John Bramblitt's Journey

I had 

A VISION

In 2009, I started writing my blog,

  “Walking by Inner Vision” 

 It was to begin to write about my own journey into the new experience I had entered. This new experience came 2 years earlier, in October 2007; I was suddenly thrust into the world of sudden blindness.

(Ischemic Optic Neuropathy)

This event changed nearly everything in my life.

Writing about it became  a way for me

to speak about my life

now that it had entirely changed.

   

 I  am an Educator,  Visual Artist and Author,

I discuss how I have learned to continue

to be a  creative artist and writer once again.

            Today, I want to focus on another artist who lost his sight, yet, began to paint after going blind. I think you will enjoy hearing about:

John Bramblitt’s  journey!

You can click on the THREE LINKS to see video’s of John Bramlitt and his visionary paintings. You can listen to John as he tells his own story to overcome blindness through ART.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwPzBRRuq3g

John Bramblitt is a Texas artist who is blind. He lost his sight around age 11. He began painting after he lost his sight.

This video was done when he was still an undergraduate student.

John says he  loves creating both fine art and writing.  It’s not unusual for find an artist who also loves to write.

I think it is often a  winning combination that most artists embrace.    As

John said,

 “It is only the tools that are different.

 The process remains the same.”

 He says when you look at a “how to” book on both painting, and writing, you’ll see the process is the same for each. I affirm this truth that John has discovered in his journey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ZS9M8CUis

John is shown in this video doing a workshop and speaking with a visitor. We can see him showing how his work begins. He is describing how it begins with an initial drawing on the canvas. The drawing is raised, giving him guidelines to follow when the painting process begins.

http://www.bramblitt.net

This link will take you to John’s  website.

There you will find general information on John Bramblitt. There are links on  his career, photos of some of his paintings, his blog link, and more.

Lotus Blossoms, Ideas, and Time

Good Morning Poetry  Lovers and Writers,

This morning I was thinking about how we come up with the myriad of ideas that we gather for our poems and our writings.

People always ask:

"How do you gather ideas and images for use in your poetry?"

First of all, 

Ideas are everywhere!

Ideas and inspirations  surround us all day long when we are actively engaged in the mundane chores of our day. 

Ideas and images are:

Overhead in the night skies,

Sloshing down in the pouring spring rain,

Romping like a child with a sand shovel and bucket in the sunshine on the beach,

Found on the front page of this morning's small town newspaper,

Sent  in a letter from a dear friend,

Articulated over the phone when I am talking with a friend who is meeting challenges,

Hidden in  the bushy ruffled wag of my little  dog's tail as he dances to  beg for treats, 


Packed away in great grandma's old metal trunk with bands of wood and brass


 forgotten in the darkness of your dusty attic

Buried deep in the rich black earth in the woods beneath the stately Hemlock tree where we have buried all our pets through the years.

Search through your MEMORIES

Can you recall the ivory blooms of Queen Ann Lace in the early fall fields?

They are often intermingled with the periwinkle stars of the Chicory, just before the first frost. My heart skips a few beats just to think of this delightful sight, right in my back yard every year. Last year, the meadow was alive with cone shaped mushroom. They were scatterd about like a magician had come through and waved his magic wand there, and from the dust of his want came the brilliant white mushroom reaching up to the sky.

How about that dragon- fly that landed on your shoulder as you sat quietly along the edges of the brook when you were a small child? Did you hear it  rattle around in the back seat of your car yesterday?

What idea was blown by the winds across the foggy surface of asphalt in the parking lot at the strip mall?

Are you remembering some things right now that just might be the stuff of a poem?

I think I could sit here for hours on end writing about where I have been surprised and delighted  by  the quickly fleeting sliver of an idea, or softly echoing lyric of a soulful idea for a poem. I think I spotted the leg of a new poem this morning, lurking there inside my new pair of Reebok cross-trainer shoes! I saw that slender strip of yellow zig-zagging across the bottom of the shoes - calling out to me to pay attention and not be in such a big rush to get going on my journey today.

 I sat down to look over new messages on my Face Book page today, 

I found a gem of an idea there.

Delight was right there in print on that page. 

