A response to an artist

As my dear reader is no doubt aware, I am laid up with a shoulder injury. The timing of the injury was inconvenient in that it prevented my attendance of two training sessions. The first was Cross Current's Kiptopeke, which was my absolute favorite symposium I did last year. And the second was Carolina Kayak Club's Fall for Charleston event being put on my dear friends Ashely Brown and Jeff Atkins.

Regardless of my injury, this is the time of year that my brain switches to art mode. I typically spend the rainy fall weather crafting and making. I still paddle, and obviously train but projects are constantly juggled and coddled into being. So that naturally led me to this:

John Pena is an artist living in the Pittsburgh area. www.johnpena.net

He recently published this on his tumblr. I seriously hope he does not mind me writing about this topic and featuring his art. The truth is I am a fan. But what started out as simple amusement over his http://www.dailygeology.com/ drawings turned into something else over time. What I admire the most about John and his art is the fearlessness, the amazing way he steps out and displays an intimate part of himself through his art and commentary; talk about exposing one's self. And it is not always pretty, or funny. I am so grateful for the experience, glad that he is making art that is thought provoking.

What he says above about how much "safer to never commit to anything that way you'll never have to explain or defend your choices," rings true like a bell to me. It set off a fierce chain reaction of thought, furious self-examination.

Some days I look at dailygeology and I may get it or I may be like "wtf?!". That, the question, the confrontation of things other than one's self, is one of the most beautiful things about art to me. Plato said "beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder." What is art? Then to me, it is that which makes me question, or wonder.

I am sad that John read the comments at the bottom of the Buzzfeed article, and was bummed by them. And yet, some how, I feel like that too can become part of the work. The negative reaction of a certain group of people still means the art caused thought. But then again, still ruminating...

I have a friend who gets really annoyed with people when they look at art and say stuff like,"my two year old could have done that." He always says "oh yeah? But did he? Huh, DID HE paint that? No. So shut up." 

I am afraid that I lack an eloquent defense of John's "Letters to the Ocean" project. I am terrible at debate. It was never my strong suit. I am more like my friend above, "What? You don't get it? Well, the world isn't only about you, princess."

Hey, sometimes I don't even get myself. And, that's okay.