August Art Rush

Believe it or not I’ve been an artist since I was 4 years old. (Well, if you count scribbling with crayons in coloring books and doodling with No. 2 pencils on wide ruled notebook paper as art.)

I went to Pre-K at Sand Mountain Christian School in Albertville, Alabama. Some afternoons my mom worked late so I’d go to Mr. Klinestoffer’s office and wait to be picked up. (Mr. Klinestoffer was very difficult for a 4 year old to say so we called him “Mr. K”.) Mr. K was in his upper 60’s and reminded me of my grandfather. He was very kind but quick to put you in your place if you got out of line. I remember standing outside his office in the hall in single file waiting to go to lunch. (It was usually spaghetti…and not nearly as good as mom’s.) We’d always say one of two prayers but my favorite was, “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food. By His hands, we are fed. Thank you God for daily bread. Amen”. (My mom says I used to say “thank you God for beans and bread” for that last part.) Mr. K would always step out into the hall and make sure no silliness went on when all heads were bowed and eyes closed.

One afternoon I sat in Mr. K’s office and began to draw while patiently waiting to be picked up from school. (Well…as patient as a 4 year old girl can be.) He looked at my artwork and smiled. “Do you like to draw?” I remember him asking. I did…I loved it. From the top of some shelves in his office he pulled down nice paints and charcoal and allowed me to sketch and create colorful masterpieces. I had never seen anything like it. There were more colors than any crayola box I had ever seen. Never mind that I was only 4 years old…and never mind it got all over his desk. Mr. K never seemed to care.

I don’t sketch or paint as much as I used to but my appreciation of art has steadily grown over the years. I fell in love with the impressionist work of Monet while taking an art class at Snead State Community College. My favorite painting of all time is Georges Seurat’s "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte". My dad gave me the print before I went off to college at Bama. The complex technique used by the artist is called pointillism. It’s a series of tiny brushstrokes of contrasting colors. Up close the work appears to be nothing more than random dots…but stand back and you’ll be amazed at how everything comes together. The original is displayed in the Art Institute of Chicago. I had the pleasure of seeing “my painting” in person back in October 2006, thus marking one thing off my bucket list. (We’ll save that topic for another day.)

When I’m looking for a piece of art I consider two things...Can I see myself where the artist is trying to take me? (I obviously prefer landscape art.) Second, never buy a piece of art for the sake of buying art. Always ask yourself, “Can I live without it?”

If you’re in the market for a new painting or other works of art check out this event…the August Art Rush. It’s Friday, August 22nd from 5:00-9:00 p.m. at Jennifer Harwell Art in SOHO Square in Homewood. There will be food, wine, music, art, artists and a lot of great people. It’s free admission to the general public and over 700 pieces of original art. There will be over 70 artists with fresh, original works during this two day only event. The show will continue all day August 23rd from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. For more information contact Donny Harwell 205.802.7847 or 205.226.0820 or harwells@gmail.com.