Day: June 27, 2010

Anyone who has friends who are artists or who talks to gallery owners know that art is taking a terrible beating in the recession. Good artists I know have sold little or nothing of their work for a year or more, and many are wearing out their retirement funds and savings and are looking for any kind of work. Many are giving up on their art, an awful thing to see. Publishing is in better shape – all kinds of reading going on- but is also struggling. During the Great Depression, American tried to take care of its artists. In the Great Recession, we protect banks and auto dealers. Cold country.

A country that cares nothing for its artists is going to be a barren place, I think. Do people still want art? Does it brighten their lives? Will they pay anything to get it? Can it still touch them? I think so, and I think art is needed now. I know from my photography that the light and images of the world touch people, and lift them up. It’s important. Perhaps if artists changed the way the made and sold art it would reach more people, and the politics surrounding art might change. That’s one reason we are committed to the “Creative Union: Affordable Art For The Times” art show from 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, July 24 at the Redux Art Gallery in Dorset, Vt. Christine Nemec has graciously agreed to have the show in her very neat gallery.

Nothing will be sold for more than $15, including fiber art, potholders, cell and eyeglass cases, notecard photographs of the dogs, donkeys, flowers and stone walls in single cards and five-packs. You can check out the notecards and buy then on the Redux site, now or at the show. You don’t have to be there.  And you can see Maria’s work on her lovely new website. None of us can make money selling things for $15, as everybody knows. But we also feel strongly it’s a way to make a statement about the power of art to touch people and mean something, especially in challenging times.

My photography has awakened me to the power of art. I think people do still want art, if artists can figure out how to reach them. I guess we’ll see in July.

Maria’s working today, so I’m writing,

Lulu is getting the idea of posing for the camera.

You are invited to a Creative Union Art Show, 1 to 4 p.m., Saturday, July 24, at the Redux Gallery in Dorset, Vt. We are celebrating love, marriage, potholders, photography and affordable art for the times. Nothing will cost more than $15, and there is good stuff for that. Potholders, cell phone cases, eyeglass cases, (Maria is selling e-book bags for Kindle’s and Ipads on her site) single notecards, five pack notecards – flowers, Rose at work, stonewalls, dogs in the garden, red barns in the snow.

Maria and I are excited about the show, which will explore our notions of rethinking art in these times, and reaching people with our work in ways they can afford and we enjoy. An experiment.

Below, new Bedlam Farm notecards available for sale and viewing on the Redux site (which will soon be selling some of Maria’s work from fullmoonfiberart.

Beginning to lock in dates for the interactive “Rolling Rose” book tour to kick off publication of my first novel in a decade, “Rose In A Storm” the fictional story of a border collie abandoned on a farm during an awful storm. The book is narrated from the point of view of the dog, and I consulted numerous behaviorists to hew closely to how a dog actually thinks and what a dog might do in such circumstances. It was a difficult, fascinating exercise for me, inspired by my life on Bedlam Farm with Rose, who has been here since she was six months old.

I am planning to throw a dog or two into my truck and drive around, stopping at bookstores, blogging, taking photos, posting on Bedlamfarm.com and Facebook. It’s a different kind of book tour, to say the least. It is beginning to firm up. Maria will be helping me with the driving and Izzy will be coming along through the Midwest, where he has a lot more fans than I do.

So far (when final, the tour will be posted on the web site):

October 12, on-sale date: Northshire Books, Manchester, Vt., 7 p.m.

October 13: Washington, D.C. and at 7 p.m, an appearance with author Rita Mae Brown at Border’s Books, Bailey’s Crossroads, Va. That will be exciting.

October 15. Red Fox Books, Glens Falls, N.Y., 7 p.m.

October 16, 2 p.m. (Saturday) The Clifton Park Library, Clifton Park, N.Y.

October 18. Books and Co., Dayton, Ohio, 7 p.m.

October 19, 7 p.m., Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, Ohio.

October 20, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lexington, Ky., 7 p.m.

Other appearances are being planned for Washington, Boston and some other cities. Details to come.