Tuesday, June 16, 2009

My favorite quote for the day

Vladimir Nabokov wrote that the purpose of storytelling is "to portray ordinary objects as they will be reflected in the kindly mirror of future times; to find in the objects around us the fragrant tenderness that only posterity will discern and appreciate in far-off times when every trifle of our plain everyday life will become exquisite and festive in its own right; the times when man who might put on the most ordinary jacket of today will be dressed up for an elegant masquerade."

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Early Saturday


This morning I'm in the studio early to look at the work I've finished and assess it. I'm working methodically and therefore self-consciously. There are times when it may not be possible to rid my studio of the voices that try to direct me toward an image. I'll be teaching this morning and then I'll do that lovely exercise of inviting everyone, in my head and on my shoulders to leave the studio so that I will no longer be concentrating but composing without an audience. This is not an easy task and may take some time. However, I'm dedicated to the proposition that being alone in the studio is the only way to make art that is meaningful to me.