Please Join Me! Art Connections 6

You Are Invited!
Art Connections 6 Exhibit
George Segal Gallery
Montclair State University
Opening Reception:
Sunday, January 12, 2010
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Exhibit Dates: 1/17-2/13, 2010

Live and Create Inspired by Love

“There are four questions of value in life... What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love.”~ Don Juan deMarco

The Child Within

I have managed to spend more time working on my painting, "The Child Within."As I was driving last weekend, to spend the day with my friend, Carol Saylor, a Pa. based sculptor and fine artist, I was thinking seriously about my work and my motivations for creating it. I had spoken earlier with another friend.We extensively discussed my recent work. What motivates anyone to do anything? The recurring answer for me is always love and passion. In its absence, I cannot create well. I fall in and out of love on a daily basis with ideas,images,great minds,literature and art ,positive sensations and memories. I asked Carol, who has had greater life experience, some incredibly tragic, "What is it that you have learned from this life? " Her response was that she "understands" nothing and knows little:) I told her that I shared something similar with my children... that the "key" to living freely is in the understanding and appreciation that,simultaneously, none of it matters...and yet all of it matters:) We talked about how love and loss,despite education, "knowledge", and material success, guide our thoughts,actions and interests. It is what reminds us that we are alive and connected to others in a deeply emotional sense. And then I had a realization about my work that I cannot at present fully share. I called my best friend excitedly as I sat in my parked car outside of Carol's home. I explained the concept for my next project. She listened and loved it because for once, it genuinely reflects who  I am and what I believe. After the completion of the initial phase of my work, it will include and culminate with work of nearly 1000 pieces by an array of artists.I will curate this project. I am confident that I can. My inspiration is love.Theirs will be as well."The Child Within" is a tribute to love lost, found and unrequited. It is about the absence of care and kindness when it is most needed. This painting  is about the struggle to heal, forgive and recover...about self acceptance, self discovery and self love. It is about the beauty of experiencing love as a mother, father, sister, brother, lover, friend or child.The following adapted text was written by Betrand Russell. Bertrand Arthur William Russell, (May 18,1872 –February 2, 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, socialist, and pacifist.In the early 1900's, he led the British "revolt against idealism". Considered one of the founders of analytic philosophy, Russell recieved a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950  "in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought."

Three passions have governed my life:

The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of [humankind].
Love brings ecstasy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of [people].
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.

Wildflowers: Small Version, Same Sentiment....Love

I am experimenting with mixed media for my larger scale "Wildflower". Thispanel  is only 7" x 15" . It is a maple substrate, finished with hammered copper. It is a gift for someone. Wildflowers have a way of spreading and sharing their natural beauty. This year I want to share more of my art and more of my heart.

Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844

Wildflower: Spread the Beauty

Thoughtful Gift Giving! Buy My Art on Imagekind

My art is inspired by great love, simple beauty and the desire to share my dreams and my story. Children are my greatest source of inspiration, especially my own. Their innocence and easy acceptance of live guide my thoughts and my work.Imagekind.com. Prints, notecards and other items are available for purchase! Please contact me at judiharz@aol.com, for customized heirloom portraits,paintings or for other information.My images are also perfect for inspirational gifts, birthdays and birth announcements!

If you'd like to give a unique and heartfelt gift to someone special for the holidays, please consider visiting my site on
Click here for more of Jude's art on Imagekind:
http://www.imagekind.com/MemberProfileGalleries.aspx?MID=b5b4a5ef-f273-465a-aaf7-738c7fdfa00b
A portion of the proceeds of all purchases will be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
“The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Art,Sheep and Shared Laughter

My husband tries to appreciate my passion for art and the way in which I think which is often quite foreign and contrary to his own understanding of the world. Occasionally he will email me "art" related videos or articles that he thinks would be of interest. I smile because I do value his effort despite the "value" of the content. Although I must admit, this video is amusing, innovative and creative!
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~e.e. cummings

The Child Within

Progress was made this evening:) As hard as I tried to put away my paints until after the holiday happenings, I simply could not. Painting has become like breathing,resting,thinking or eating....NECESSARY. It is strange how we think we should deny ourselves what it is we need and want most ,when in actuality we can do more, have more, be more and when we enrich and care for ourselves, it effects everything around us in a positive way.I can finally sleep tonight because I painted, uninterrupted. Painting gives me a sense of peace and solace like nothing else can.

"The Child Within" is slowly developing into a "finished" piece. Art is effort. Personally, it is not something created on a whim, in moments of pure emotional frenzy, (although people like to believe that of me).I  don't create extensive preliminary sketches and my process is fairly "immediate" and direct. I do dream, contemplate and envision my images. Most accomplished artists that I have met, motivated or not, "show up" regularly to engage in the process of creating. The times when it seems most difficult to summon energy or desire, are exactly the moments when I must work. The results are sometimes pleasantly unexpected and rich. I am persistent, patient and disciplined.And yes, sometimes a break is in order, but not now...not for me.

And my most satisfying works to date are my Wildflower paintings....."wildflowers...showing up where beauty has lost its way..." 

"Make You Feel My Love"

The Child Within

It is tragic when a child's spirit and sense of security are stolen. It can take a lifetime to heal, if ever. Love and patience, when trusted and accepted, help mend broken heads and hearts.
This painting is in process. It is oil on canvas and is 4 ft. w x 2 Ft. h.I am sneaking in a little painting amid the activity of the holiday season. Shhhhhhh!
"The way of peace is the way of love.Love is the greatest power on earth.It conquers all things"....Peace Pilgrim.

Jude Harzer in Art Connections 6

Please Join Me!

George Segal Gallery
Montclair State University
Opening Reception:
Sunday, January 12, 2010
2:00 - 5:00 pm

Dates: 1/17-2/13, 2010

Thoughtful Gift Giving

My art is inspired by great love, simple beauty and the desire to share my dreams and my story. Children are my greatest source of inspiration, especially my own. Their innocence and easy acceptance of live guide my thoughts and my work.

If you'd like to give a unique and heartfelt gift to someone special for the holidays, please consider visiting my site on Imagekind.com. Prints, notecards and other items are available for purchase! Please contact me at judiharz@aol.com, for customized heirloom portraits,paintings or for other information.My images are also perfect for inspirational gifts, birthdays and birth announcements!

Click here for more of Jude's art on Imagekind:
http://www.imagekind.com/MemberProfileGalleries.aspx?MID=b5b4a5ef-f273-465a-aaf7-738c7fdfa00b

A portion of the proceeds of all purchases will be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
“The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson