"Andrew Wyeth,Famed and Infamous Artist,Dies"

Among my favorite places to visit is the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa. It houses a spectacular collection of three generations of Wyeth artists works: NC,Andrew,Carolyn and Jamie, among others.Today I read in the NY Times that Andrew Wyeth passed away in his sleep at Chadds Ford at the age of 91.Although it saddens me, it made me think fondly of all the beautiful images that he created that continue to inspire me as an artist.

My favorite are the Helga Pictures.
From 1971 to 1985,Andrew Wyeth created over 240 images of his neighbor Helga Testorf without sharing them or the knowledge of his specific subject matter with a single individual, including his wife. To me they are his most beautiful and intimate images. Whether working in tempera,watercolors or pencil, Wyeth's skill and passion for his art, was undeniable, despite the ongoing controversy amid art critics.It is impossible for me to look at the layers of pigment and his detectable and deliberate brush strokes, and feel anything other than confidence and awe, that his path in life was meant to be just what it was: as an artist.

I will make the trip this year to Brandywine once again. I had the opportunity to hear Andrew's granddaughter Victoria speak about his work at the Philadelphia Museum of Art several years ago.That particular retrospective and the stories of his life and work,made me value Andrew as a painter and as a person even more.
For more information, read the NY Times article devoted to Andrew Wyeth and visit the Brandywine River Museum site.
Andrew Wyeth will live through his art and his stories.

Jude's Solo Exhibition:Serendipity

Serendipity

Jill Bolte Taylor: Energy, Beauty and Inspiration

Odilon Redon

Beauty, Truth and Art

BEAUTY,TRUTH and ART
Vivi-Mari Carpelan Hanko,Finland
If you would like to subscribe to a quality blog that is both beautiful and thought provoking,check out artist Vivi-Mari Carpelan's blog entitled: A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ON PLANET EARTH. Vivi-Mari's recent post,"Beauty, Truth and Art," is particularly interesting and addresses the subjectivity of perception in regard to art and beauty and the ability of an individual to recognize the beauty that is inherent in all natural things.Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder? It seems that some,have a greater ability to "see" beauty.Perhaps when we are mindful and receptive,beauty reveals itself. Vivi-Mari also observes that beauty and art are often confused and not necessarily equivalent. Obviously not all art is beautiful, but the most aesthetically displeasing,melancholy or symbolic may elicit a reaction that makes one aware of beauty in its purest sense...the beauty of emotion,spirituality, thought or yes, even the physical.Thank you Vivi-Mari for your words and reflections. May you always see beauty in the world around you:)It is there!


KINDERGARTEN RESOLUTIONS: 2009
I am an art educator in a New Jersey public school and have the pleasure of spending 180 days with 700 energetic five year olds. It is necessary to simplify ideas for them but they are without a doubt, intelligent and receptive.So to ring in the new year, prior to our exploration of multicultural arts and crafts,we discussed the idea of making resolutions.I explained that grown ups make these "personal promises" in an effort to improve themselves and make positive changes. In my art class, we decided to make our own collective resolution and to repeat our promise each week. We talked about the importance of trying our best and not comparing ourselves to others. Their "job" as "Kinderartists", and as people, is to be the very best that they can be and to become who they are meant to be.I told them that Miss Judy,(that's me), resolves to become a better artist but asked them if wishing was enough?Absolutely not they responded, "you have to practice!" Wishing alone does not make it so, but it sure helps! So I shared with them this "secret" and told them to remember it and spread the word...
WISHING + WANTING + WORKING = WINNING! So before we commenced creating art,we hugged ourselves (really you have to be there...it is an incredibly "happy" place),and said in unison our 2009 Art class resolution,"I wish to be, the very best me!"
It really was a magical sight to see them, eyes closed,as they were working and some, as they left my studio, hugging themselves and whispering those words,"I wish to be the very best me." What could be better?...except of course, for them to believe it and live their dreams. I think that some of them will! Practice and Persist!:)

The Beauty in All Children

Seeing Beauty When It Seems Most Difficult to Find

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.... People think pleasing God is all God care about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back." ~Alice Walker, The Color Purple, 1982

I remember reading this in college. The words struck me because I always knew that if you look hard enough, despite the "noise" and ugliness,the unkindness,the pain...God is there. Beauty is there. It is however sometimes difficult to find.But it is there.God(which for me equals beauty,hope,the goodness and potential within us all),can be found in the smiling face of a child, the kindness of a stranger,vibrant purple flowers growing amid a field of weeds...

Alice Walker's, The Color Purple, often makes me think about my students,..actually all children and people in general. We are naturally attracted to the physically beautiful,the talented,intelligent,funny or socially outgoing.It is human nature really and certainly all of those qualities are evidence of beauty. But the more satisfying beauty, for those that wish to "see",sometimes is not quite so obvious.

During the first several weeks of school, I make an effort to "see" all 700 of my students. There are those who are outwardly naughty and misbehaved. You can't help but notice them and learn their names quickly but the beauty is in the fact that they demand to be seen. They make you very aware of their existence and that is actually wonderful because they command attention,good or bad, and will be cared for. Then of course there are the attractive,the sweet,the gifted and talented...the children who are "easy" to teach and "easy" to love.They provide a refreshing, constant source of beauty and inspiration." ..their beauty is "easy" to see. Finally, there are the silent,the mentally or physically challenged,the "plain", the painfully shy,the abused,the misunderstood,the "faceless" who seem invisible to most.Beauty is equally within those children, those people...it is quietly concealed and more difficult to find,especially if you have a limited and superficial understanding of what beauty is. But I assure you it is there.It is what lies beneath the "mask" that often offers the most beauty. In all of us, "true" beauty is not in appearances. It is in our goodness, our kindness and generosity, it is in discovering who we are.

So throughout my year,I do make a concerted effort to see and help my students discover their own beauty. It is my job as an Art educator but it is more importantly my mission as a parent and as a person.It is amazing when you actually stop and talk to a person who probably would go unnoticed by most, and ask them with sincerity, how they are and who they are. You will witness an immediate physical and emotional transformation. Sometimes the response is one of suspicion or surprise, but for a moment, they realize that someone cared to see....I think I will do a purple painting:)

May you always find beauty in the world around you.

Solo exhibition: Jude Harzer Feb. 7,2009