Monday, April 21, 2008

Currier Journal

I am fascinated with the eyes and mind of many artists, but one artist that I admire is Mary Ann Currier.  Several years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting an exhibit of her work at The Speed Museum in Louisville, Kentucky with my sisters.  Below is one of her works, "Gardenia" and they look so real that one can almost smell the intoxicating aroma.
Mary Ann Currier's work consists of these goals;

To have a sense of order

A sense of refinement, an attitude of cultivation, an extreme sobriety.

A serene classicism, simplicity

To be unpretentious, daily

To project a sense of light - to enhance the color, texture, volume, and form

To be contemplative - reflective, meditative, tranquility

To have a presence that announces itself - seeming to be imbued with a life of its own

Below is one of her works, "Facing Downward" which fits every one of her goals.  
I hope that this post inspires each and every one of you reading to think as an artist, an artist with goals to help you work toward realizing your thoughts and dreams.  Be present in the moment that following your passion, your style, your goals all bring you closer to being the kind of artist you want to be.  So often, we lose sight of our goals and get lost in the day to day details.   Be the artist of your dreams and goals.  Below is one of a series of works that Mary Ann Currier was inspired by Degas.  If you look closely, she worked with direction and intent,
every line has a reason to create the form. 
Do you keep a journal and do you list your goals?  I hope I leave you inspired.

12 comments:

Melissa C Morris said...

what fabulous goals; i love them. thanks for sharing them with us.

craigcastree said...

I agree, what great goals.

Mary-Laure said...

Wow, thanks for brining her work to my attention, it IS beautiful indeed. Those gardenias are so textured and perfect they are very moving.

I like the goals, too...

littlebyrd said...

What a wonderful post. I loved that list of goals, the beautiful art, everything!

tyler said...

beautiful and motivating indeed. love currier's sentiments and hope to keep them close at heart. sounds like a peaceful way to live and make art (did she have a toddler?!). those open/almost wilting rosebuds are gorgeous and simple in composition. a favorite! thank you.

ArchitectDesign™ said...

sketchbooks or diaries can be the most insightful and intersting looks into an artist's mind. I remember in college a lot of our professors kept intricate and detailed sketchbooks and encouraged us to do the same. I was never very good at doing that (even though we were graded on them even!) but now adays I think of my blog as a sort of diary as I'm sure you do as well!

Kwana said...

A wonderful and inspiring post. Her work just amazes me. Her goals are inspiring too. Must keep sight of the true picture.

annechovie said...

Currier's work is amazing - so realistic. Thank you for the introduction, Patricia!

erika said...

a hometown girl! her work is amazing... thanks for sharing!

Melissa Lewis said...

Yes, it was inspiring. I love how she desired to always be contemplative. That's great!

I love your photo of the gardenia, I actually just bought 2 gardenia plants this weekend to plant in my flower bed:)

Liz said...

Sistah,
Just wanted you to know that Mary Anne's daughter Anne is also an artist. She teaches at Alfred Design in NYC. Google her and see her amazing sculptures!

Easy and Elegant Life said...

Goals that we can all aspire to!

I have several little notebooks, but if I like the way they look, I hate to clutter than up with my writing! It takes me forever to make the first mark in anyone of them. And then I tend not to look them over ever again... Doctoral thesis up for grabs.