and others  used limited color palettes.

Along with the color and perspective, there's also a lovely peace and spirituality visible throughout his work.  Subtle imagery from various religions appear in many paintings, and Roerich was responsible for the creation of the Roerich Pact, which has for its object "the protection of historic monuments, museums, scientific, artistic, educational, and cultural institutions both in time of peace and in time of war, and provides for the use of a distinctive flag to identify the monuments and institutions coming within the protection of the treaty."  The flag was designed by Roerich, and you can see the design below, and in the painting below it.

 Wouldn't it be nice to design a lesson that represents peace and the protection and preservation of cultural heritages worldwide?  I think, at a time when many of our cultural institutions are being threatened (public radio and TV, and the National Endowment for the Arts, for example), remembering that our nation has signed a pact to agree to protect these institutions is a worthwhile topic to learn about. 

But anyhow, let me just say this - if you ever are in NYC and have a couple of hours to spare, make a visit to this hidden gem of a museum.  And when you are done, walk just a few short blocks and visit The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.  I'll be honest; I'm Jewish and am not easily moved by churches and cathedrals.  But this one....  it's soaring architecture is stunning and worth your time.  Below are a couple of views of the cathedral that do not do it justice (it is one of the largest cathedrals in the world but I didn't have a wide angle lens...).  There's also a pic of a nearby statue that I fell in love with.  I couldn't get closer to it because of the weather, but hopefully this will give you enough of a sense of this cool statue.

Now back to the butterflies....  This was my second visit to the Butterfly Conservatory at the Museum of Natural History.  It appears butterflies like me.  Last time (three years ago), one landed on my hair like a hair ornament and wouldn't leave.   This year, one landed on my backpack/purse, another on my forehead, and a giant one on my cheek!  How lucky am I??  By the way, if you want to have a butterfly experience and you will be in NYC, the Conservatory will be at the museum for another month or two.

Below is the butterfly that was on my cheek, and the beautiful blue butterfly underneath is the SAME species of butterfly, with its wings open!!  That's not my shoulder in the pic; it's just a random guy who was visiting the exhibit, who was lucky enough to host the butterfly sitting still, on full display with his wings open. 

 And a few other butterfly beauties...

Think of all the possible lesson motivations - repeating patterns, color, camouflage (like the "false eye" on the butterfly on my cheek).  And how about creating something with a pattern that looks dull on one side, and then opens to reveal a rich color like that gorgeous cobalt blue?

And while I'm at it, I have a pet peeve about the way butterflies are often drawn in kids' art.  Let's show kids photos of butterflies that clearly indicate where their wings are hooked to their body!  First of all, butterflies have two pairs of wings.  The wings are attached to the thorax, which is the body segment between the head and the abdomen (which is the longer end part of the butterfly).  Butterfly wings are ONLY attached to the central segment, the thorax!!  Let's stop making butterflies that are shaped like the letter B with its mirror image!

It was an inspirational trip to NYC.  Between this trip, and my time there for the NAEA convention, I've had a lot of touristy NYC time, including two museums that do not allow photographs.  I highly recommend them both: the Neue Gallery in NYC is filled with incredible Klimt paintings, and the work of other German expressionists.  And the Frick Collection is filled with masterful paintings by European old masters.  Also on display was an exhibition of magnificent work by Turner.  Photography was allowed only in a garden courtyard, which was where I took this photo below.  They never said we couldn't photograph the windows, and I'll be honest; I only took this photo after I saw someone else doing the same thing.  And then I felt guilty and put my camera away.

I love knowing I can have inspiring travels without having to fly across an ocean!  

Thank you, NYC!

My NAEA convention experience 2017

I've been home from the NAEA convention in NYC for a week, and it has given me some time to evaluate my experience, and the highs and lows.  There's some self-assessing to do, for sure.  I thought I had my time so well-planned, but in the end, I feel like I missed so much.  I need to figure out how to better manage my time, within the limits of my own capabilities.  And I need to figure out how to get through four days without losing something!

Anyhow.... The convention opened with keynote speaker Jeff Koons.  I am not a fan of Koons' work, but attended his talk because I wanted to learn what he was about.  It was interesting; I suppose his work makes a lot more sense if you know the stories and concepts behind the pieces.  But generally, when you see his work, you don't see the story, the concept.  His work is basically conceptual, and without the story behind the piece, viewing it feels meaningless to me.  I'm discovering there's a universe of difference between "traditional" visual art and conceptual art, and I've realized I'm more of a fan of traditional art that moves me in some way when I view it, whether it's the vibrant colors of a Matisse, or the light quality of a Vermeer, and so on.  I want to look at the artwork because it touches me in some way.  Not so with Koons' work, though there are some contemporary artists with conceptual work that excites me. 

