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I am donating this piece to the Kadlec Hospital Neurological Resource Center for their benefit banquet.  I became aware of the benefit when my wife, daughter and I attended an autism conference this past summer in the Tri-Cities, Washington.  That conference was extremely beneficial for my family.  The main speaker was Temple Grandin.

This pencil drawing features my daughter.  She is a kind and patient child and she teaches me a lot about being a compassionate human being.  She makes me a better person and I am blessed to have her as a daughter.  She is my angel.

I really lost track of time as I worked on this.  I fell into a rhythm of making feathers, but I estimate a minimum of 16 or as many as 20 hours got it done. I am glad I caught her in one of her coy, playful moods.  I am proud to support the efforts of the Kadlec Neurological Resource Center this March.

  I painted this portrait of my son back in September.  I did it because I enjoy painting people, I love my son and we enjoy recreational shooting.  I chose to put in a lot of symbolic references that might normally be absent from my work.  To learn about that symbolism visit my homepage.

I was hesitant to publish an image of the painting because I was submitting it to different auction events and I wanted to wait to make it public.  In the interim Washington was in the news with a tragic school shooting occurring in Marysville.  Shortly after that the voters of Washington passed into law I594 which will limit gun ownership and heavily regulate the use of firearms I already own.  My understanding of the law is that a youth will not be able to own a firearm nor may I loan mine to my own son, but I digress.

This painting seems to be very appropriate and timely for current events.  It is not that I desire it to "stir the pot" of the debate over the Second Amendment.  Keep in mind I completed this painting well in advance of the I594 ballot and the Marysville tragedy.  I am not clairvoyant but I am often ahead of things in my timing.  As I previously stated, we enjoy shooting as a recreational past time.  It is something we do as a family; it is a part of my culture.  I see a great deal of benefit to my children in participating in well supervised shooting activities.  I have witnessed first hand the excitement of a youth with low self esteem when she discovered that she could accomplish accurate shooting.  It feels good to be successful at something.  They learn goal setting by trying to increase their accuracy at given distances. If they wish to progress in the sport then we will have opportunity to sharpen their math skills by calculating distances and how the accuracy of the shot will be affected by that distance.  I also believe that ethical safety practices during shooting will teach my children to be cognizant of how their actions affect others.  They must be made aware that when they hold that firearm their primary concern must be for the safety and well being of people and property and that they have a civil responsibility to behave accordingly.  You may argue that goal setting can be attained through other sports and that is true enough.  I would counter by saying I want a family activity.  Shooting is a lifelong sport that my wife and I will want to share with our grandchildren.  I cannot remember the last time I saw a grandma and grandpa playing football with the kids. 

I imagine this painting may make some observers uncomfortable while simultaneously inspiring others.  If it offends I will make no apology. The painting is intended to celebrate my love for my son and our freedom to participate in the tradition of firearms ownership and the sport of shooting.  I love my daughter and already have plans for a similar painting of her.  It is not my purpose to spark an argument about firearms and their use though some observers of the painting may be incensed and choose to use the art as a platform for debate.  No matter what side of the fence you're on at least the painting will make you think. One aspect of good art is that it can reflect the contemporary culture (think Norman Rockwell) and inspire people to take action.  If the artwork upsets you, then imagine he is holding a baseball bat or golf club.  Now how do you feel?

The next time you encounter the concept that art isn’t relevant please stop a moment and consider this.  I read a report that there are 6500 spoken languages in the world.  There are over seven billion one hundred seventy million people to communicate with in the world.  I can communicate with them all.  I can express complex ideas and emotions to each and every one of them. I do not speak 6500 languages.  I need speak only one.  I need speak only the first language we all speak and that, my friends, is the visual language.  

How do you know a baby is about to cry before it actually does?  What do you see a baby’s face do before the audible cry is heard?  Nearly all of us have seen it and most all of us can read facial expressions and predict what is about to happen.  We emote with our faces before our vocal chords get involved.  So an astute observer that is self aware will be able to read things visually.  A person with abundant meaningful life experiences will be better able to connect with a visually communicated concept due to their long list of life references.

