Cape Cod Arts

Hello my friends. Hope all is well with everyone. I want to start off with something of a repeat of a show we did a few weeks back. The show was about gratitude, and being grateful. I received a lot of emails on that show. Many of you expressed how the show made you think about your own gratefulness. And I also have spoken quite a bit about how I draw incredible motivation from the continuous support that all of you provide me. It’s funny but I never thought about the complete circle that supporting each other can bring until this week. You guys have heard me talk about Bil Lane, Jackson Browne’s Recording Engineer. I met Bil at an art show I was doing in Hyannis this past summer. About a month after we met, long after Bil had returned to Los Angeles and returned to his work at Jackson Browne’s recording studio, I received an email from Bil. Bil was providing me accolades for my radio show on iTunes. He told me he found me to be an interesting artist. I was blown away. Here was a guy who was hanging out with people like Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, David Lindley, and a slew of other very famous and talented musicians and amongst all these people Bil found me interesting. The support from Bil meant a lot to me, still does.After I completed Bil’s painting, we became friends. I continue to draw incredible strength from his first email, the same way I draw incredible strength from the support each of you provide. And this week I discovered through Bil Lane another gift. I will read to you the email he send me this morning. Here is what Bil said to me: quote "Since I met you, I've thought more about inspiration and where it comes from and what it all means than I have in a long time. I've worked on the technical side for a long time, and my artistic side maybe suffers a little for it, but you've helped me realize that my artistic side needs to have it's voice heard as well. So thank you for that.", end quote. Blew me away!And that’s the topic for this weeks show. You and I, we are giving each other support, and that to me is what we should do. The purpose for the artist and the person appreciating the art is nothing more than support. We can’t pretend to love all art, nor all forms of art, but our job should be to love all aspects regarding the creativity behind the art. No matter what the artist, musician, writer, or poet, is working at, and no matter what they are producing, our job should be to stand behind them and support their endeavor. I have heard from many of you that you like the positive feel to this radio show, and that is what the relationship between the artist and the observer should be, support. All art is a reflection of the artist’s desire to express a creative urge. And creative urges aren’t right nor wrong, they are simply the artist delving inside themselves and extracting something that they hope will translate their expression. The support we give is simply our endorsement of their creativity. Too often observers feel the need to critique what they like or don’t like. Millions of people absolutely love the singer Madonna’s music. I am not a big fan of Madonna’s music, but I am a huge fan of Madonna’s creativity. To me Madonna is the perfect example of a person who will stand up and create the way she likes to create. The music might not be for everybody, but Madonna doesn’t let the critics distract her. She simple creates and creates and creates. Look at how many Madonna wannabee’s flood the market these days. And how many times have each of us opted out of a project because that little hamster wheel of fear in between our ears might stand spinning. Some might argue that Madonna gets paid enough money that she can afford to create the way she wants to create, but long before Madonna made money she began creating, and she wasn’t paid for it. On the contrary, she lived in almost homeless conditions when she first hit New York, but she stuck with her creative passion and over time the money came. I don’t know Madonna so I can’t say for sure, but I’m willing to bet that there is a side to Madonna that creates because the desire is there, with or without the money. In my mind Madonna’s devotion to her creativity is an inspiration.Bil Lane said "Since I met you, I've thought more about inspiration and where it comes from and what it all means than I have in a long time." I’m reading Bil’s quote to you because I never knew that me, Robert John Cook, held the possibility of inspiring someone. I am of course obviously flattered by Bil tremendous compliment, but Bil’s words are exactly how I feel about each of you. I love this time of year, especially in between Thanksgiving and the New year. It’s a time to reflect over the last year, and a time to contemplate the year before us. I can reflect over the last year and consider all the wonderful moments I have shared with you individually. I can see your face standing before, maybe at an art show, a reception, or some other event. The memory of that moment gives me inspiration and your support makes me feel confident in my work.I also liked Bil Lane’s statement "I've worked on the technical side for a long time, and my artistic side maybe suffers a little for it, but you've helped me realize that my artistic side needs to have it's voice heard as well." There’s a lot contained in this one sentence. The focus Bill placed on the needs of his artistic voice being heard is important. Each of us are many titles; a worker, a spouse, a boyfriend, girlfriend, father, mother, brother, sister, artist, writer, musician, etc. There are many titles of each side of who we are and the roles we have responsibilities with. Each one of our roles have needs. Some roles may be more important than others, and some needs a higher priority than others. But the role each of us have to create as an artist is important. I believe if we don’t create we don’t allow our minds the opportunity to express our emotions. I’m not a mental health expert, but it seems to be if our minds are inhibited from processing our emotions then we become detached from being able to sort our emotions. From my perspective, honing our skills in managing our emotions is tantamount to being content as a person, being at ease with ourselves.This year I was going to create a Christmas card and mail it to you. I drafted several designs and last night it came to me; This years card won’t be a card at all. I’ve decided instead of sending each of you a Christmas card I would instead give you a Christmas song during this radio show. So, last night I got my guitar out and wrote a song for you. Pretty simple song, but it comes from the heart, so I’m happy with it.Before I leave you with your Christmas song I need to give two quick plugs: Our friend Lee Bartell has her shop in Provincetown for sale. The store once called "I Used To Be A Tree" is located directly across the street from the Provincetown Library, shares a wall with Now Voyager Books, and is a block and a half from the center of town. There's an office at the back, with a window on the Bay! It’s 550 sq. ft. Lee is asking $350K, $300 now, and $10K/yr for 5 yrs. If you’re interested Lee’s telephone is 508-487-5900.