The workshop rooms were often very crowded, and it made the convention experience frustrating at times.  I missed one workshop, about the brain and creativity, I had planned to attend because the crowd to get in was so large.  Other crowd scenes and over-capacity workshops were common; I heard some people complaining.  Has the convention gotten so big that we aren't managing it well any more?  I did get to a few workshops, but not nearly what I'd planned, and my choices weren't always what they said they'd be in their write-ups. I attended a terrific workshop by fellow blogger Don Masse, who blogs at Shine Brite Zamorano.  This paper quilt on the floor (below) was a quickie collaborative hands-on activity by those of us in the workshop.  My quilt square is on the bottom row, third from the right. 

One of the most important parts of a convention, to me, is the connections you make with other people, especially people you've looked forward to meeting for a long time.  To me, it was a real treat to meet some of the people I've followed for a very long time, but who aren't necessarily the social media rock stars.  For example, I was absolutely tickled to meet a sweet gal named Becca Ruth, whose blog "The Little Art Teacher" used to be a quirky little favorite of mine.  She hasn't blogged in a while, because of a job change, but hopefully she'll get back to it some day!    And I met the lovely Renee Collins, who blogs at My Adventures in Positive Space.  I've wanted to meet her for a long time. 

I especially was surprised and delighted to meet "Kim and Karen: 2 Soul Sisters", as I've been following their blog on and off for several years.  I was in line at the hotel registration desk, checking in, when I heard a voice calling out what sounded like "Fay-ill!!  It took me a moment to realize the voice was calling my name, "Phyl!"  Quite the southern accent!  Thank you Karen for taking the photos at my workshop!!

Over the past year or so, I've become friendly on Facebook with blogger Rachel Wintemberg, but I'd never met her personally until now.  I think we have a lot in common, and I'd like to have more time to talk in person some day, not just standing in a hallway outside of a crowded and noisy party!  Her blog is The Helpful Art Teacher.  And I finally did get to spend some time (Yah!) with Lee Darter, one of my Facebook Project Runway buddies, who blogs at Art Room Blog.  Lee is great!!

Why am I taking the time to tell you about these people?  Two reasons.  First, because they all have blogs that are worth your reading, if you haven't seen them before.  But the bigger reason is because there's a certain level of frustration meeting people in the midst of a crowded convention.  There's time for a hug, and exchanging a few words, but not necessarily much more.  These are all people I feel a certain kindred with, yet we meet for a moment at an event like this, and then promptly take off in opposite directions.  I like these people.  I would like to time to sit down with them and hold real conversations, rather than just a hug in a lobby, or in the midst of an overcrowded and very noisy party, or a crazy congested workshop.  Having real in-person time with online friends is one of the things I look forward to most in a national convention, so I guess I feel a real sense of disappointment that our meetups were mostly so fleeting.  (And sometimes, with the crazy crowd and diverse scheduling of  convention activities, you simply don't see someone at all!  Such is the case with long-time blogger friend Artful Artsy Amy!  Amy is hard to miss, 6' tall with a dramatic fashion flair and an outgoing personality.  Yet after 4 days in NYC, I never saw her even once.)

I do understand how it happens.  We all have so much we want to see and do at a convention, each with our  own needs.  And teaching workshops, which many of us do, seriously impacts your schedule and your time.  It's pretty much impossible to attend a workshop directly before or after the one you are teaching! 

And this time,  the convention was in NYC!  For lots of the attendees, a trip to NYC was their first, or at least a rare opportunity.  I live 200 miles from NYC, so while I always love a trip there, I had no "need to see" list.  But still - next year the convention is across the country in Seattle.  I want to go.  But I have to figure out how to do it better.  I want to make each minute count, and I'd love it if time and scheduling could be planned so that we have some real time to spend with our online friends!

It was very cold in NYC, but still I took a little time for some fresh air.  Lee and I walked part of the High Line, and then I took a nice little walk through the southern end of Central Park before I got on the train to go home.  Here's a few High Line views.

Yes, things were starting to bloom on the High Line.  Unfortunately, I'm guessing they didn't fare will in this week's cold. 

This poor guy looked so cold.  Thankfully he is a sculpture.  I would have liked to have an extra scarf or hat or sweater for him! 

 And here's a view of Central Park

I also had enough time for a couple of small museum visits.  It was my first visit to the Neue Gallery, where there are a number of magnificent Klimt paintings on exhibit, as well as some other German expressionists, and also a special exhibit of work by Alexei Jawlensky.  No photos are allowed in the Neue, but the Klimts are breathtaking, and I was also really wowed by the Jawlensky exhibit.  I was not familiar with his work, which sometimes looked like Kandinsky, Matisse, and several other artists!  I highly recommend a visit to the Neue Gallery! 