 And, there was a picture, too! The picture there was of a Lotus Flower, all in violet, lavender, deep greens, and periwinkle blue colors.

An idea for a poem  came to me as I scanned through this  new FaceBook message.

One thing you eventually find on social media are like minded individuals who share a world view that can be similar to your own.  

 These are the "friends" you always look for because they often post messages that lift you up and encourage you, and give you new insight - a little glimmer of some truth that rings true inside your body.  I had one of those moments this morning!

~ I choose  friends who ~

 love the arts 

care about the earth

work to find homes for animals 

 restore others  to good health

friends who love dusty old things

cherish small things

some who love flowers - gardens - birds

those who love to travel and enjoy the culture of other places 

friends who respect other people who live in very different circumstances

Think carefully about the kind of people you call your friends.

What kind of energy do they give off? Is it healing, helpful, encouraging, and positive? I avoid negative people because their energy will bring you down to where they are and that is a place where there are no poems and no marvel. Choose friends who love life and who are life-bringers in this world. A negative person is an empty shell of a human person. 

Just a few months ago

I joined a group of writers who talk about their work and put up their writings for the rest of the group to discuss. There, I have found three strong women poets who are absolutely amazing writers. Like me, they have experienced sight loss, yet they live a full and complete life with no boundaries and no regrets. 

The poetry folks I have met recently at the National Federation of the Blind on the NFB Writers Division list have been talking about saving some of the comments and poems they find so they can return to them and read them again. What a good idea this is! I have a couple of files started for this purpose, too. I have read some poems that are so nourishing, rich, memorable that I want to savor them again and again. I also want to see more poems from these people, and watch their path unfold as they write.

I, too, have a  folder  for saving "ideas" for some future works for myself. 

An idea will come to me and I like to record it and save it to my files. I will collect information on that idea until I have sufficient material to begin the work on a new poem. I gather ideas and put them in my files before they fly off to become someone else's poem!

Another place I find inspiration is when I read some of the FaceBook pages posted by friends I have never met.

Today's find  is the message  I will post below. The message uses the metaphor of the Lotus Flower. It is a keeper and is now in my folder. My folder is  called "Poem_Ideas"  and at some point I will return to this message and begin the work of writing a poem. The idea has been captured and saved for me to return to another day when I am able to put the work into the idea.

What do YOU need to do to enrich your ideas for working with words?

You need to SLOW DOWN, first of all.

Pay attention to your surroundings.

Listen to what sounds are there. Close your eyes and smell the air. 

Reach out your finger tips and touch something. How does it feel?

Is there a taste in the air?  Do you hear the music?

Patience, my friends, patience. That is the KEY to getting in touch with your own world. It is YOUR WORLD and YOUR LIFE that is your motif.

As you begin to feel, hear, taste, see, touch, smell your world, you will now be ready to begin your poem. 

The poem is your life!

  

"The lotus flower sits upon one of it's leaves, having risen to the surface as the sun, held in the hand of God, invites it upward to the light. This unique plant is rooted in the mud and muck at the bottom of a body of water, it's stem reaching up to the surface, where the leaves rest quietly. At night, the flower closes and sinks below the surface, only to rise with the daylight and once again, gradually unfold it's petals. 
What we learn from this amazing plant is how our own spiritual path unfolds and opens to the light, then at times gently folds in on itself for a proper rest when the daylight fades. 
Your spiritual unfoldment is occurring at all times, whether or not you are aware of it. It is inevitable as long as you put your trust in the hands of the Creator, the One who holds the Light. 
Like the Lotus, your soul is always reaching for the light to fulfill its karmic destiny, but even in that process, there are periods of darkness and times to rest. It is a natural cycle, one that cannot truly be coerced or halted. 
It has an innate rhythm of its own, one that is unique to the Being that is you!"

~Earth Magic by Steven D. Farmer

 

Art is God's Voice

Pay attention to poetry.

Pay attention to music.

Pay attention to paintings and sculptures and photo exhibits and ballets and plays.

Why?

Because art is God's way of saying hello. Your world is shouting out to you, revealing something intrinsically glorious about itself.

Listen carefully.

Love art, the way art loves life.

