The two paintings that accompany this post illustrate the most important learning I brought back from my recent holiday in Barcelona. They also serve as a reminder of the most precious moments that I spent there. The paintings are by my children, aged 11 and 7 respectively and for me they are testimony to the fact that creativity is inherent in all of us, regardless of any notion of 'inborn talent'. When we are not held back by the limitations of our own thought, we can all produce interesting and vibrant work. Sadly, as adults, those limiting thoughts so often get in the way. In the words of Richard Bach in the marvelous 'Illusions' (one of my favourite books as a teenager): Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours".
When in Barcelona, we spent some time at the apartment of a good friend of mine from University days. We visited him after a wonderful day at the Miro Museum. Even after that treat, at my friend's house, we all admired the fabulous display of oil paintings he had in a cabinet. Having visited him before, I was in on the secret, but my husband David was not and asked who had painted them. The answer was that he asks every guest who stays in the apartment to use the canvases, oil paints and brushes that he keeps there to paint a picture, preferably abstract, that he can display. The work was stunning and none of it was painted by professional artists. Indeed most of the paintings were done by people who had not picked up a paintbrush since school.
Naturally we were up for the challenge. We headed up to his rooftop, hauling up the boxes of paint and canvases and the four of us began to paint, as we looked out at this amazing view. It was interesting to witness how free the children's work was compared to our own. David painted a comic version of Velazquez's 'Las Meninas' and I did a still life of wine and olives. I was aware of my limitations in a way that the children were not. Yet all the same, I experienced a real joy in that moment, a joy that came from the fact of focusing on the act of creation. For me, that is always the greatest pleasure of the artistic act: that there is something meditative about it. When one is fully engaged in creating, one has no time for distracting ideas. Everything goes into making the work as good as it can possibly be.
Indeed, focus was the key learning I gained from looking at Miro's work and reading about it afterwards. Such greatness as an artist comes from a lifetime of dedication and focus. Miro was a devoted artist and it shows in his work. He built up a private language that appears at first indecipherable, yet the more one studies his work, the more that language becomes apparent and the more one understands his form of expression.
One fact that really struck me about Miro was that he tried very hard when young to be conventional and take a normal job to please his father. But doing so, going to the office day after day made him ill and he suffered a breakdown. His art was calling for him too strongly for him to ignore. Even his father was forced to confront his destiny as an artist.
On a personal note, I find myself, at this juncture, being drawn closer and closer to my own vocation - that of studying and writing about art. Those who read this blog may have been able to see this between the lines but it is only now that it is staring me in the face as the most obvious vocation, only now that I am seriously checking out the art history MAs and working out how I can make this a permanent part of my life.
In the meantime, I remind myself of this truth. We all have something important to express and it is vital that we spend time getting clear on what that passion is. It brings me back to the question that we have all heard many times but do not often answer: What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
Hi, Jacqui,
I absolutely LOVE the idea of having canvas, paints, and paintbrushes available for guests and asking them to paint something whenever they visit, then display their painting.
Thanks for sharing your friend's idea.
Suzanne Lieurance
The Working Writer's Coach
http://www.workingwriterscoach.com
"When Your Pen Won't Budge, Read The Morning Nudge"
Posted by: Suzanne | September 14, 2008 at 09:47 PM