Pondering Blue- At Principle Gallery
Pooh gave a little cough and began.
LINES WRITTEN BY A BEAR OF VERY LITTLE BRAIN
On Monday, when the sun is hot
I wonder to myself a lot:
“Now is it true, or is it not,
“That what is which and which is what?”
On Tuesday, when it hails and snows,
The feeling on me grows and grows
That hardly anybody knows
If those are these or these are those.
On Wednesday, when the sky is blue,
And I have nothing else to do,
I sometimes wonder if it’s true
That who is what and what is who.
On Thursday, when it starts to freeze
And hoar-frost twinkles on the trees,
How very readily one sees
That these are whose—but whose are these?
On Friday———
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” said Kanga, not waiting to hear what happened on Friday.
–A.A. Milne, Winnie-The-Pooh, 1926
The piece at the top is a 10″ by 20″ canvas titled Pondering Blue. It is at the Principle Gallery for its 30th Anniversary show which opens next Friday, March 22.
Now in my 28th year with the Principle, I have been in position to watch the gallery evolve and grow. Michele and her wonderful staff steadfastly maintain the principles of quality and integrity on which the gallery was founded and over the years have displayed the work of a continuing and always breathtaking array of some of the most talented artists from this country and abroad.
I consider myself fortunate to be with the Principle Gallery. Believe me, the bar is continually going up there. As an artist, this presents a great challenge. It requires you to keep pushing to be the best version of yourself and your work. There have been plenty of times over the years when I felt like I was close to not clearing that bar. This pushed me to want to continue to my own evolution and growth, if only to keep up with that of the gallery.
It continues to this morning as I prep for my 25th solo show at the Principle Gallery in June. The clearance for that high bar is in my mind every day as I work. It creates a tension that bounces between fear and exhilaration which, for me, is the engine of creativity.
I am better for our paths having crossed back around the end of 1996. Thanks, Michele, for both the push and the support. Congratulations on 30 years of maintaining your principles.
Okay, since it is Wednesday and the sky will be blue– it’s going to be a crazy 70° March day here — I guess I should wonder if it’s true that who is what and what is who.
Must be since Pooh said it. Good enough for me.
Redtree Times 
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