Don't let all this go unnoticed. _Neale Donald Walsh_

I have a page on Face Book. You can find me there by typing in my username:  Lynda McKinney Lambert. I use this page to keep in touch with friends mostly. It’s a place where I can chitchat with friends and family. Lots of times, I post interesting things that I like. I share them with anyone who might visit my page that day.

You can also find another page that I have on FaceBook. It is the business page where I keep my friends and clients updated on my upcoming exhibitions and show photos of that is going on in my studio. That page is:  River Road Studio


http://www.facebook.com/pages/River-Road-Studio/175785105811956

You can visit this page and when you do PLEASE click on the LIKE button there. This way I know there are friends who like my work and like to hear about what is happening in my artistic professional life. Please visit me there soon. And, be sure to leave a comment for me!

I like to check my two FaceBook pages every morning. Often I see some gems  to  enjoy. Every now and again, I find something that makes me sit up and pay attention. Some things rise above the usually mundane. Today is one of those days. I found the quote above, posted by Neale Donald Walsh. I really love this post today!

You know, it is in the ARTS that we can LEARN what is really going on in our world.  

The evening news does not have a clue as to what is really going on. It is through the ARTS that we learn about our world. The arts give us insights into the future as well as understanding of the present. The only things is, you have to be willing to STOP and take a LOOK. Stop and LISTEN. STOP.  


The ARTS make us THINK and thinking takes TIME. The ARTS stop us in our TRACKS.

I have often heard from a philosopher friend that when he wants to know what is going on, he looks to ART to give him the SCOOP. The inside information. It is hidden. Art REVEALS. Through ART we can actually SEE OUR SELF.

Neale Donald Walsh has it right.

“Pay attention to poetry. Pay attention to music. Pay attention to paintings and sculptures and photo exhibits and ballets and plays. Why? Because art is God's way of saying hello. Your world is shouting out to you, revealing something intrinsically glorious about itself. Listen carefully. Love art, the way art loves life. Don't let all this go unnoticed."  Neale Donald Walsh

Read it again.

“Art is the WORLD saying HELLO to you!  ART is God’s way of speaking to you. Say HELLO to GOD. Go look at some art. Go listen to a musical performance. Go.  Let God have a WORD with you soon.” _Lynda Lambert_

How to ENTER a JURIED ART EXHIBITION

How to Enter

a Juried Art Exhibition

Enter your art work in a JURIED EXHIBITION

contact the gallery and ask for an “Entry Form.”

     The gallery creates an “entry form” for each exhibition.  This entry form is your road map for entering an exhibition. The form will give you all the details that you need to enter the show. Be sure to look over this form very carefully before you begin to fill in the blanks. Read it over first to give yourself an overview of  the information you will need to have as you begin the process.

Each exhibition has a title. The front page of the brochure will give you the name of a particular show you will be entering.

Example: Art of the State…Pennsylvania 2012. 45^th Annual Juried Art Exhibition

Below the title of the exhibition you will find the dates that the show will be on display at the museum. In the example I have given you, the dates for that show will be June 16 – September 9, 2012.

The final thing that is on the front of the brochure is the hosting organization that is sponsoring the exhibition and the name and address of the gallery or museum where the show will be on display.

You get a lot of information about the show when you look at the front cover of the brochure. You now know the name of the show; the sponsor; the museum; the dates of display; and the address.

After you have noted this information, you are now ready to open the brochure and look over the DETAILS you will need to know about HOW you will ENTER the show.

Look for the ENTRY DEADLINE

The show will have either a “Hand Deliver Only” policy, or it will have an “Enter by MAIL policy” or BOTH!  How does the museum want to receive your entry? And, when?

Look for the final date for you to get your entry form and pictures of your work to the museum. Your entry must arrive by that date if you want to be considered for the show. Entries arriving AFTER the deadline date are NEVER considered.

What do you need to send?

Most shows want you to send them slides of your work, or a CD with photos of your work. Many venues will not return these to you so be sure you have duplicates.  If they are returned to you, then you will be instructed to send a SASE along with your entry fee. The SASE is a “Self Addressed Stamped Envelope.”

