More art in hospitals!

Thoughts on art in places of crisis.

Which of these would allow for relaxation and give you a sense of calm - cold white walls kept empty for easy cleaning...or thick warm carpets with richly colored paintings on the walls?  

How often are we sitting in a hospital looking for any distraction to take our minds off the pressing issue at hand?  Hopefully never!  But if in such a situation, and you were able to zone out for a bit, it would certainly replenish your spirit and provide the needed break to gain some calm and clarity so needed in such situations.  Being able to relax for a few minutes in a crisis situation allowing for  clearer thinking would be unequivocally beneficial to a care giver or patient.  

Art allows for such a distraction, it is a pathway for daydreaming.  Looking at an image can bring a flood of thoughts, allow for escape from the reality you are presently in, and can give you a moment of tranquility.  Do you play it safe with Monet, O'Keefe or Kadinsky?  Recently I was in a children's waiting room and they had some very lively and colorful Miro's up.  They were playful line drawings and really added an element of lightheartedness to the room.

In our lives we need to create environments of peaceful existence.  Be more aware of the space you create and how it affects you, and others.  We have the power in shaping the mood and feel for the places we inhabit.  Nurture your mind and soul with outer peace.

MTA Art for Transit Commission

I won a commission from the NYC, MTA Arts for Transit program, in 2008.  After submitting multiple projects for numerious stations, I actually landed a commission.  I had no idea what I was in for, but I can say now, after all is said and installed, it was nothing short of a wonderful experience.  The contract was daunting, working with a fabricator for the first time was scary, and the install - terrifying!  Luckily the MTA was extremely experienced in working with artists, fabricators, and the type of install my work was to be realized as.  The work was completed in faceted glass and epoxy, which is similar to cement.  It is an above ground station, with the ocean a mere block away.

My paintings were translated into faceted glass panels by Erskin Michtell, who I choose because of his wonderful work and recommendation from a previous Arts for Transit artist that I contacted.  Sure, a few snags happened along the way, like the install was way passed the contract date, due to the work on the station taking longer then expected.  And they had to re-install one of the panels due to piping that could not be moved, blocking the image, but nothing major.  

The after party was held at a bungelow in the Far Rockaways, hosted by a previous commissioned artist.  Five artists had been chosen to install art, each at a station along the S line.  I was thrilled to be included in this group, whose art will be taken care of by the MTA for the next 100 years.  The MTA has open calls everytime they renovate a station.  If you are an artist, and so inspired, go for it!

105 Beach Station, Rockaways

Orignial designs for the fabricator to work from when cutting out the faceted glass pieces.

CALLIE HIRSCH,Vast, 2011

As you make your way to the seaside, be on the lookout for Arts for Transit installations like this one, located at Beach 105th Street station in the Rockaways. The original aquatic-inspired artwork, created by artist Callie Hirsch and translated into faceted glass by Erskin Mitchell, catches and releases light reflected by the ocean and big sky of the Rockaways. 

Hirsch, inspired by childhood experiences, explores the universe beneath the seas through her artwork. As a child, she was fascinated by the family fish tank filled with creatures taken from the ocean. As a teenager, her interest was heightened when she began sailing and scuba diving. The variety and vibrancy of life beneath the surface continues to be a major interest to her.

With a love for the Rockaway landscape, Hirsch says the ocean is one of the most desirable places on earth. Through Vast, she hopes to encourage viewers to acknowledge and respect the beauty of the sea and consider their own participation in the power and wholeness of the natural world.

http://web.mta.info/mta/aft/about/call.html

Sunday Walk Through Green-wood Cemetery

Quiet, a little chilly, and alive with geese, the cemetery was perfect for a Sunday walk.  Green-wood cemetery is located in Brooklyn, and is one of the first rural cemeteries in America, founded in 1838.  It is 48 acres and contains seven lakes.  I make new discoveries everytime I visit, this time it was the huge, white koi fish that looked almost robotic. (See in photo below)  It is home to 560,000 permanent residents, including Leonard Bernstein, Boss Tweed, Charles Ebbets, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Horace Greeley, Civil War generals, baseball legends, politicians, artists, entertainers and inventors.

