Blue House

8" x 9"

watercolor

I am always taken by this cornfield and house when I go by it; it's down the street from me. I like the contrast of the texture, repetition, and color of the corn field, corn long harvested, with the blue triangle coming out of it. Both agriculture and architecture come from the human imagination, creativity born of necessity. Evidence of creativity in human history can be seen by the recent discovery of a Pre-historic bird-bone flute in Germany dating from 35,000 B.C., making it the oldest musical instrument ever found.

It seems that more students are faced with majoring in something "practical" due to the economy. It isn't an unreasonable and is most often a necessary consideration. It is difficult to ascertain if the value of art or artistic practice is now by the wayside. The internet, YouTube, and ITunes bring many artists, mainly musicians, to the forefront of our culture. Painting is more iffy, I think. This quote by John Adams condensed on a poster at Massachusetts College of Art when I was a student is relevant today:

"The science of government it is my duty to study, more than all other

sciences; the arts of legislation and administration and negotiation

ought to take the place of, indeed exclude, in a manner, all other arts.

I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study

mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics and

philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture,

navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children

a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary,

tapestry and porcelain."

Adams basically says that once "practical" subjects are studied by our forefathers society will be stabilized enough for their descendants to be able to study art. War for the United States sometimes seems endless, and it is a sad state of affairs that this patriot's dreams for the country are out of reach for so many. America is trying to protect freedom for ourselves and others; that is the intent which may not necessarily work out in the doing. Freedom and financial security are necessary for a people's well-being, but contrary to this we can also find many examples of art made during difficult economic and political times.

I, for one, continue to partake in the luxury of art-making. It is not just a luxury, however, but imperative to the meaning in life. The bird-flute maker took time away from hunting and berry collecting to focus on carving an instrument that is art and makes art. It could not have been easy to live in his/her time. We should aspire to emulate what this evolved human valued in the face of survival.