There will be an “ENTRY FEE”

The form will give you the amount that you need to send along with your completed form, and photos of your work. This fee will not be returned to you if you are not selected for the show.

The brochure will give you the information on who the juror is, and who the juror of awards will be. Often the juror of the show entries will be the same person who selects the awards, too. Sometimes it is one person, and other times it can be a group of people who will be selecting the show and the awards.

          The brochure will give you the EXACT INFORMATION DETAILS that you need to have to send in your entry. You’ll need to know the exact SIZE of your work.  For a 2-Dimensional work, you will measure the HEIGHT and the WIDTH of the art work, and then the depth of it, too. If the painting, for example, is framed, then you need to give the dimensions of the work PLUS the outside edge of the frame.

For a 3-Dimensional art work, such as a sculpture, you can usually send in three views of that work. You need to measure the Height of it, the width of it, the depth of it, AND the WEIGHT of it.

For each work

fill in the blank for each of these questions:

1.) Title of the art work

2) Medium (Painting, print, sculpture, ceramics, etc.)

3) Dimensions (the size measurements)

4) For Sale? You will be asked to fill in the PRICE you want to sell the    work for, if it will be for sale.

5) Not for Sale?

Some shows will not show a work that is NOT for SALE!  For those shows who will show a work that is NOT FOR SALE

6)  INSURANCE VALUE of the work. 

When will you know

if YOU ARE SELECTED

 for this show?

The brochure will give you the date that you will be notified.

You will be given instructions for the delivery of the work after you are notified that you are IN.  You will receive a card that you had filled out when you sent in your entry. 

There will be a little box on it and one of the boxes will be CHECKED. You will be IN; or, you will be OUT.

GOOD LUCK!

How to Begin Your Art Career

How will YOU  Plan Your Art Career?

Part I

Juried Exhibitions and

Your  Resume’

_

By Lynda J. Lambert

Pennsylvania Artist

ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS:

What is an art career?

Do I even have an art career?

Do I want to have an art career and exhibit my art in public shows?

Am I happy just playing “artist” or do I want more?

How serious am I anyway?

What does it take for me to move from a hobby artist to an artist who is recognized as a professional?

Would I like to see my art hanging in galleries, museums, or exhibitions?

Lynda Lambert at her opening reception for _Primal Garden...la vida luminiscentes_ 

September 9th, 2011 at Merrick Art Gallery, New Brighton, PA

Lynda is shown with her daughter Heidi Lambert McClure, also an artist

Lynda has been in over 200 juried exhibitions and exhibited nationally and internationally.

STEP ONE:

This is an important FIRST STEP: 

You may be saying, “What IS a JURIED EXHIBITON?

You will  need to know about this before you can move on to the next step in your exhibition career.

The first step towards a serious commitment to your art requires that you begin to enter juried exhibitions. In this way, you get a feel for how your work stacks up when in competition with your fellow artists. 

Be prepared for some rejections.  Even artists who have been exhibiting their work for many years get rejected by a juror.  This is just part of the world of art exhibitions.  Sooner or later, you WILL get into a juried show and you will be so proud of your achievement. It will be a big step in your career when you begin to get into juried shows and even win some recognition for them.

How does it work?

A JURIED exhibition is a show that has been selected by one judge or a small panel of judges who view your work along with lots of other entries from other artists.  The juror will select the art works that he/she decides will best suit the kind of show that will be exhibited in the end.   You want to begin putting your art work out among the crowd of other art works through the jury process.

Before this, you may have entered your art in shows that are non-juried. This means that all work entered in a show will be hung or displayed.  This could be the first step for the novice, and one that is non-threatening nor intimidating.  This type of show is usually uneven, with work by seasoned artists appearing beside art works that are made by beginners.  After you have done just a few of these, you are now ready to move UP to put your work before a jury.  You will definitely want to do this and you will need to do this to gain professional experience in showing your art works.

As you begin to participate in juried exhibitions you will need to begin listing them on an artist’s resume. It is an important step and it reflects that you are a serious artist. It also reflects that an doing work that is notable in your field because experts have chosen your work for public display in their shows

Hand Beaded Jewelry on display at Merrick Art Gallery

5th Avenue and 11th Street, New Brighton, PA

Sept 9 - October 2, 2011

Bead Weaving by Lynda Lambert

Create a good Resume:

Now is the time to begin working on a good resume, or a one page Vita.