Last plug. Elaine Cohen and I met on last Sunday and discussed The Salon Des Refuses of Cape Cod. The details are coming together quickly. The Salon des Refusés of Cape Cod is a showcase exhibit, an annual art show with a reception promising a bit of a twist. The art show is titled "The Salon des Refusés", french for "Exhibition of Rejects". It stems from an 1863 exhibition of the then newly formed Impressionist’s work that were rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon – that art was too new, no one had ever seen it before – it didn’t follow the "rules"!. The artists gathered as a group and declared their very own show: The Salon des Refusés of 1863 exhibited the important Impressionistic works the Paris Salon had rejected. Some of these jury-rejects went on to become very famous paintings, such as Édouard Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass, and James McNeill Whistler’s Girl in White.

The Salon des Refusés of Cape Cods of Cape Cod reception and one night exhibit will take place on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at the Cape Cod Museum of Art on Route 6A in Dennis. The first annual The Salon des Refusés exhibit promises to be a flamboyant and colorful reception that is unique and dramatic — the type of reception the press will find interesting and innovate — something to put the artists of The Salon des Refusés on the map, something the public will notice. As was the case in 1863, the audience for our reception are gallery owners. From across Cape Cod, the intention of the exhibit is to introduce gallery owners to local artists and our art. Instead of the artists of The Salon des Refusés bringing their portfolio to the gallery owners, we’ll be bringing the gallery owners to our portfolio.

The exhibit of the Salon des Refusés will be intriguing and intelligent. Only it won’t be the usual stuff an artist might throw in the trunk of their car to show a gallery owner, instead it’s the real art the artists have produced that they consider truly representative of their talent — sometimes the art being unpredictable! The purpose of the Salon des Refusés is to let the gallery owners see the real side of our art and not the stuff we’re trying to use to impress them with for gallery admission.

I’ve been receiving questions regarding who will be the artists? The original 1863 Salon des Refusés was to showcase new art. The intent was to generate interest amongst the gallery owners. Our purpose is the same. Because our audience will be prominent gallery owners the museum has criteria for artists being entered into our show: 1) We are limited to ten artists with two pieces of new art each, 2) The artist must have a professional portfolio suitable for immediate gallery owner review, 3) A strong desire to show their new art work to a gallery owner during the show, 4) Each artist must have their portfolio and new art work reviewed by Elaine Cohen and myself for show entrance. Please visit our website, thesalondesrefuses.wordpress.com, or sent me an email at [e-mail] if you have any questions.

 

Sometimes

Sometimes things go around,

and around they seem to go,

just when I think I’ve got it figured out,

sometimes things seem to change,

sometimes when you least expect it.

And sometimes the wind blows in a different direction,

we can’t see it coming up from behind,

sometimes the ones we love we leave behind,

and sometimes it’s us they leave behind.

Those that aren’t here this Christmas,

set them a place at your table,

and when you give your Christmas grace,

invite them into your Christmas,

the way they invited you into their heart.

You will know your will in the smoke,

once you light that Christmas candle,

keep your eye on their smoke.

© 2008 Robert John Cook