It has been quite a while since I penned a message here. In the early days of this website, going back to the early 2000’s, I was pretty vigilant about posting quarterly seasonal messages here. That was in the days before social media, before Facebook, before Twitter, before Instagram, pre Blogs, pre Vlogs, pre Podcasts. For several years now the social interaction that I once felt from posting quarterly messages has been usurped by daily posts and comments on social media. But, I feel that interaction is beginning to fade as the algorithm knocks out followers and engagement continues to wane. It’s sort of running its course. That’s why, I suppose, I feel the need to post again here, in this very quiet place, hidden in the pages of my website.

I write every morning. It is a practice I have continued since first reading Julia Cameron’s The Artists Way in 1992. The morning pages are rewarding.. enlivening. But, the writing is private, not for public consumption. The practice of public writing is a different animal and I must confess that I feel a bit rusty. The reason I feel compelled to write is to take stock of where I am and how I feel in relation to what’s going on in the larger world.

We have a weekly radio show, ArtHaus Radio which airs every weekend morning on WCUG 88.5 in Columbus Georgia, and on Sunday mornings on WOHM 96.3 in Charleston South Carolina. I am assisted by Sho Irikawa, who edits and produces the weekly episodes. We are grateful to our listeners. If you tune in regularly.. Thank you. If you aren’t familiar with our show, I hope you’ll give it a listen. All of the music is hand selected, an eclectic mix across a broad range of genres. ArtHausRadio.com

The Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University is doing great under the Direction of Michael McFalls. The staff and interns are amazing, Julie Umberger and Elijah Schmidt. The shows they’ve hosted this past year have been in-depth surveys, ranging from Betsy’s Women of the Pacific NorthWest (which has moved on to The Asheville Art Museum) to Butch Anthony’s boneyard sculptures to Coulter Fussell’s latest fabric wall pieces. The annual exhibits, including The Bennett Prize and SouthArts are always invigorating. The coming season will feature exhibitions by Atlanta-based collective Black Art in America and North Carolina’s famed metal sculptor, Elizabeth Brim. We are grateful to the Bo Bartlett Center’s Board for their ongoing support. We are also appreciative to everyone in the community who continues to come out and participate in the many activities and exhibitions that the Center has to offer.

 This world, with its ongoing political mayhem, may seem.. unredeemable. One could certainly be excused and forgiven if they chose to drop out completely and never look back. The older I get, the less politically engaged I have become. I only have so much energy and I want to direct it toward what will make the most difference in the long run. I was an activist for many years. On the front line of protests at rallies and marches. But, as I age, I just want a modicum of peace in my own life and I feel most at peace in my studio painting. It may not change the world.. but it produces calm waters around me. And hopefully, when one views the work, they too can feel the calm waters. May the calmness spread away from us like ripples on a pond.. gently. I have even hinted in recent months that I am officially “retiring”. I know, artists don’t retire. But still, I feel compelled to withdraw from the game.. to give up the fight.. to relinquish any and all aspirations regarding career. This is a liberating concept and I’ll keep you abreast of how this goes. It might seem self-evident that an artist paints for themselves.. but something about batting around the phrase “retirement” frees me up to feel like finally I can truly paint for myself. If I’m not focused on exhibiting or selling.. and just focused only on the work I want to make, coming from the core source of my soul.. I feel like I have finally reached a place where I am capable of fulfilling my true calling. May it be so.

 Wishing you a peaceful day and.. happy painting!

LightSpeed

Bo