Saturday, September 12, 2009

An Artist's Life

It’s the first warm (short sleeves) day of spring so I feel guilty about being indoors at the computer but I had to write this post as it has been in my head since last Monday and threatens to disappear.
Last Sunday night I say writer and former restaurateur Gay Bilson being interviewed about happiness.
For several years she has lived alone in the McLaren Valley, a wine producing area in South Australia. She spends her time gardening, cooking with the local produce, writing and indulging in her favourite pastime, reading. Her book Plenty talks about food and her life.
Lacking any capacity for loneliness, she made the point that it is not an extravagant life in the monetary sense but that she felt that being able to do exactly what she wanted was a source of great happiness. She also said that having plenty of what she enjoyed was a prerequisite for creativity and happiness.
I though that what she said was true and described the life led by a lot of artists. The stereotype of starving in a garret, partying and indulging in excesses is a romantic vision that most artists probably leave behind a few years after graduating.
Later in the week I encountered similar references to an artists life. Joanne Mattera has recently visited the studios of several artists and her post about her visits to Mary and Craig Barnes and Gerald Coble and Bob Nunnelly was filled with pictures of the good life which were remarkably similar to the images of Gay Bilson’s garden and the millions of spring garden images that I long to post on this blog, I hesitate to in case it looks like a gardens illustrated rather than an artist's blog. It’s a dilemma but here is just one image of the spring blossoms in my garden of plenty. What is your artist's life like?

6 comments:

Nicola Moss said...

The Spring blossom is beautiful Susan.

My artist life...
Observing, exploring, reflecting, bird watching, tree hugging, seed sowing, mulberry stains, fresh eggs, connecting, family, friends, openings, deep thinking slowly, all senses aware, sharing, enjoying every day.

chrys zantis said...

my artist life...
knitting little dresses for antique spoons i bought on ebay. planting herbs and tomatoes and a chilli bush. my olive tree has itsi bitsi olives. reading, sharing,my artist journal full of ideas and "one day" art projects.
and art friends... special special people...... family and bailey!!!

chrys zantis said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Candice Herne said...

Hi Susan my artist life is very much merged with my whole life.As a mother, wife, lover, friend, dot in the universe. It all spills over into all parts. Much of my time is spent sharing,exploring, playing, documenting, photographing, drawing, painting making things,writing, discussing ideas,listening, questioning, studying, lots of business administration, project developement and always challenging my own limited beliefs about life. It is not exactly harmonious, however adventurous and hopefully a way to evolve as a decent human being through my creative process.

Candice Herne said...

I'd like to add to that "nurturing" something most women I know do unconsciously, which is a huge part of my life as a female.

Susan Buret said...

Thanks for telling me about your lives of plenty. It seems to be a common thread in artist's lives. When I first came back to my practice I remember thinking that I would never be bored or at a loose end again.