While interviewing Jim & Teresa Rambo for a profile in an upcoming issue of Bohemia, we embarked on an interesting conversation about effect art has on a person.
Several crucial points emerged:
1. The practice of art opens the eyes, the ears, the mind to the world around us. We see things in a larger context, and we begin to appreciate the beauty art brings to the world as well as the beauty the world brings to art.
2. The medium matters not a mote. Writing, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, pottery, glass work, print making, and even reading all spur the practitioner to seek out other forms of art.
3. Art relaxes the mind and allows it to shake of the stresses of modern life while the viewer plunges into the work – as a painter, writer, or photographer, or simply as an observer.
The tragedy is the short-sightedness of some people who want the arts cut from school curricula. But the tide is beginning to turn. A recent article, reprinted in numerous newspapers, stated that many corporations are bringing in new hires with an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) to give new and creative ideas to the business side of the corporate equation.
So, the bottom line is, enjoy, practice, meditate on, immerse yourself in art at every opportunity. Visit museums and galleries, read, write, draw, paint, listen to music, watch a good art film, and, of course, read Bohemia!
