my elements of visual thinking teacher, katherine kavanaugh, (check out her website) decided we needed to break from our class structure and do something a little different this week. she arranged for us to travel to the home of al englemann, one of her friends who collects african art. i'm not sure if photos can do this field trip justice. imagine a house filled with hundreds of pieces of african art... three floors, every room (even bedroom & bathroom), floor to ceiling. only 10 people from the class could be there at once, because there just wasn't enough room. according to al, it is "50 years of insanity... a life of its own."
the whole thing was so overwhelming. i didn't like the objects themselves so much, but i could listen to al talk all today. there were so many moments when i wished i was writing it all down... but the environment wasn't conducive to having a sketchbook out. i have so much respect for him, for his vast life experience and knowledge.
here are some things he said that hit home with me...
"you are different than other folks. you're weird. you are forced to confront what is inside through your art. not a lot of people do that."
"stop beating yourself up. there are enough people out there who will do that for you."
"live with your anxiety. it's good for you. so many people lower their standards because of it. or live in denial."
good stuff.
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