We live in a world with so much deceit, treachery and disappointment that sometimes we just need an escape from the horrors or boredom of reality. The beauty of movies, visual art and books is that these mediums provide such an escape. They take you to a place of rest, a moment in time, a new world, a place in history and allow you to get lost in that world and immerse yourself in it.

The great thing about a good book, movie, painting or story is it allows you to focus on some time, person, place or event where there is good, there is beauty and there is hope for a better future. What would the world be like without books, art, music and movies? What a dull, boring and lifeless place it would be without creativity and an escape to something beautiful to ponder and reflect upon.

I think we often take for granted how much our lives, our culture and our society is shaped by the arts. Art often reflects life but how much moreso that life reflects art, for the better and the worst. If you ever want to study a culture or time period in history, just look at the movies to see how people dressed, spoke and treated each other. When I watch movies from the 1930s to 1950s, men dressed in suits, treated women with respect and they seemed to have more of a sense of dignity and integrity.

When I listen to some of the music of today and movies that are available on the shelves at Blockbuster, I wonder how much these films have changed our society and helped feed the monster that society has become. As an Artist, I wonder can I help change that? Can I make the world a better place by putting my visions on paper for other to see or will it be ignored for something that feeds the flesh and pleases the eye even more? One cannot help but ponder such things.

I was given an assignment by a friend recently. The assignment was to paint a picture of true love. I know what his purpose was in having me do this, to put that dream on paper and hold that vision in front of me to make it a reality. Is it really that simple or just wishful thinking and pure fantasy? Do the images we see every day, the books we read, the music we listen to become our reality? When I look at the people in and around my life who spend their free time listening to music, reading books and enjoying Art and movies, I think the answer is yes. What we see, hear and take in becomes our world and our reality, sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad.

I was in the video store recently and I observed a very interesting couple. I suppose you could describe them as a ‘goth’ couple. They were a young couple in their early twenties. The girl was blonde and attractive, with a fit tan figure, clean cut and wearing a bright yellow sun dress. The guy she was with was rough looking with wildly unkept hair, tattoos, earrings and dressed in black with a pasty white complexion. Everyone around noticed them as they were hard not to notice. They seemed to be a contrast but similar all at the same time. After watching the couple from a distance, one of the video store employees walked by them and said ‘wow you guys are intent on getting a horror movie, aren’t you?”. They had spent most of their time in the horror movie section, reviewing movies they had not seen and making comments on films that they had seen before. “Remember this one?” they said to one another as they spent their afternoon reminiscing over movies they has watched before. Scenes of violence, mayhem, death and horror that no doubt shaped who they were, how they thought and what they spent their free time dwelling upon. “Not that there is anything wrong with that” as actor Jerry Seinfeld would say. This couple was a perfect visual demonstrating how the music, movies and art they took in shaped who they are or had chosen to become from how they dressed, spoke and what they thought about.

As Artists who help shape and define culture, the mark we leave on society may very well change and shape society but will it be for the better or for the worse? The words we say bring life or death to those who hear and speak it. The visuals we create may bless or scar someone for life. The books and poems we write may become someone’s favorite and change how they think about themselves and the world around them.

With those thoughts in mind, it is a joy to create something and bring it to life but also a responsibility to create something that will make an impression that is lasting but hopefully will make the world a better place. What we speak into the air and what we film, draw, write and paint is a reflection of not only who we are but what others will embrace and may become. My hope for my Art is that it will be a legacy that blesses, inspires and brings hope, inspiration, excitement and joy to all who see it to make the world become a better place.

July 23, 2009

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“NO ONE who practices deceit will dwell in my house, nor one who speaks falsely will dwell in my presence” (Psalm 101:7).

This is an exerpt from the book “Boundaries in dating” by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. This is from chapter 2: Require and Embody Truth” which is exactly what we as Christians are called to do. We serve a God who cannot lie and who embodies truth. When we lie, we sin against God and against those we lie to. There are many verses in the Torah / Bible that speak about lying and how God despises lying. He hates it. Lying will destroy a person. It will destroy the person who is being lied to and ultimately it will destroy the liar themselves for all eternity, destroying any trust or meaningful relationships that person may have along the way.

