Inspirations High And Low

by Greg Vineyard

When I was younger (a long time ago, in a state far, far away), I would gaze up into the sky and locate the ever-present Big Dipper, a constellation completely unaware of its role in my typically human, but also wondrous, connective ritual.

In this part of the country, my stabilizer is the three stars of Orion’s Belt. Much like back then with the Dipper, I can find Orion quite easily with just a quick turn or two of my head. On nights when the stars aren’t visible, I’m reassured from having seen them enough to know that they’re still present.

At one point, I lived in a large city with so much light pollution that the stars weren’t visible unless a major earthquake knocked out all the power, shockingly revealing a Milky Way that was indeed still enveloping us.

A more tangible steadying force in our lives can be to seek inspirations throughout any given day (but only one, huge star is visible; don’t look up!). In addition to us each plugging-in to activities related to our professional preoccupations, we also need stuff that contributes to a fun, varied, balanced life.

A recent visit to the Asheville Art Museum (for me, museums are both business and pleasure) turned out to be a joltingly connected moment kicking off my artistic 2014. There’s always something fascinating to see. And it’s RIGHT HERE. What a refreshing visit I had when I finally made it in to see a show that I knew would, for me, be like connecting the dots of stars.

As an artist and designer, color and its history play a very important role in my endeavors, so the Esteban Vicente installation was vital to see in person. I entered the exhibit on a quiet Sunday afternoon, and I had the museum almost entirely to myself.

It was as if I had dropped in on a large, modern and private living room, with all his beautiful drawings, paintings and collages there just for me to see, absorb and appreciate.

Vicente worked with a variety of materials throughout his long career, and was connected to some of the most important artistic movements of the twentieth century. Like so many of us in the arts, he was also presenting his own language in his own way. I absolutely loved it.

As someone who has hung a lot of art (and who was also, once upon a time, a museum tour guide), I also really appreciated the museum’s choices regarding details like focal points, chronology and groupings — and even the height and spacing of the works — as well as the site-lines and walking flow of this show. Not to mention the good information, appropriate lighting, and room to step in and read or step back and appreciate. When a facility has done everything it can to create a suitable experience for the viewer, one gets to be guided, educated, and even creatively fueled.

I also enjoyed the Josef Albers color studies, and Ben Aronson’s fascinating paintings, plus a stroll through the permanent collections. Throughout the premises I was gleaning movements, reawakening sparks, seeing old “friends” — and feeling joy. Along with other local organizations which address a wide variety of subject matter, artistic and otherwise, the Asheville Art Museum is helping preserve and pass along culture and history, connecting past, present and future.

While I look upward nightly to Orion to remind me I’m on solid ground, daily I am eyes-forward, peering into the intriguing constellation that is Asheville, chock-full of the spirit of those who toiled before us, and of the artists and entrepreneurs who are leading now, prompting me to muse upon what we may historically become.

Staying stimulated and involved is vitally important to the overall creative process. I hope you get a chance to dip into something personally inspiring to you today — like the Asheville Art Museum! Oh, and “my” stars are big enough to share, so don’t forget to look up tonight.