Redtree Times

Joy in Every Dimension— At the West End Gallery

Communication leads to community — that is, to understanding, intimacy, and the mutual valuing that was previously lacking.
Community can be defined simply as a group in which free conversation can take place. Community is where I can share my innermost thoughts, bring out the depths of my own feelings, and know they will be understood.

—Rollo May, Toward New Community – Power and Innocence (1972)

It’s Saturday, November 7, which means that in very few hours I will be heading off to Corning for my annual Gallery Talk at the West End Gallery. It begins at 11 AM but, as the gallery has been stressing over the past week or so, it is suggested that you arrive early in order to make sure you get a seat. The doors open at 10:30 AM.

I chose the passage from the late existential psychologist Rollo May (1909-1994) to open this blog entry because the idea that communication and free conversation lead to community is one that appeals to my sensibilities. I like to think of these Gallery Talks as being about conversation more than lectures or monologues and I believe they do, in some way, create a sense community in those spaces where they take place. I know that in these talks, especially when they inevitably move to more Q&A and conversation, provide a space and sense of community where, as May wrote, I can share my innermost thoughts, bring out the depths of my own feelings, and know they will be understood.

I think that’s a big deal for anyone. I know it is for me since I tend to share a great deal of my life experiences, good and bad, in these talks. Maybe more than most people would feel comfortable in doing themselves. But those experiences, emotions, and perceptions are the basis for my work. Grist for the mill.

Seeking the Design– You Could Win This Painting!

I hope that those of you who can make it to the Gallery Talk later this morning can feel some sense of community. I appreciate the opportunity to share this time and space with you, to exchange some thoughts with you, and to express my gratitude, something I do in both words and in more material terms.

By that, I mean that there is a free drawing at the end of the talk for one of my paintings, Seeking the Design, shown here on the right. I am just going to leave that as the baseline for what will take place the end of the talk, but you can be sure that there will be some more substantial surprises on this front for those who can make it to the talk. As I mentioned in recent days, the events of this week may have made me a bit more generous than usual.

Hope you can join our little community this morning and find out if that’s true.