Robert Gale Ongley

Tag: #arts

  • THE ENCHANTED PAINTER

    As a writer and musician, I know something about becoming engrossed in my craft. I’ve experienced having the hours slip by unnoticed as I happily write or play. The artist who is the subject of this article takes single-minded focus to an entirely different level, however. In coming up with the above title, I considered several adjectives for this painter. Descriptive words such as preoccupied, mesmerized and obsessed. Any could apply. She happens to be my wife.

    The Focused One

    Not made for multi-tasking, Sandy can take on a single task with nearly impenetrable focus. If she’s involved in something, a person seeking to communicate with her would be wise to say her name with the volume turned up a little before intruding with any further words.

    The result is that she works fast and efficiently. Not being distracted gives her a great advantage over most of us. It doesn’t hurt that she has always had a nearly inexhaustible energy supply, but it’s primarily concentration that enables her to accomplish so much.

    Only in recent years have I seen her abilities applied to painting. I’ve known for a long time that she wanted to paint artistically. She reflects on the origins of her dreams. “When I was 18 yrs old and thinking of my future life, I knew I wanted to be a wife and mother and make a lovely home for my family, but I also wanted to at least try art, all mediums such as painting, pottery, sculpting and sewing. I planned to have a room all to myself to do my art, just for my pleasure. It never occurred to me to sell it.”

    The Arts Take Center Stage

    It was about four years ago when we bought a house that was somewhat suited to her dream. It has an area that was converted from a carport to a family room. We divided it so half is hers for art and half is mine for writing and music. We bought some art supplies and slowly she started using them.

    “I am finally beginning to fulfill a lifelong desire after working full time for 50 yrs while being a wife and mother with no time for me. I was retired for two years, in my 60’s before I got the courage to try painting. I did not know the first thing about it. I had always done drawings with pencil.”

    My latest novel was published and she hand painted bookmarks to give away to book buyers. She could paint those fairly fast and they were beautiful. It was with these that Sandy started to enter a particularly imaginative zone. The ideas started flowing effortlessly–nature scenes, animals, dancers and so on. She would do them for hours, one after another. Eventually, she started selling them through a local used bookstore. The quality improved rapidly.

    “Currently, I am working with acrylic paints. I began with watercolors about two years ago or so. It’s hard to do, as watercolors are not forgiving. One goof and your painting is lost. I’m painting dogs and cats onto stones with acrylics at this time. I had been painting on canvas but that can get costly, and where do you put all these paintings? When my dog died, I received an adorable portrait on a stone from a friend. I loved it and wanted to learn how to do that. So I began painting them. They were awful at first, but I just kept at it. They are much better now. When some people have seen them, they’ve wanted to commission me to paint their pets on stones.”

    Spellbound

    Whatever the medium, Sandy becomes immersed in her work thoroughly, but it’s with the stones that she takes it to a new level. I’ve seen her start on touching up a stone that was considered near completion in the morning and get caught up in detail to such a degree that she didn’t finish it until eight hours later.

    “Painting is my meditation. Nothing is on my mind when I am painting. I can sit for hours and hours painting, forgetting to eat, forgetting everything. I think it increases my serotonin levels. It is truly calming. It is where I get my serenity, however temporary it is.”

    Life is Good

    Yesterday, I asked Sandy how her life is better since she began painting regularly.

    “My life is much better having my new hobby painting. It is certainly therapeutic. I feel better about myself. My thoughts turn to what I want to paint in the future rather than what I am worried about. I am doing my art, my thing and I can get that great serenity whenever I need to by sitting down to a jar of water, paint brushes, stones or canvas.”

    And so it is.

  • TEN WAYS TO A SIMPLE LIFE IN THE ARTS

    In a life full of distractions, the creator of would-be artistic masterpieces needs the way cleared of pitfalls and obstructions that would render their efforts fruitless. When seeking greater simplicity, the simple sage doesn’t let complex logic get in the way. Stripping ideas down to the basics means going straight to the point. Any point might do.

    Truly dedicated visionary artisans do not concern themselves with matters of practicality. The art form comes first. They will not approach their calling as though it were just some job. An uncompromising, steely glare must accompany the search for truth. Just because the tenets of a particular way of life do not conform with the mainstream ideas does not mean they are right for the artiste. So, cast aside reason and consider these gems from a twinkling of the eye.

    Be Born Poor

    Although it may appear so, this is not merely a case of “you either have it or you don’t.” You can find your way to poverty in the span of one life where you are born with a silver spoon in your mouth. If you are not that inept or if you simply don’t have the time to mount the volume of losses to squander an entire fortune, there is another alternative. You can simulate being poor. Become a minimalist.

    Be Single

    Relationships make life far too complicated. You need all the “me” time you can get to turn out fabulous aesthetic works. The greatest value of a sexual partner is the loss of one. The broken heart can lead to all manner of interesting songs, films, paintings, dance and glass blowing. In the long run, though, it’s best to stay free of ties that bind except those devoid of emotion. I suggest having a fish, maybe two, in a simple fish bowl. This allows you to observe a relationship without having to clean an aquarium.

    Declare Yourself What You Want to Be

    This is easy. Just do it. It’s even therapeutic. No matter where you are or who you are, you can start immediately down your path of an angst-ridden artistic life. It feels really good.

    Spend All Your Off Time Observing

    When the old master or mistress is not creating, they are inclined by their nature to be observing. This is how they recharge their wellspring of imagination. One word of caution. Observe real life, not life-sucking television, which tends to make the artist imitate art.

    Be Interested in Everything, Involved in Nothing

    This could easily be criticized. Some may say it’s taking a godlike approach, but that’s not my take. I say it’s the way of the narrator, the all-knowing narrator as in fiction. Always viewing the world as an observer allows us to paint it objectively and develop it without attachment. Attachment may be the root of all evil, for it is here that we rob Truth to pay a borrowed Reality.

    Work on Your Art All Day, Every Day

    This is the apex of keeping it simple. There’s nothing better to do anyway, and you will mostly be in a supremely happy place even if your body is wasting away to nothing. At least you’re flourishing unlike you would be if you were watching YouTube videos.

    Don’t Believe in Writer’s Block or Any Kind of Block

    My theory is that writer’s block is just something made up by malcontents that don’t actually like writing. Just write anything for God’s sake until the notion passes. I’ve never heard of editor’s block. They just keep editing and that goes for the creatively-inclined of all persuasions.

    Make No Rules That Complicate Life

    I’m not leading by example on this one. I’ve made many rules to restrict and complicate my life. I also may be getting worse in this regard. Here are some things from my repertoire to avoid. Not that they’re wrong. They just aren’t simple. 1) Never end a sentence in a preposition. 2) Be 100 percent ethical. 3) Hold a smile until no one is looking and phase it out gradually.

    Study Your Medium and Learn it Well

    This is not a contradiction of what I just said. The crafty old pitcher will take the talented young phenom hitter to school until the kid figures out how to hit a good curveball. Designer John Maeda said it first in his book, The Laws of Simplicity: “ Learn. Knowledge makes everything simpler.”

    Throw Away All Your Devices

    And get off the grid while you’re at it. Find a cabin in the woods or a private room where you won’t be interrupted. All right, don’t panic. At least put all weapons of mass distraction somewhere that they can’t be found or they can’t find you.

    There’s art to be made. Enrich it all you want, but keep the process simple.