Polka Dot Clay Studio: Squeak Carnwath Lecture

Yummy chicken kebab dinner...

Last night, I was able to listen to a lecture by one of my art heroes. I first saw Squeak Carnwath's work as part of a photo spread of her loft/studio in the San Francisco Chronicle. It was back in the old days, when I was an apartment dwelling painter/ceramic kiln moocher. I still have the article in my desk drawer, because I fell in love with her large scale paintings, and with her home space. Then, I attended her show at the Oakland Museum a few years ago, and was dazzled by seeing her work in person.

Her lecture at the University of Santa Clara de Saisset Museum had a slide show, and was pretty freeform. The audience members asked questions. A couple of her thoughts stayed with me. She mentioned that art can be magical in the way that it can alter the past. She talked about symbols, in regards to their meaning in her work. And, she mentioned that numbers and text on a painted surface, forces the viewer to have to slow down and take time to see the painting.

But, my favorite idea was that a "professional" artist is not measured by work in galleries, or work sold, but by work completed. It's important to satisfy yourself. And, it's important to put in consistent effort, honing your ideas and skills. She mentioned Malcolm Gladwell's theory that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery of a task.