I am an artist.  I communicate by creating two dimensional images on paper and canvas and three dimensional images in sculptural media.  If I hone my skills I will communicate effectively and emote my intended messages.  This was recently validated for me when I witnessed people connecting to my art at The Phippen Museum Western Art Show in Prescott, Arizona.

During the show guests visit the artist’s booths and have the opportunity to enjoy a lot of high quality art.  I was honored when my guests spent large amounts of time relating their memories and emotional connections that were sparked by my art.  Two of these encounters were especially significant for me.

One lover of art related so strongly to one of my portraits that she wept.  She sympathized with my imagery and was overcome with emotion.  The portrait was intended to display a Native American man that was tired to the point of surrender.  This art was my attempt  to portray the phenomenon of learned helplessness. Her reaction was validation that I had succeeded.  

The second encounter was even more significant.  I had a guest that I will be forever thankful for.  She spent a respectable amount of time looking at my portrait art and then she initiated a conversation.  She told me that my art was definitely connecting with her more than some of the other artists images.  She focussed on one image and then proceeded to relate to me what her interpretation was of the art I had created. To my amazement she beautifully articulated the complex idea I had intended.  That art had been commissioned by a client that was undergoing a significant life change.  My client wanted to convey the idea of a strong woman that was bravely facing a life of adversity.  These adverse conditions were symbolized by the wind. I had made two different images conveying the same idea.  Knowing I would be able to eventually sell them both I let my client purchase the image she preferred. Both artworks expressed the same idea.  Once again my work was validated by the eloquent description of my guest (a third party observer).  I was further amazed when I discovered my guest was also going through major life changes and that my client and guest shared the same professions! 

I am convinced that these encounters are evidence that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing.  Painting.  I am not making a monetary fortune but I am establishing quality human interactions.  I am convinced that an intuitive artist can breach cultural barriers and communicate on a global level.  What could be more relevant than multicultural communication that bridges social and economic barriers?  

The next time you are looking at an image try to let it speak to you.  Avoid the idea that it is just an interesting scene or a decoratively lovely picture.   Look beyond the obvious.  Use your imagination and let it lead you to the solution of the riddle the artist has presented to you.  Tap into your emotions and see if your past life experiences help you to connect to the art. Your life experiences are unique and will let you have a one of a kind relationship to each artwork you observe. You might discover parts of yourself you did not previously know existed.  

Enjoy these artworks by Childe Hassam, Kathe Kollwitz and Norman Rockwell and see how you relate.

Well, wouldn't you know it.  It seems my ideas are rarely original.  This blog is a case in point.  The genesis of this blog came from my efforts to split wood in order to heat my studio.  Keeping my axe sharp made the task so much easier.  I thought of how proper preparation of the tool could be an analogy for improving the skills necessary for us to meet our goals.  Apparently this idea was previously expressed in a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln. "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."  Historians debate whether or not he actually said this.  Regardless of who conceived this quote it is still an excellent concept and because of this I will stick with it (even if I didn't think of it first).

I have been thinking a lot about relationships this past month.  Relationships are about connectivity.  So how can being connected benefit us?  If my goal is to increase my artistic skills then I need to connect with knowledgeable instructors and then practice the skills they shared with me.  If I wish to increase sales then I need to connect with everyone.  I need to connect with patrons, students, gallery owners or anyone that will remember me in a favorable way.  That is positive "word of mouth" which is the best sort of endorsement a person might have.  If I wish to have an excellent quality of life then I must develop relationships with quality people that I may call "friend".

I suggest two tools to help sharpen that relationship axe.  I recommend improving the skills of sincerity and altruism.  I feel these two character traits will be an important part of building a strong foundation for successful relationships.

Let's begin with sincerity.  

No one likes to be lied to; but I suggest that sincerity runs deeper than the idea of truthfulness.  Truthfulness could be limited to “coming clean” when the hard questions are asked of us.  Sincerity deals with having a clean and pure intent.  I feel this means that nothing is covert; there is no Wizard of Oz behind the curtain.  I know a man that once told me that he wanted no relationships with people that could not benefit him professionally.  He is aloof and guards his words carefully with people that might be able to help him.  He speaks negatively most of the time about professional events and he frequently speaks disparagingly about competitors and even spoke poorly of the work of one of his mentors.  I suppose he does this to elevate his position and appear important to others so that he might further his career. To benefit himself I have seen him act in opposition to things he has previously stated as personal morals and life philosophies.  I do not trust him based on numerous personal conversations and observations about his life. He is insincere and I will distance myself from him whenever possible. 

