Weekend In Arts Heaven

Thanks to a generous invitation from James Gurney, I spent last Friday and Saturday with him, his gracious wife Jeanette, Jean-Baptiste Monge and Margot, Garin Baker, and Armand Cabrera in touring art sites and openings in the Wilmington area. We visited the Brandywine River Museum, the Frank Schoonover Studio, and the Delaware Art Museum, being joined by Kev Ferrara, Eric Millen and Kristina Mah. And that was after attending Gurney's lecture Thursday night at MICA.

The goal was to attend the Howard Pyle opening at the Delaware Art Museum. Great stuff, great times, great conversations. The details of each event are covered in the sites listed below. To me, the best part of the weekend was the time spent watching and listening to these great artists, observing how they interacted and how they went through galleries, and learning a lot from their conversations. I deeply admired their learning, experience, and passion. These folks really feel strongly about the art profession, and drinking in their feelings was a marvelous treat.

I was also touched by the support each of these artists enjoyed from their families, only some of whom were in attendance, but each of whom made it possible for them to move forward with their careers, some at great sacrifice. I add my wonderful wife to this list, and I am grateful.

And special gratitude goes to James Gurney, whose gracious invitation made the whole, unexpected weekend happen. Thanks again, Jim. I was an amateur among experts, but I learned a lot. Thank you.

Links:

Garin Baker

Brandywine River Museum