                                                 

A Word on Collaborations

On the left is my brother-in-law Brian, a musician, a fiber optics engineer and a man with a wonderful mission in life, to follow where his many passions lead him.  He is also the father of my amazing niece and nephew!  I  have great respect and admire this man for the challenges he takes on and for his infectious laughter.  When he tells a story, his whole being lights up and his excitement is unbridled.  A animated story teller, a guy who could build his own house and a father whose children see his passion and love him for it unconditionally.

I collaborated with him on two guitar projects.  Being a guitar builder, he has the know how to strip down a guitar, creating my canvas. Upon completion of my painting, I then hand it back to him to rebuild and put the proper finishing touches on.  Created is an ever-lasting, one of a kind, gorgeous piece of art/musical instrument.  

The guitar on the right was our first, and we created it for my sister's 40th birthday.  It already started out as her purple guitar, we took it and brought it way beyond it's tacky purple ways.  As she opened the gift, first it was her eyes, and then her whole face which expressed her joy with the new rebirthing. It was worth all our efforts to bring such surprise and excitement to someone we so loved.   It was quite apparent that our collaboration was a success so we moved onto our next one.

Collaborating is about sharing, trusting, and working to bring out each others strengths to compliment one another.   Currently I am working on children's book with a singer/songwriter that I have been friends with for years.  Working together has been extremely enriching for us both, even if the book never gets published, we both learned so much and grew tremendously in our personal ambitions and pride in our work.  We will get it published, and hopefully many others will feel all the love we poured into it.  Below is our bios for the book:

I want to thank both these artists for sharing their time and tremendous energy with me, and for trusting me enough to create something wonderful together.  I am embracing the ability to work well with others, not always worth undertaking, it easily could lead to disastrous results on a multitude of levels.  Collaborating takes you in directions you would never venture to on your own.  It is invaluable in that you encourage each other with a sense of ambition, mutual respect, and leaving little to no room for failure.  You do not ever want to let the other person down, so you try harder then you would on your own and make sure that the endeavor is completed to both of your satisfaction.  It is that pulse of the other that makes you strive harder.

My New Year's resolution is to continue to seek out others to create new, unknown paths to be enriched by.  2014 is my year for opportunity and seeking out magical others.  ~ Callie 

Artwork completed in France

Created at the artist residency, enjoy~

Life of an Artist

Life without Fantasy

How does one adjust to the daily rigors of being an employee in a job void of art, after feeling the freedom of being an artist for three weeks straight? How does one get/create a job in the arts field?  It is so competitive that really you need to create the job you want.  Setting up a table at a flea market, starting your own gallery or creating an art show.  You need to have a vision, faith in yourself and a good business sense.  Create a life worth living, become the person you most envy, or simply try and redefine who you are and where you are at.

Life has many secrets, and no secrets at all.  We meet people who wax and wane in friendship, loyalty and tolerance.  We have family that we love, and love to feel trifled by.  We create relationships that define us, give us balance and bring love into our souls.  We are constantly changing, re-evaluating, and adjusting to new conditions.  Strong, hard working and dedicated, we plow forward with the energy and gusto of a sloth in heat.  Sometimes fast, sometimes in a slow, crawling and slug like pace.  We are the masters of indifference for self preservation.  Our love drifts and we move to another, always in need of a inspirational being, the muse.

Back from France....

Some magical moments remembered...from the town of Auzits.  The town is situated in the Aveyron (Midi-Pyrenees region) in the southern-centre of France at 26 km from Rodez, the department capital. 

Dawn and I were invited into a house built in 1707.  This man was born in the house.

From Dawn's juggling barn.

Some strange flora that grows in southern France.

Laura Hunt, installation artist from Australia, with me.

One of her pieces ~

Found wild life...