As an artist I am critical of others work but never with the intent of tearing down their validity in front of a collector or curator.  I would never have a conversation that would disparage an artists work in an attempt to damage their career just to move my own career forward.  What I will do is engage in conversations with other artists about their work or the work of another that may not always be flattering.  I will be sincere in my intent to share with them ideas and skills that will improve their art.  I am ready to receive as well as give; I expect the same in return.  I speak to them as a peer and instructor with the goal being to further our pursuit of excellence in our work.  That interaction is sincere because two or more people have connected in search of a common goal.  I honestly hope that when I have 25 years experience successfully creating and selling art that I remember to share my knowledge with others that are in need of what I know.  I would like to have a reputation as being trustworthy and helpful.  

I recently completed working a very important art show that has the potential to be a career making event.  While I am there the goal is to sell art and be visible.  The relationship modality is that I am seeking to send my art home with someone that will enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed making it.  Fourteen hours each day are spent being available to people that are shopping.  I am not there to be an instructor nor am I a museum of my art.  I have travelled to the show at great expense and I have a mortgage to pay.  I am there to make money.  I don’t like this aspect of my business but without sales then there is no business.  I am seeking only to connect with buyers because I have limited energy and time.  Is this mean?  No.  I occasionally offer workshops, jurying services and public speaking engagements without compensation.  I make myself available to share what I know free of charge.  There is a time and place for everything.  Seeking my instruction at a venue intended for sales is the wrong place and wrong time.  So, how do I make myself sincere about my intent to sell without being offensive?  When I feel someone is using my time for a lesson I redirect and communicate in the following ways:

• I speak about my creative process that led to the creation of a specific piece.
• I suggest to them they might be interested in attending one of my many workshops or public speaking engagements.  “Oh, by the way, some are free!”
• I offer to let them buy me a cup of coffee when the show is closed to answer their questions and have that instructional conversation.
• I ask them if they would like to purchase the piece we have been discussing. 

At that point I believe I have been sincere and made my intentions and goals clear.  I am attempting to be honest without being blunt or rude.  

  I believe people that get what they want out of life ask for it.  If I respect someone as an authority on a subject I will ask for them to mentor or counsel me.    I am very clear about why I am pursuing the relationship.  I am straight forward and not manipulative.  It is common that my requests are declined but at least there can be respect about the open communication. Often people that are in a position in life to help others are inundated with requests for assistance.  I was recently introduced to the editor of an excellent art publication.  My initial thought was this introduction could benefit me but my final action was to just be casual and let this editor enjoy the evening without having pressure from me.  I hope that when my requests are accepted then I am able to make the relationship beneficial to both parties involved.  Perhaps I can offer creative insight and provide innovative thinking for my mentor, after all I am an artist and we do think differently than most people.  Sometimes relationships are casual and have no ulterior motives.  People can just hang out and enjoy one another’s company.  I suggest that being sincere means that, once the intent of the relationship is conceptualized and understood by one party that it should be clearly communicated to all parties involved.  I think the popular phrase for this is “transparency”.  There is no smoke, no mirrors, no curtains.  Because there is no veil of deceit then the situation is pure, it can be sincere.  My friend, mentor, and fellow artist, Ned Mueller, does not mince words.  I am completely comfortable around him because there is no sense of ambiguity when he speaks.  I have no problem asking his professional advice because I feel he can be trusted to "tell it like it is."  I suppose his candid demeanor may be off putting to some but I find him to be a genuine person and I appreciate him as such.  I know my art has room for improvement and he will advise me in what to do.  That is the sort of mentor I appreciate.

