In the World of Art/ and Art in my World

Put a thought out there and the universe will answer...and it did! I've been longing for ways to experience more art in my life. I wanted to spend time with paintings, pottery, tapestry and the people who created them. The answer came in real life time this weekend; painting it would be; twice!

Saturday, I spent a lovely evening with a talented painter of two of my great loves; France and poodles. This artist,  Maureen Broussalian, does whimsical portraits of your dog in Provence and Paris. Her aim: "send your dog on vacation." She has had recent requests to send chickens and husbands to France as well. Delightful work, fun colors and images that remind me of Toulouse Lautrec. The above link will take you to her Facebook page and a photo gallery of her work and her beautiful poodle, Benji.

Speaking of art with Maureen is to speak of vision as well as of personal growth, and a thirst to learn. It is also about making space in one's life for what you as a person, a little independent of your children and husband, love to do. I get that, as writing and knitting fill that creative space for me. She makes the world more beautiful through the art she makes and the art she chooses to collect. Her family is really pretty too.

I fell asleep Saturday night with thoughts of adding beauty to our living space. A new sofa will be making its debut soon; the first one we have ever actually purchased, quite the event. It was the occasion to give some thought to my environment beyond picking up and cleaning. I did not want a simple vase or poster from the hobby shop down the road, no, I wanted  an object or work by an artist. It might take months, and I always do end up missing art shows for various reasons...kids tend to run amok in the middle of these events, when they do not have something they need to be driven to. I was prepared to wait. However, Sunday morning I walked into our church social hall and saw color everywhere. I recognized the work immediately; it was Bennedicto, an artist from Guatemala with ties to our church.  We were introduced and then he gave me the most fascinating intro to his work over the following hour, in Spanish.

This one is the first that caught my eye. A fish-eye's view of the crabbers hauling in their catch on ropes. If you go to Bennedicto's  blog you can find at least four more sorts of painting, from naive to bird's eye to cubist.  I brought home a wonder of a painting; an ant's view of the coffee harvesting...I am thrilled. He talked and explained and wove stories of his home land and people; those who turned into birds and watch over the town yet today, brothers who turned to fish to save the world. His mother taught him, as a child,  to cultivate the flowers for the dyes she used for weaving. Colors are his world. He is a Mayan artist. His eyes sparkled as he showed me his vision for the future; creating the first cultural periodism in art, a concept that does not yet exist. He wants to initiate conversations about art and cultures from around the globe. He is full of life and the joy that comes from loving what he does. 

 

Tomorrow I will post a photo of Maureen's work and also of Bennedicto's painting hanging in my house today. (Maybe I'll even shoot the new couch too.)