gurari collections ~ meeting wendy artin

photos by danielle boudrot, 10/29/10

Last night was the opening reception for nine by six, a group show of plein air artists at Gurari Collections in Boston. It was a wonderful evening filled with art, wine, food, old friends and new friends. My favorite story comes from a conversation I had with Wendy Artin and Joe McKendry. I was most fortunate to be near their laughter and they graciously welcomed me into their circle. We started talking about the creative process and how art, music, and sports relate to one another. After some discussion, we discovered the connective threads to be daily practice, repetition and dedication. Wendy then shared with us a story about a master Japanese painter (i’ll do my best to recreate it for you!) ~ The artist was commissioned by a wealthy man to paint a masterpiece and was given a year to do so. When the time came to show the wealthy man the painting, the artist took out a piece of paper and painted the subject on the spot. The wealthy man was furious! The master painter was outraged at the wealthy man’s reaction! The artist then walked over to a cabinet, opened the door, and thousands of the same painting fell to the floor! ~ The story speaks so perfectly to the time, study and practice that goes into creating a work of art. I couldn’t help but think of Wendy’s paintings and the time it takes her to perfect a single brush stroke.

The first photo (above) is of an older man greeting Wendy. I was so moved by their hands that I decided to crop the image to illuminate this gesture. For me, it captures the essence of Wendy the person and Wendy the artist. All evening, she was giving and thoughtful to those who know her and to those of us just getting to know her.

above, Wendy Artin, Temple of Saturn

above and below, Wendy Artin, close ups of Temple of Saturn

above and below, Wendy Artin

above, Russ Gerard ~ owner of Gurari Collections