To explain why I believe altruism is important to the relationship axe I need to share a personal experience.  I previously mentioned that I recently participated in an art show that was intended to commoditize art.  It is an exhausting experience to travel, set up the gallery, work twelve hours each day and then socialize (network) afterwards each evening.  The energy level must be kept high at all times.  The gallery must be dismantled at the end of the show.  This is done with feelings of elation or trepidation based on the commerce during the event. My show did not meet my lofty monetary goals and I was feeling drained.  A friend had arrived at a point where I needed an extra hand with tearing down my gallery.  He was there to help out.  He had also been a help during the set up of my gallery.  I had chosen that day to work through lunch and get the set up job done.  Just when I was regretting my decision and really feeling the fatigue and the hunger he arrived with a salad for my lunch.  It was exactly what I would have ordered had I bought lunch myself.  

  He did not ask for anything in return, he did not expect remuneration nor did I feel indebted.  This is altruism.  Of course I will be there anytime he needs a hand and I did help him with some tasks and buy him a meal.  I did so not because I had been coerced into obligation, but instead because it was a nice thing to do.  He and I will work mutually in the future to achieve our professional goals by sharing ideas and working on events that will benefit us both.  I believe we will be associates the rest of our lives because of our shared passion for art and a our sincere and open approach to one another.

After we had closed up my shop we went to dinner to discuss the events of the past several days and decompress.  We bumped into a mutual friend at dinner  (another artist) who joined us for drinks.  We spent the evening talking, laughing and ministering to each other.  We had been selling and working hard and this was a time to unwind.  Nobody was trying to sell any body any thing. We gave of our time and energy without expecting anything from one another; it was really refreshing.  It was so peaceful and unthreatening that we were even comfortable being silent.  The altruistic nature of the gathering was made more evident to me when a complete stranger decided to join us.  He introduced himself as being an authority in a particular field and proceeded to arbitrarily compliment the lady in our group as being physically attractive.  I related a story from my past that is famous in this man’s supposed area of expertise.  I personally knew the people related to in the story and had heard their first hand account of the event.  He did not recognize the details of the story and even contradicted things that I new as fact.  After all, he was the authority, right?   I began to internally question his sincerity.  As his intrusion progressed he continued to compliment the physical attributes of our lady friend.  Now I began to question his motives.  His flattery probably had but one manipulative purpose that bordered on creepy and it was definitely not altruistic.  He was sending out some negative energy that was obviously in opposition to what our gathering had been previously enjoying and I did not want to share my peaceful evening with him.  I believed him to be insincere and that he harbored selfish motives for inserting himself into our group.  He did not have a sharp enough axe to split wood with me.  He might have been welcomed if only he had brought the tools of altruism and sincerity. 

Relationships are about connecting.  Connections, whether they are friendships or business related, will unravel and be made weak when they involve deceit, ambiguity and selfishness.  If you enjoyed this article please remember to Like, Share and Follow!

Additional thoughts to summarize my thinking can be found in these pop culture references:

“I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them.”  - John Wayne “The Shootist”

If you haven’t heard this song give it a listen.  It is thoroughly enjoyable and has a nice insight to relationships.  You can read the lyrics here:  Nothing More Lyrics | - The Alternate Routes

I am not a lumberjack nor an expert in the sharpening of tools.  "Sharpening the Axe" is a metaphor for setting goals and improving the tools that help us get through life.  These tools might include the following skills: art methodologies, personal and business relationships; personal health or just about anything that makes us who we are.  The idea is that we set realistic goals, consider what we must do to reach them and evaluate our progress.

First a bit of personal history.  I am an artist.  I have always loved art and it has been a part of my life since childhood.  My father is an artist and my earliest memories are of him working in his studio.  He instilled in me an understanding of what quality art looks like by taking me to the best galleries and museums.  Art is who I am.  I absolutely must create.  I taught in public school for twenty three years and gave my energy to developing the creativity of the local youth.  I did not have much job satisfaction and the situation deteriorated over the years as the school devoted less relevance, time and resources to developing creativity and imagination in the students.  My enrollment declined as students were encouraged or dictated to enroll in more "academic" courses.  I was not able to devote time to the development of my own artistic skills and I often thought of quitting.

