Artists on the Road
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Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. ~ Miriam Beard
When travelling we all want to feel like explorers in uncharted territory. That is exactly what sketching can bring to the experience, refreshing our minds and eyes with the wonder of a thousand tiny details to build a cache of enduring memories. Travelling with a camera, journal and sketchbook, one creates unique “postcards of memories.”
Travel can also be life changing. Such was the case for me as a 17 year-old AFS student to Japan. Having grown up in a small town in the Midwest, nothing could have prepared me for the extraordinary adventure ahead. The language, food, manners, customs, and being the only outsider (gaijin) in a large city, all bombarded me with an overload of emotion and deep desire to understand and learn. I studied sumi-e brush painting with a Japanese master and what I came home with was a profoundly different sensibility about people, religion, and most importantly, an oriental aesthetic of simple beauty that became deeply embedded in my own art making and still informs to this day.
The founder of the Miller Art Museum, Gerhard CF Miller, would often joyfully boast of having travelled to 44 countries in his long life of 100-plus years. He discovered the treasures of many countries, creating paintings from every corner of his travels, many of which are in the museum permanent collection. A mind and heart truly broadened by extensive travel, he also claimed to have discovered a new green in the lush foliage he encountered in the Surinam jungle!
Most artists who use a sketchbook to record their encounters afield would say they can capture the sense of a place, even add their opinion and reaction. No matter how long ago a drawing was made, it can invoke in the artist the colors, smells and sounds of a place and bring them right back to that moment. Sketching while travelling one also finds folks who will engage and make a connection. The opportunity to talk about life on their turf can be exhilarating. Another benefit is drawing slows one down to more fully explore and experience the moment at hand.
If I could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint. ~ Edward Hopper
Artists in the current exhibit at the Miller Art Museum, Artists on the Road, have chosen to remember their travels by making paintings of people, places and things that inspired them. Visitors will see paintings by 11 invited artists who each chose five paintings from their travels. Arizona and Door County artist, Sandra Place reveals memories of her trips to Thailand, Italy and Guatemala; Ireland is the subject for Mary Bosman; Cheryl Stidwell Parker brings Australia to the canvas; Ed Fenendael has work from four countries – Romania, France, Switzerland and China; Richard Geudtner, Brigitte Kozma, Tom Seagard, Mary Ulm Mayhew, Susan Hale, Bonnita Budysz, and Tom DeMint will take you to places such as Senegal, Myanmar, England, Holland, Russia, Portugal, Costa Rica, France and, in this country – Key West, Tucson, Yellowstone National Park, California and beyond.
Your “passport” to beautiful travel awaits!
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list. ~ Susan Sontag
And to conclude, another wonderful thing about travel, it makes home seem like another paradise – there’s no place like home!
Artists on the Road will be on display through Sept. 16 at Miller Art Museum, 107 S 4th Avenue, Sturgeon Bay. A public reception will be held July 26, 5 – 6:30 pm. On Sept. 11 at 10:30 am, a museum talk titled “Travel to Treasure: Painting on Location” will be presented by Bonnita Budysz.
Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance, Inc., which contributes Culture Club throughout the summer season, is a coalition of non-profit organizations whose purpose is to enhance, promote and advocate the arts, humanities and natural sciences in Door County.