Surrounded by Art

Fidelity sponsored 3 days at the Dallas Museum where employees show their work pass and get in free plus one guest. Today was less busy, plus we didn’t have to pay for parking on the meters. Every time I go see art I can see something new or in a new way. Being surprised by famous artists who are known for one style, and seeing something else they created that is totally unexpected. I didn’t know that Winston Churchill painted. Did you?

There was this collection set up like a home with rooms. They recreated a living room, a dining room complete with table setting, a bedroom with shoes and clothing. They even used the architecture of the building with curtains on the windows. It showed paintings, furniture, all the components fit into this gorgeous presentation.

There were these skulls from the 17th century embroidered like pirates with bones on cloth . In that display, were these boxes of engraved pictures and opal like pearls reflecting different colors. They reminded me of small treasure chests that contained jewels. I automatically thought of Sharon and her Pirates of the Caribbean Johnny Depp obsession

My favorite section was the local artists. When I was there in April it contained work done by local high school students. Back then, I wished my kids could have seen the stuff that other teenagers created. It was an AP program where they got college credit in high school, for creating art! This section inspires me the most. Today I got all these ideas that I can’t wait to try when I go to my art classes in Portland. October seems a 100 yrs from now.

There was one painting of this woman,. It showed her face and body, but her chest was a skeleton. I read the description. It was the artist’s painting of his dying mother. He was visiting her one day, and he said, something like “I’ve never seen your eyes look so beautiful. I want to paint you.” In the picture her hands are clasped covering the place where she felt the most pain. It was her heart.

A funny thing was this huge class on some kind of field trip tour. We could sometimes overhear their professor speaking. It felt like he was behind us pointing out all the artists and revelations I had made to John 5-10 minutes earlier, like didn’t I just say that? Finally I asked a guy “Is this art school?” He said , “It ‘s art class, but not art school.” Well I thought ok, there is a difference if it was art school the teacher would so not be stating the obvious.

In the museum, I read a quote on the wall “There was a shock of recognition which put me into an entirely new orbit. I said to Sara, ‘If that’s painting, that’s the kind of painting I would like to do’ “ -Gerald Murphy

When we got to the car I asked “ Who feels like listening to Judas Priest? Cause I do!” And we did. Hope you had a happy Sunday!