Here is what Dr. Cloud and Dr. Townsend say about lying in their book from Chapter 2, page 43.

“Why do people lie and what can you do about it? In our opinion, there are really two categories of liars. First, there are liars who lie out of shame, guilt, fear of conflict or loss of love, and other fears. They are the ones who lie when it would be a lot easier to tell the truth. They want to be honest, but for one reason or another, cannot quite pull it off. They fear the other person’s anger or loss of love.

The second category are liars who lie as a way of operating and deceive others for their own selfish ends. There is no fear or defensiveness involved, just plain old lying for love of self.

(This is the kind of lying God hates and borders on witchcraft where manipulating and trying to control others is the purpose. People who lie like this are proving one thing – that God is not in their hearts nor is He their God, but the deceiver himself is their god. When people lie like this, the danger for them is that God will give them over to a reprobate mind where they themselves are deceived. These people will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, no matter how religous they may appear to be. Remember that the devil also knows the word of God and he trembles in fear and used the word inappropriately to deceive, manipulate and keep people from coming to the truth of God and having a right relationship wit him).

You will have to ask yourself if you want to take the risk and do the work if you are with the first type. There are people in the first category who have never had a relationship where they felt safe enough to be honest, and they tend to still be hiding. So they lie to preserve love, or preserve the relationship, or avoid being caught in something because of guilt or shame. They are not really dangerous, evil characters, and sometimes when they find someone safe, they learn to tell the truth. This is a risk that some people want to take after finding out that deception has occured. They hope that person will be redeemed by the grace and love (from Jesus Christ and) that they offer and will tell the truth from them on.

While we would not automatically reccomend continuing a dating relationship with this kind of person, sometimes there is a good outcome. So we do not want to make a rigid rule. But our feeling is that dating is not a place to rehabilitate people. Just because the person is lying out of fear does not make it acceptable, and serious devastation can occur even with fearful liars. No matter what the reason behind it, lying destroys. Since we know that satan is a liar and his purpose is to steal, kill and destroy, lying is not from God and lying is one of the sins that God vehemently hates.

“By and large, the best policy is to stay away from those who lie for any reason. The second kind of liar is a no go. Tell him or her goodbye and save yourself a lot of heartache. Perpetual liars are not ready for a relationship.”

Whether you are a believer or not, you should have an absolute zero tolerance policy towards lying. Here is King David’s advice from the book of Psalms.. “NO ONE who practices deceit will dwell in my house, nor one who speaks falsely will dwell in my presence” (Psalm 101:7).”

God Himself hates lies. There are six things that God hates. Seven is an abomination to Him. For a list of those things, go to this site at http://www.thercg.org/youth/biblestudy/0007-ttgh.html. You do not lie to those you love, you lie to those you hate.

What is ‘fun’ about an Art Show?

 I remember a time when I used to think of art gallery openings and shows being only for the rich and popular ‘in crowd’ and that they were events that were stuffy and not fun. Then I began actually putting on art shows as a Painter and Photographer and found just how much fun these events can be. It is a huge amount of work setting up for these shows and dragging easels, tables, art, food, wine, music or whatever props you have to create a positive environment but once you are there and the evening is set, the interactions and the fun starts when the people start to arrive.

For starters, most of these art events are free and a great opportunity to meet people, mingle and experience some great culture, food and make new friends. I have been to art shows where the homeless and the rich both mingled together in the same room and no one was uncomfortable. Everyone was there to see and experience the art and not just sit back and observe but be a part of the cultural experience and interact with others as well as get inspired.

Granted I remember some art shows I attended where most of the artists had tattoos and gathered outside and smoked and I did not quite fit in whereas others I was able to mingle with the crowd, strike up conversations and observe absolute strangers sitting down at a table together to break bread, fellowship and enjoy a relaxing afternoon or evening, all in the name of celebrating culture. These are the moments where you can sit back and not only observe culture but shape it and be a part of it. These are the moments I remember the most.