Begin doing this as soon as you begin getting into juried exhibitions.


After listing your name, address, contact information website or blog address, then you will divide you resume' into some important categories. It will be in those catagories that you will begin to list your exhhibitions and honors and awards. Do it chronologically. Begin with your latest one, and then go backwards.

Create a category titled:  “Juried Exhibitions.”

Later on, you will need to create a category for “Invitational Exhibitions.” That usually comes after you have been doing some juried exhibitions for a while. Eventually  you will be  invited to participate in a gallery, museum, or art center’s show. This is also decided by a gallery owner, a selected juror or a committee, so it is also prestigious  because you have been asked or invited  to participate in the show.

Awards and Honors on your RESUME:

On your resume, create a THIRD category listing for “Awards and Honors.” 

When you need to send your Vita' or Resume' to another show or to a gallery, they will be looking to see what shows your work has appeared in and any awards or honors you have won.  List them chronologically by placing the most recent ones at the top of your list.

Review of Step ONE:

1.)     Begin to look for “juried” art exhibition and enter them

2.)     Create your Resume' or a short one-page Vita’

Here is what you need to put on your resume’ or one-page  vita’:

Your Name

Your Address

Phone Number/ E-mail

Your Blog or Website (IF you have one)

Categories:

          1.)  Juried Exhibitions:

                        List name of show; the juror’s name;

 the place where it was on exhibit,

                        and the dates of show

            2.) Invitational Exhibitions

                        List name of show, 

the juror or group who invited you, 

place when the exhibition was on display; 

date of show

            3.) Awards and Honors:   

List any awards you received in a show, 

date of Award 

Later on, we'll be adding a couple more categories. But for a start, this is all you'll need to put on your artist's resume' or one-page vita'. Remember this: An artist's resume' is very different than a business person's resume'.


The steps are small ones, but very important ones. It is the little things that make your art career work. It is the ability to pay attention to the small details and be careful about them.

One of the biggest failures for an artist is to spend tons of time in the studio creating work, and then failing to develop a business PLAN for marketing that work.  We have to be in BALANCE.  Work + Exhibitions are important to us. Exhibitions give us an audience for our work AND  it brings us recognition and collectors who will be buying our work. We want to begin to develop our exhibition opportunities AND our clients.

To BEGIN:  

Step it UP

Find some Juried Shows

Begin your Artist  Resume'

You can begin by doing a search on-line for juried shows in your local area. I strongly suggest that you begin with a show that is very close to where you live.  You'll probably be surprised at how many juried exhibitons and opportunities you will find within a 30 mile radius of where you live.  Check out  any galleries or museums, art centers, universities, colleges, or local educational programs in the arts to find out when their next juried show will be held.

The Prospectus:
Ask the gallery  for a prospectus. The prospectus is a program flyer that gives you all the information you need to enter the juried show. They will probably email it to you. You can read the prospectus and you will know all the rules and regulations for that particular show. The prospectus will tell you exactly HOW to enter the show. It will give the dates of the show;  the juror's name and credentials;  the day to deliver your art for the jury process; the day to deliver your accepted art work; the day of the opening reception and awards ceremony; the FEE you need to send with your application, size limitations; and the kinds of art forms that are permitted  for entry in this show. Your Prospectus is your ROAD MAP for that particular exhibition. 

Autumn Reflection Vessel:  Grape Leaves, Snakes, and Sanils

by Lynda Lambert

In the solo exhibition:  Primal Garden...la vida illuminscentes

Merrick Art Gallery,  5th Avenue and 11th Street,

New Brighton, PA

Sept 9 - October 2, 2011

Our next conversation will be to explore the different kinds of JURIED EXHIBITIONS  that you will encounter once you begin your SEARCH for a show to enter.

Autumn is a GREAT TIME to begin looking for some shows to enter.  I would love to hear from you on this topic and hear about your experiences as you begin to enter some juried shows. I willbe celebrating with you when you get IN your FIRST JURIED SHOW. Be sure to let me know about it.