Shelburne Museum | Elizabeth Fram

I haven’t visited enough exhibitions since the first of the year, but last weekend was a start to getting back on the right track. If you are looking to stir the creative juices, here are two suggestions — one online and one local.

First, the Shelburne Museum doesn’t open again until May 13th, but don’t let that deter you. They have an impressive and diverse line-up of online exhibitions to bridge the gap until then. Each intriguing in its own right, I’m slowly making my way through them all. But Action Figures: Objects in Motion is the one that first caught my eye…such a treat!

Shepard Hardware Company Jonah and the Whale Shelburne Art Museum

Shepard Hardware Company (Buffalo, New York, ca. 1882–92), Jonah and the Whale Mechanical Bank, ca. 1890 Painted metal, Collection of Shelburne Museum

Secondly, an in-person trip to the Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum in Stowe may not be the first place that comes to mind when looking to get an art fix, but go and be surprised. Scott Lenhardt’s art for Burton snowboards is fantastic! What I loved most was being able to see more than just the finished product. The compilation of sketches, saved margin notes on designs in process, and overviews of the overall progression from rough idea to finished painting is catnip for anyone interested in behind-the-scenes particulars. Lenhardt’s work is full of wonderful details and raw imagination, and the sheer volume of his output is, well, awe-inspiring. To round out the exhibition, don’t miss Pamela Polston’s article about Lenhardt in Seven Days.

Sketch for ’04 Powers ©2003 Scott Lenhardt, Ink on paper I took very few photos at the Lenhardt show because I got so caught up in the work. But this ink drawing is a good example of what I’m referring to when I say his art is full of wonderful details and raw imagination.

Meanwhile, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes here in the studio. I held a flash sale for my collectors on Valentine’s Day that went well enough that it’s likely I’ll repeat it next year. Maybe by then you’ll be on that e-mail list too! Anyway, with that goal under my belt I’m now juggling between pieces in progress, the nuts and bolts of getting finished work ready to exhibit, and preparing for a couple of upcoming studio visits.

This shows the early stages of a new piece. It’s destined for paint soon, but there’s something about the white-on-stitching that makes me want to explore it further as an end unto itself. This is not a new line of thinking for me, as you can read here and here. There are always more rabbit holes to follow.

Part of my to-do list this week has included framing “Eroded Boundaries” and “Caged Again” for the upcoming show Beacon of Light, which is due to open on March 15th at Studio Place Arts. More about that as we get closer to the show’s opening.
In the meantime, I’m tickled that “House on Fire” was selected for the exhibition SHE, at the online art gallery Art Fluent. You can view that show in its entirety here.

That’s all for now; back to work.

One aspect of art that feels like an ‘ace up the sleeve’ is the fact that it is truly a lifetime activity.

While many pursuits are curtailed with the vagaries of age, the desire and ability to bring ideas into physical form can remain undaunted despite advancing years (e.g. Louise Bourgeois, Mary Delany, David Hockney, Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keeffe) and even disability (Chuck Close, Frida Kahlo, Henri Matisse).

For inspiration on the subject, check out Paul Stankard’s op/ed “Artistic Risk and the Ticking Clock” from the latest issue of American Craft, in which he discusses the scary prospect of leaving his successful comfort zone for new horizons in his work. It is a wonderful testament to the longevity of artistic growth and the strength of the creative flame.

Last February I recommended Stankard’s book Studio Craft as Career: A Guide to Achieving Excellence in Art Making. As in that book, this latest essay maintains the same unflinching acceptance of reality while accentuating Stankard’s propensity for mentorship as he reaches to pull others up alongside himself, encouraging an unflagging drive for achievement via the pushing of boundaries.

A quick search on the subject of the resilience of creativity into elder years unearthed this NPR interview with Nicholas Delbanco discussing his book Lastingness: The Creative Art of Growing Old which “examines artists who either maintained or advanced their work past the age of 70”. Despite the somewhat mixed reviews, I’m looking forward to borrowing a copy from my library.

I have encountered numerous individuals whose creativity bolstered them in their later years, and I bet you have as well. It makes the future look bright, don’t you think?

On a Different Note______________________________________________________________________________

For a special treat, add the Shelburne Museum’s current exhibit Sweet Tooth: The Art of Dessert to your list of shows to see this winter. Clever and enticing, it’s a calorie-free confection that will leave you smiling. It remains on view through February 18, 2018.

Miniature Sugaring Scene, Artist and Origin Unknown This carved wooden sugaring scene is part of the museum’s permanent collection.

Miniature Sugaring Scene, I found its enchanting details irresistible. Note the dog’s posture, the sugar on snow to the right, and the squirrel climbing up the corner of the sugarhouse.

Elizabeth Fram

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