Commit Acts of Art

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important." Michael L. Goodman

I found this statement in a post by Sarah Leavitt of the text of the talk she gave to the graduates of the School of Creative Writing at UCB last year. It was recommended by Austin Kleon in his newsletter last Friday. I believe it speaks well to the topic of committing acts of art every day.

Joyful Persistence: “For those of you who’ve taken my classes, you know that I am always encouraging you to waste paper. You will not be the reason that our forests disappear. Take up the whole page with your drawing. Write everything, don't worry about who will like it, stop editing in advance! Write every day! Draw every day! Worry less about each individual word or picture. Identify the things you want to get better at and do them over and over.

The finished pieces that we share – they’re dependent on these messy piles of imperfection. Remember, we are workers, we make things.”

Big Art-Little Spaces: Travel Photos

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael Goodman

I have been traveling a lot in the last two months. A week in Ohio, a week and a half in Egypt, and side trips here and there around the home front. I took hundreds of photos in Ohio and Egypt, many of them of the same scene or object from multiple angles. Some photos might be seen as acts of art in themselves, and often some are springboards for other acts of art.

The outer court of the Kirtland Temple, Kirtland, Ohio.

At Le Sacré-Coeur, Montmartre, Paris.

The Giza Plateau, Egypt.

Feluccas on the Nile near Aswan, Egypt.

Two carvings of a Coptic Cross

on the wall of the Temple of Isis at Philae, Egypt.

My interpretation of the Coptic Cross at Philae.

My new mantra is "Commit Acts of Art every day!" Some days, taking a picture is my act of art when I have no time to doodle, draw, or paint. Arranging the plants and the watering system in my vegetable garden, adding a found object as a garden ornament, or making a small column of free-standing river stones at the end of a grow box is sometimes my act of art in a busy day which no one sees but me.

Books Arts Mania: Filling the Book, Part Three

"Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result."  Michael L. Goodman

My wife and I with our three daughters visited Ohio for a week at the beginning of April. We went to see the eclipse, visit some of the Hopewell Indian Mounds, and see LDS historic sites in Kirtland. It was difficult to do much doodling while we were driving from mound to mound and city to village. I only saved four of the small circles I did while resting in the evenings at the Airbnbs. These are in the book now.

While we were exploring Sandusky, Ohio, where we viewed the eclipse, I saw these acts of art on a walk by Lake Erie. Some signposts similar to these would be fun to have in different areas of my garden.

Here is an interesting yard decoration:

Book Arts Mania: Filling the Book, Part two

"Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

I have continued to doodle as often as I can with my favorite ink pen on a few small torn-edged pieces of paper. These eight I added to the small reverse piano hinge book I made in February. Fourteen more plates and the book will be completed.

The doddle above on the right was an herbal teabag stain [a very nice German peppermint, by the way] on the back of a piece of note paper. I almost threw the paper away when I was cleaning my desk, but the circle caught my eye. Serendipity!

Book Arts Mania: Completed Concertina Fold Book

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

I finished this 5 1/2" X 6" concertina book a couple of weeks ago. I would like to add a circular design on the front cover, but I haven't progressed that far yet. As I have said before, there is something mysterious about circles, circular shapes, and spirals. Wassily Kandinsky remarked, "The circle is the synthesis of the greatest oppositions. It combines the concentric and the eccentric in a single form and equilibrium. Of the three primary forms, it points most clearly to the fourth dimension."

Circles as continuous unbroken shapes can symbolize completeness, wholeness, and unity. Circles and dots have been used in "primitive" art since prehistoric cave paintings. Helen Wells, an artist and writer from the South Coast of England, uses concentric circles and dots often in her work. While not being Aboriginal Art, it does have an echo of that art form which I like.

Here is my book:

An orange slice

Mayan-inspired circle with a spiral

A harlequin circle and another spiral

Two Vicki Grant-inspired circles

Book Arts Mania: Filling the Book

"Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

I have started filling one of my small reverse piano hinge books with some black-and-white designs. I keep a stack of little papers of various weights handy for doodling and drawing when I have a free minute. Sometimes I like the doodles and sometimes they end up in the waste basket.

Big Art-Little Spaces: Postcard Swap for "Leap-Day"

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

I used this postcard for another swap on Swap-bot in honor of Leap Day, 29 February 2024. I made the card in 2012 when I was working on a book in a book arts class at the University of Utah called Artist Books Two. I made a book called Loco-Motion using copies of photos, Plate 169, by Eadweard Muybridge. [I was the oldest member of the class at 65. The rest were twenty-something college students.] This card was made from one of the extra copies I did not use in the book with a few collage elements added.

This is what the book looked like: