I had a blast performance painting with artist Luke Schafer & musicians Naomi Psalm & Matt Gambrell at Art in the Bar IV held at the Knitting Factory Concert House downtown Boise on Saturday October 8th. It was an art show featuring over 40 local artists of varying skill levels, mediums, and styles. This was my first time attending the quarterly art show (and so also being able to participate as I did was an honor.) I was interested in the opportunity to have fun performing with friends and for artistic exposure, networking, and connecting & building relationship with other artists.
And I must say, with all my experience as a professional artist and all my involvement as an art minister with the VineArts Ministry at Vineyard Boise over the years (connecting with hundreds of artists in all sorts of ways), I have had the priviledge to experience & initiate community amidst artists of all ages & backgrounds (for one time events and even for ongoing "living life" kind of relationship). But I had no expectation that I would experience that sort of deep connection & community with artists at an art show in a bar...and to my surprise, at Art in the Bar...I did!
Of the artists I met at Art in the Bar, I saw artists putting aside their egos and taking the time to get to know each other. I saw artists genuinely interested in each others' art & stories. And (knowing a bit of the background from the artist who puts the quarterly show together, Ellen DeAngelis) I saw the "misfits" of the artworld (those artists who perhaps aren't "accepted" in the main art galleries & museums and/or even in the university art culture) coming together to form their own art community, their own culture and being able to be themselves with each other and with the public. There was no pretention. There was only acceptance & encouragement. Artists helped each other set up & take down their areas & art, artists helped support each other by helping to connect the public with each others art, and artists were respectful of the venue and the staff. It wasn't the competitive mentality that I was originally expecting and have experienced on occasion with artists. It was more of an art experience than an art show.
Some of the art being displayed & produced live by artists at Art in the Bar might be defined as...edgy or raw. It went beyond art created solely to make a buck or fit in...it spoke from a deeper place. a place that cries out from the human spirit. a voice that needs to be heard.
Many people, who may not understand a style of art or be offended or disturbed by art they see or hear, choose to dismiss whatever art it is as invalid and never take the time to connect with the human heart & spirit and ask the questions "why?" "what is being said here?" "is there something i should pay attention to?" "how should i respond to this art piece, to this artist?" "is there something that needs to speak to me...in my life?" "how can i take what i'm experiencing through this art and be a better person?" this kind of art needs to be created...it needs to be seen, heard, experienced. Thank you Art in the Bar for recognizing that!
If you're reading this blog you may have picked up that I'm a creative that is a believer & worshipper of God. The art i choose to create (whether in my studio or in the church or in a bar) is always an act of worship to God...regardless of the subject matter or the medium or the venue. It is my desire that the viewer would be able to engage, connect, interact with the art...to be challenged, to be moved, to be changed. There's a lot of pain & heartache in this life, there's also a lot of love & beauty...and art can be one way of expressing it all. I do believe it's the artist's job to be the voice for those who have no voice, or who don't even know they need to speak. and for those of us who are artists in relationship with God, I also believe that it is our job to help others' to move through the pain and to help others' look to healing & hope.
I was blown away by the community I experienced with the artists at Art in the Bar...and I hope to be involved again. Thank you Luke for inviting me to join you and thank you Ellen for recognizing a need and doing something about it and thank you Knitting Factory for hosting such a meaningful event!
This art piece was created by both Luke Schafer and myself as a welcome piece into Art in the Bar. Artists & the public were encouraged to sign it.
Here are my two creative buddies for the day...Naomi Psalm (singer,songwriter,musician,artist) and Luke Schafer (artist,dancer). They're standing in Luke's art booth.
Luke & I did 2 performances together. Luke painted with his feet and hands as he danced on particle board on the floor with paint and I painted with brushes and my hands onto particle fastened to a wall. The paintings & our movements flowed together as one art piece.
Naomi Psalm & Matt Gambrell played guitars and sang (with unknown drummer) while we painted.
I absolutely am in my sweet spot when I get to paint & dance!
Luke was having a good ol' time moving to the music and feeling the paint all over his body. He truly became a part of the painting!
There were moments during the performances that Luke and I moved in unison and used the same color paints...but honestly...we didn't rehearse or discuss what we were going to do ahead of time!
Here is Luke's painting from the first performance.
Here is Luke's painting from the second performance.
This is my painting (the left side is from the first performance & the right side is from the second performance).
Without coordinating ahead of time...I ended up creating a tree that flowed a river of life that flowed out through Luke's body to the floor paintings. Miraculously the music played by the band, me painting & dancing, my paintings, Luke dancing painting, & Luke's paintings became one fluid art piece. An avant garde performance!
I LOVED ART IN THE BAR!!!
*photography by P.Schroeder