I made my career changes after becoming very ill.  I went from being fit and active to being in I.C.U. because of bilateral pulmonary embollisms within a two week period.  Without going into much detail suffice to say every doctor and nurse that work with me tell me I am lucky to be alive.  This was the final signal to me that it was time for me to devote my time to improving my art skills.  It was what I felt led to do.  When I approached my wife about this move she had already arrived at the same conclusion.  I resigned my teaching position.  The question of "how good can I get if all my time is given over to the development of my art?" is the problem that I seek to solve.  I have no idea why I am driven to do so.  I just am.   This has nothing to do with ego.  I am a humble man, but I feel when I work on something I should do the very best job I possibly can. 

This brings me to sharpening the axe.  I heat my studio with wood heat from a wood burning stove.  I enjoy splitting the wood and stacking it.  It is an important form of light exercise that I can do while I recover from being ill.  The long term goal is to heat my studio and work in comfort.  The short term goal is to seperate one half of the log from the other for burning.  Set the goals and get the job done. Simple, right?  Maybe not.  (Remember my goal is to improve my art skills.) 

When tackling any task I like to first do an inventory of my tools and resources and then evaluate their efficiency.  I could select a spoon to separate the log but that would take a tremendous amount of time and effort.  You might think that is a foolish notion but how often do we set goals in our lives and fail to select the best tools to complete the task?  I once saw a photo of a man living in Jamaica cutting a small patch of lawn with scissors.  He did so because he did not have the means to buy a more efficient lawn grooming device.  I doubt that he really wanted to spend hours cutting grass that could have been mown in minutes with the proper tool.  If a person wants to make a fortune in the stock market then decisions made by flipping a coin are not going to produce the same results as doing the research and wisely and patiently making investments utilizing the tool of knowledge.  Choose the right tool for the right job.

My choice to use an axe is a logical one for splitting wood.  Selecting the tool is only stage one; I must know how to use it. Swinging it backward and striking the wood with the blunt end would be futile.  I could beat on the log all day and with luck I might split the log in half.  I would be exhausted and discouraged because of a lack of progress. I might find myself staring at the stack of logs needing split and I might just quit. If you wisely inform me that I should turn the axe over and strike with the other side I may have less frustration.  If I prepare my axe by sharpening it then I will discover that the axe effortlessy cleaves the log.  You might think this is a "straw man" analogy but bear with me.  

I recently heard a man puzzling over why he could not sale his art.  The answer was obvious to me.  His work was greatly in need of improved craftsmanship (sharpen the axe).  He was unaware of this fact.  Certainly if he saw me striking a log with the blunt end of an axe in an attempt to split it the problem would be obvious to him.  He may shake his head and wonder about my state of mind.  The only possible explainations for using the axe improperly would be ignorance, insanity or masochism.  To me it was clear that this man was ignorant of how much work he had to do to improve the quality of his art.  The result of time invested in practicing his craft would begin to produce his desired sales (splitting the log). When I exposed him to the quality of work that gets attention from buyers he immediately saw the differences between his work and that of the other artists.  This was the first step in his journey. He was able to take an inventory of his "art skill tools".   To his credit he realized he had a lot of work to do.  Shockingly I have heard artists decline my workshops because, "They have painted the way they do for twenty years and they have no interest in changing."  Their cup is full and they have no desire to make room for improving.  Perhaps they think they know everything there is to know about creating art.  Their axes will remain forever dull.  Consider the story of the accomplished portrait painter John Singer Sargent.  He was well known for his portraits and commissioned by the social upper class of the time to paint their loved ones. It was considered very chic to have Mr. Sargent paint your portrait. He and his contemporary, Anders Zorn, were hired to paint portraits of the same person.  When Sargent saw the portrait done by Zorn he conceded that Zorn had done a superior work.  The legend goes on to say Sargent destroyed his first attempt because it was inferior and painted a second version. If we are to reach our goals we must acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses (assess our tools) and then develop a plan of improvement.  

So, I invite you to set an achievable short term goal in life. It can be anything from getting the closet organized to writing a letter to a friend. Make it bound to a period of time (keep it simple and make it two days), then assess your tools (skills) needed for the task and move forward.

Good luck.

Join me next month for "Sharpening the Relationship Axe."

Self Portrait by Anders Zorn     Self Portrait by John Singer Sargent