As far as art shows go there is a variety to attend on any given weekend that can be pretty easily broken down into three varieties; open air art festivals that attract mammoth crowds, group art shows at galleries, church or community centers that are more intimate where a variety of art and styles are shown and finally, the more intimate ‘one man show’ as they call them out west, where one artist puts on an exhibit and gets to meet and interact with the crowd as a solo exhibitor.

Out of the three types of shows, my favorite is the latter two where there is more of a personal interaction between artists and art show attendees. As an artist, it is up to you to shine or look silly in front of a group of friends and absolute strangers and show them your work and who or what you are all about. It is a community event where you get to know your neighbors and get out and impact an audience, no matter how large or small. As a Patron, it is a chance to get out and take in new experiences and share something with others in your community.

I tried the outdoor art festival events when I was younger and did sell things but just found the mentality to be a zoo of people herding their kids and friends trying to navigate through a maze of art vendors and getting overwhelmed by all of the sights and art work to take in. If you really want to enjoy an art show, go to the art gallery openings, community centers and indoor events that are less overwhelming. I guarantee it will be a more enjoyable experience and you have the opportunity to take in the event at your own pace without having to trip over a moving crowd in the heat.

Also, here is some advice to fellow Artists; if you are going to pay good money to sit in the heat all day and show your work, make an effort to be friendly and interact with your potential customers. The key word there being ‘potential’. Who is a potential customer? Everyone and anyone. If nothing else, make the effort to make a new friend or fan of your work.

I recently attended the Mount Dora Art Festival and it was a huge gathering of wall to wall people and a well attended show. I went to see the art but also observe other artists to see how they worked the crowd, gain some contacts and yes, even buy some art.

I attended one artist’s booth that was more worried about people photographing or stealing his work rather than being cordial. I opened my digital camera to photograph the crowd and he immediately got up and started waving his arms and trying to get my attention. I assured him I was not there to steal his work and even showed him some of the crowd photos I had taken. It was all I could do to keep from saying I had no interest in buying his work, let alone photographing it to reproduce but I did my best to put him at ease then went about my business before being so rudely interrupted. Note to self – never do what this guy did. Yes you want to protect your work that you have labored to create but not at the expense of creating a bad memory or reputation in the process.

Another artist booth I attended I saw a piece that I loved and complemented the Artist telling them, ‘this is the best work I have seen here all day’. I received a very snide ‘thank you’ then watched the artist hide behind their tent and disappear. Note to other artists – never ever, ever, ever disrespect someone who is complementing your work by showing them disinterest. The old saying “never bite the hand that feeds you” could never apply more than this situation. I presented this artist with an opportunity to tell me more about their creation, hand me a business card and hear more about them. Instead I received a dead pan ‘thank you’ as they showed me their back. That artist lost a sale that day not to mention my respect. They had some great work but their mind was elsewhere apparently. Sound picky? Try making a sale that way and see what happens. If you have the opportunity to win a person over, take it. How often every day do you get an opportunity to impress someone? Even in bad economic times, art still sells if it moves a person.  

Always take time to mingle with the crowd. Even if you are not a people person, learn to talk to people and make some friends. Artist Andy Warhol knew this the best and became a master at working the crowds. People may not have always liked Andy Warhol’s work, but they liked Andy Warhol. He loved doing shows and he became a great public relations person doing shows and mingling with people as often as he could.

People may not always like your work but if they like you, they will make an investment in you. One of my artist friends reiterated this fact to me in a discussion we were having one day. She said ‘they are not just buying a painting, they are buying a ‘Sharon Pollard’ and she is right. In each painting, regardless of the subject matter, there is also an artist’s unique style, signature and method of painting that makes that piece of art uniquely theirs and uniquely ‘you’ if you created it.   

So, whether you are a serious art collector, lover of the arts or just looking for something different to do and take in some culture on a Friday night, enjoy the experience and take It for what it is, a night on the town to experience some culture and relaxation. That, after all, is what art is meant for – to enhance and enrich your life and offer an escape from the boredom and / or stress from living in a stressed out world.

Have fun, make some friends and if you like what you see, take home a treasure to adorn your home that will be a souvenir from the evening and something to make your home uniquely yours.