 artCampers painting birds with teacher April Davis and intern Allie Lambeth | AN EXALTATION OF DOVES Having finished a favorite Saturday morning treat—a fragrant croissant generously embellished a là nutella and fresh sliced strawberries—I’m at my computer putting the final touches on my weekly column when my phone beeps with a message. |
“I love your art. Do you want to meet for lunch?”
A fellow artCentral artist is texting from Mother Road Coffee on the square, where he’s viewing my “Beauty of Change” exhibit, while sipping a Kara Hardesty hand-crafted café.
Gosh. What to do? I already have a full day mapped in front of me. I’m planning to work through my artCamp preparation tasks. Do I really want to shift my focus?
“Sure,” I text back. We agree on Fleur de Lis at one, and so the day is perfectly punctuated with a satisfying interlude over Kathleen Gilpin’s sandwiches of apricot-garnished turkey on rye.
To have a light lunch and an artful conversation with a practicing artist is most pleasing. He tells me of his “green man” in progress and asks about my frequent use of blackbird images.
For me, after experiencing a series of “blackbird annunciations”, the blackbird is a “metaphor for love” (http://www.alicelynn.com/blackbird-annunciation1.html).
My lunch companion mentions that a group of black crows (as well as their cousin rooks and ravens) is called a “murder”. Apparently this sinister sounding term reflects a time when groupings of many animals had colorful and poetic names: an ostentation of peacocks, a parliament of owls, a congress of baboons, a knot of frogs, a skulk of foxes.
Our conversation continues. I’m blissed when the artist offers a lovely, uplifting description—“an exaltation of doves” which I promptly thumb into my phone on my list of “phrases to remember”.
According to Slavic legend, “the dove is a messenger and a symbol of a soul released from earth-bound duty. A dove is a clear sign of the soul's return to celestial realms.”
Forevermore I shall think of our bevy of artCampers as artCentral’s “exaltation of doves”—when gathered on the porch, in the classrooms and having fun frolicking across the lawn.
Oh how I cherish every artCamper—each a holy spirit released and flying freely into new realms of exploration, discovery, creativity and expression. They are our messengers, our teachers, too, in the art of unfettered exuberance.
Thank you to all the grownups who send your doves to us for these two precious weeks of end-of-July art-making. Your sharing makes artCentral blessed.
Blessed will be everyone who visits the artCamper Exhibition at Art Walk this Friday, July 22nd, 6-9 p.m. at The Palms. Just look for the exaltation wearing bright green artCentral t-shirts. You’ll be truly inspired by the awesome art created by artCamp’s “exaltation of doves”.
A fellow artCentral artist is texting from Mother Road Coffee on the square, where he’s viewing my “Beauty of Change” exhibit, while sipping a Kara Hardesty hand-crafted café.
Gosh. What to do? I already have a full day mapped in front of me. I’m planning to work through my artCamp preparation tasks. Do I really want to shift my focus?
“Sure,” I text back. We agree on Fleur de Lis at one, and so the day is perfectly punctuated with a satisfying interlude over Kathleen Gilpin’s sandwiches of apricot-garnished turkey on rye.
To have a light lunch and an artful conversation with a practicing artist is most pleasing. He tells me of his “green man” in progress and asks about my frequent use of blackbird images.
For me, after experiencing a series of “blackbird annunciations”, the blackbird is a “metaphor for love” (http://www.alicelynn.com/blackbird-annunciation1.html).
My lunch companion mentions that a group of black crows (as well as their cousin rooks and ravens) is called a “murder”. Apparently this sinister sounding term reflects a time when groupings of many animals had colorful and poetic names: an ostentation of peacocks, a parliament of owls, a congress of baboons, a knot of frogs, a skulk of foxes.
Our conversation continues. I’m blissed when the artist offers a lovely, uplifting description—“an exaltation of doves” which I promptly thumb into my phone on my list of “phrases to remember”.
According to Slavic legend, “the dove is a messenger and a symbol of a soul released from earth-bound duty. A dove is a clear sign of the soul's return to celestial realms.”
Forevermore I shall think of our bevy of artCampers as artCentral’s “exaltation of doves”—when gathered on the porch, in the classrooms and having fun frolicking across the lawn.
Oh how I cherish every artCamper—each a holy spirit released and flying freely into new realms of exploration, discovery, creativity and expression. They are our messengers, our teachers, too, in the art of unfettered exuberance.
Thank you to all the grownups who send your doves to us for these two precious weeks of end-of-July art-making. Your sharing makes artCentral blessed.
Blessed will be everyone who visits the artCamper Exhibition at Art Walk this Friday, July 22nd, 6-9 p.m. at The Palms. Just look for the exaltation wearing bright green artCentral t-shirts. You’ll be truly inspired by the awesome art created by artCamp’s “exaltation of doves”.
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