WHY - from Nancy Bell Scott

[Marie Wintzer]

I have received this wonderful piece by Nancy a few weeks back. Life hasn't been a long quiet river for her recently, and I know that this work was her first attempt at getting back to art, at finding her feet in the studio again, so I'm really touched and honored that she thought about me. 
Nancy is making great use of what I call her "islands", and to me this work is about connections being made and being broken. The inevitable cycles of life. Islands and continents drift apart, rifts deepen and fissures extend (sometimes abruptly and violently). At the same time new ties are created, new elements are added to the chain of interactions (what I see on the left of the card). WHY, well, I don't need to go there, you know that WHY that is relentlessly trotting in your mind some days...
I know Nancy is starting to send out mail again, and for what I have seen it is as fab as it ever was, I am really looking forward to more correspondence with her. Muchly arigatoo my friend!

[cheryl penn]

Nancy - I'm laughing :-) - are our mothers related? :-) X

[Nancy Bell Scott]

This seems central and true: "There are many interpretations that are unintended by the artist but the success of a good work lies in its ability to resonate in unexpected ways." (from Cheryl's post below).  Who isn't a fan of the unexpected?  Well, my mother isn't, but besides her.

Hi Alicia and Kat., and thanks for reminding where the Henri Michaux quote came from ~

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Wow! how did I miss this? Good thing I stopped by Marie's page and saw it as I was leaving....these blogs get buried fast ;-(

Now then...about meaning, artist's intention...( no way am I going there again...me thinks I'll go and

do some drawing). But very FAB discussion going on here, nce again

However, as the Guido's friend says:

[Alicia Starr]

 fly on the wall here. who wouldn't love these conversations ;--)

[De Villo Sloan]

Now I'm carrying the burden of my sarcasm heavily. Cheryl & I probably agree about 95% of the times. And to try to dig out of this ether, I'll quote Gertrude Stein's famous last words: "What was the question?"

[De Villo Sloan]

[De Villo Sloan]

I REALLY apologize if this seemed to become contentious. That was not my intent (speaking of intention). It is hard to convey tone in this medium.

 

Well, you know, I think I've said before our blog hostess - the celebrated Cherry Blossom - resorts to Bear Baiting in order to get a discussion moving. At this point, I'm looking for report on the Grigster's fishing trip in Minnesota and how the poker game went..

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Yikes--DVS, sorry I missed making clear that you and Cheryl initiate many projects together. I'm fully aware of that. She tends to talk more while they're going on, and the only projects I've yet managed to complete were Cheryl's plagiarist pages and The World Is a Town (though your and Cheryl's vispo pages are getting there). You two make a most interesting duo in the projects you run, given your differences--which are actually seeming less and less wide to me in this discussion.

Like you, I love most of all not knowing what's going to happen at the art table. Anything is possible, including conscious intent, but mostly it's an exploration that, if it ends up with meaning, developed it along the way. This is why the projects, with stated purpose from the get-go, are extremely challenging--they don't let me have no idea what's going to happen when beginning work.

Marie, if she's hiding under the table, might have good reason to be there; I might join you, Marie :--}  

[De Villo Sloan]

Cheryl, I have been trembling concerning your response but decided not to remove the comment. Yes, I am more familiar with your work than most.

 

Here we are in the usual scenario. Cherry Blossom is hiding beneath the table while the dishes fly above.

[cheryl penn]

Morning :-). Nancy - thank you :-) - I'm feeling fluffed out :-))! Instinct - THAT is the most reliable and rewarding tool for me too.

My further 5c worth...

Just as art connects with people in different ways, tastes and perceptions are subjective.  Meaning too is measurably different for each visual recipient - as are ways to access and interact with the work.  There are many interpretations that are unintended by the artist but the success of a good work  lies in its ability to resonate in unexpected ways.  Why do you hold/look at some pieces longer than others? Perhaps it is because art is more than the creative act, perception, more than beauty, it is also about interpretation.  De Villo – you have ALWAYS brought unexpected insight to my work you have blogged – it is your gift.  I have always embraced these uncoverings and in many instances they have spurred me further. So, is my position untenable – perhaps - also bearing in mind that instinct is a LARGE weapon in the arsenal of creating.  That too is an unquantifiable factor.  We are also NOT discussing serious Hermeneutics, we are bandying about.

"The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it."
Carl Jung. Modern Man in Search of a Soul, 1933.