The Artist or the Art?
To be cultured, wise, and well read is aspirational, but I’m more curious about the artist than their art.
Give me the good stuff. Tell me about the artist.
Show me their studio. What did they wear? Who were their friends? Describe their creative process. Did they have rituals? Where did they live? What tools did they use? How did they find the time? What wisdom do they offer the rest of us?
How did they do it? Because maybe that means I can do it, too.
Perhaps one aspirational day I will persist longer than a few minutes observing the art on the New York Times’ 10-Minute Challenge, but for today, I am content to follow my genuine curiosity.
Give me a documentary, memoir, photograph, interview, about the artist. I want to empathize with their human experience.
Learning from an artist’s life is more attainable than replicating their masterpiece.
Where I sit today as a busy, working mom/wife/friend/daughter/sister, I need the inspiration to stop scrolling my phone, prioritize the time, and create.
Want to join me on a virtual voyeuristic stroll through the lives of artists? Following are some spaces and memoirs I have enjoyed visiting:
Earnest Hemingway, Writer and Legend
The Hemingway Home & Museum, Key West, FL - His studio in the back guest house where he wrote while standing due to pain was my favorite part except for the famous six-toed cats who run the place.
A Moveable Feast, could there be a more magical time and place for an artist to imagine than 1920s Paris? The atmosphere is cozy, romantic, and congenial. Published after his death by suicide, the book suggests nostalgia for a simpler time before he peaked in fame and fortune. I envision the two versions of Hemingway, young and old, looking upon each other with envy.
Check out my last post inspired by his advice, “Write one true sentence ….”
Louis Bromfield, Pulitzer Prize Winning Author
The Big House at Malabar Farm, Lucas, OH - With its sweeping green hills, how could you not feel inspired? The area is literally known as Pleasant Valley. He filled the home with souvenirs from his travels and entertained Hollywood celebrities who, no doubt, were surprised at Ohio’s natural beauty. Don’t miss the nearby Ceely Rose House for a true-crime thrill.
Thomas Hart Benton
The Thomas Hart Benton Home & Studio, Kansas City, MO - Benton was known for flowing, colorful paintings of Midwestern life. He studied in New York and Paris, but made his home in the heart of the U.S. He died in his studio, and a few people in our group felt the chills when we toured that particular space.
Anne Rice, Author of Southern Vampire and Witch Series
New Orlean’s historic Garden District was the scene for the house described in the Mayfair Witch book. There are plenty of free walking tours to guide your way. The French Quarter is the center of the city’s lore, and the voodoo or ghost tour can’t be missed.
On my travel list:
Plus, all the homes in the book, Artist in Residence, by Melissa Wyse. If I’m honest, I wish this book had photographs instead of illustrations, but I guess this is me, again, being more interested in the real thing than the creative expression.
Speaking of reading, Daily Rituals: Women at Work by Mason Currey outlines the lives of artists of all kinds.
This New York Times’ column features artists and tastemakers and how they spend their Sundays. I don’t think they publish them anymore, but there’s a nice archive to peruse.
What other artist-in-real-life inspiration belongs on this list?