I also visited MAD, the Museum of Art and Design.  

This museum is a sweet little treasure!  

Thanks for listening to my convention rambles!  Do you have a good method of making sure you get everything you want out of a national convention?  If so, I'd love to hear it!  All of my advance planning, and still, I feel like I could have done it better.   

3 NYC Museums in 3 Days - Day 2, the Whitney!

 That's me, of course, above.  The artwork is by Ricci Abenda, and, yeah, I suppose it makes me think.  But more about that later...

So hubs and I had plans to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, but we scrapped the plan till the next day because the weather wasn't good, and instead decided to see the new Whitney Museum, which moved 9 months ago to a completely new location.  A bonus to those of you who (in better weather) like to walk in NYC - the new museum is easy access from the south end of the High Line, which is a former elevated rail line converted into a wonderful walking park.  We did however, walk the Bridge the next day, and the beautiful structure made me understand why there are so many works of art based on this bridge.  Here are two that we saw in the Whitney.  The first, "Brooklyn Bridge", is by Joseph Stella, and the second, called "Region of Brooklyn Bridge Fantasy", is by John Marin.  Tune in, in a couple of days, for my photos of this iconic bridge! 

But anyhoo - the Whitney Museum's collection is American art, and the galleries are set up by era/theme.  Below is Railroad Sunset by Edward Hopper. I love the quiet, lonely sense of peace of this painting. 

I was struck by a number of images that I thought would be fabulous for teaching perspective, and combining it with surrealism.  It doesn't always have to be a Dali!!

 Above is The Subway by George Tooker; directly below is No Passing by Kay Sage.  

 Below, La Fortune by Man Ray.

 There are some outdoor decks where you can view the city.  In one direction you'll see Lady Liberty, and in the other direction, this.  It was too cold and windy to stay out for more than a moment.

 I liked seeing this David Smith sculpture "Hudson River Landscape".  Smith was from Bolton Landing, on Lake George, just 1/2 hour north of my home.  This piece was based on drawings he did looking out the train window, riding along the Hudson to NYC.  We took the train to/from NYC so I totally 'get' this piece.

 This large piece, below, really intrigued me. By Alfonso Ossorio, it is called Number 14, and is done with layers of wax and ink, using the wax as a resist, and then scraping off, and repeating, creating an intriguing layered piece. 

 And then, of course, is the marvelous (but hard to photograph) Calder's Circus. Here's a tiny sampling.  The whole thing is such a joy, and I think is a great lesson inspiration.  You don't have to have fancy sophisticated materials to make art that people will love.

 Now here's where things got a little dicey in the museum.  My husband tries to be kind, but his immediate response was "Get me some lockers.  I'd be happy to crush them for you."  Yeah....

 And then there were these sinks, "The Ascending Sink" by Robert Gober.  It's a couple of sinks, screwed to the wall...

 And the painting at the top of the post, and this, below, by Richard Prince.  It seems every visit to a major museum has us scratching our heads in at least one room. 

 Then we came across this., also by Robert Gober (the sink guy).  I ended up in a conversation with another museum patron, trying to puzzle it all out.  The tag calls it  "Newspaper" and for medium, lists it as "photolithographs with twine".  It is a pile of newspaper.  Now, it happens that, coincidentally, the big headline, from 1992, happens to be about lead in the drinking water, making this very timely, at the moment.  But still, the question is, what makes something "art". 

 It is certainly a definition that is changing, though I am still hung up on the concept (whether or not, on this particular piece) the headline happens to timely at the moment) that art is something that is interesting or intriguing or beautiful to look at.  I know that is not the only definition any more, but it still doesn't help me understand how someone can stencil some letters on a canvas, or tack a couple of sinks to a wall, or crush some lockers, or pile up some newspapers, and achieve recognition for this as an artist.  Where did that "artist" make the leap from learning about the Elements and Principles in art class?  How did he or she move from putting together a portfolio of work to get accepted into an art program, to getting recognized for displaying a sink?  Help me out here, folks....

Anyhow, I;'ll close with a few more pieces I liked.  Above, puppets by Phillip Parreno.  Below, a painting that I became very fond of.  My photo of it isn't great, but I love how, while it looks like an aquarium, it also looks open into an abyss.  It makes me happy. 

 And just for fun, these colorful pieces put a smile on my face.  My husband, not so much..  I apologize; for some reason I'm missing the artist's names for these final 4 images, and the color balance on my photos is a little off, but hopefully it's enough to intrigue you, too!!