Patronage, Artists, and the Trinity Arts Festival

When I think about art and the viability of making a living as an artist, I am reminded of a scene from Hello Dolly. 

Ambrose Kemper: And I'm telling you that I will marry her!
Horace Vandergelder: Not without my permission, you won't!
AK: This is a free country, not a private kingdom. She's consented and I'll marry her.
HV: I'm telling you that you won't.
AK: I'm telling you I will.
HV: Ermengarde is not for you. You can't support her. You are an artist.
AK: I make a good living.
HV: A living, Mr Kemper, is made by selling something that everybody needs at least once a year. And a million is made by producing something everybody needs every day. You artists, you painters, produce nothing that nobody needs, never.

* * * 

Has there ever been a time when an artist could make a living? There used to be a time when it was--perhaps--easier to do so. In an article titled "The Lost Art of Patronage," Charles Erlandson argues that from its earliest days the Church has proved an important patron for artists. He writes:

After Christianity had found an imperial sponsor in Constantine, the church became an even greater sponsor of the arts.... Funds from the imperial treasury were now available to the church to patronize Christian art, and the decorative arts in general and more specifically painting were supported, as were the best artists. 

But the artists of this time were not given free rein to create whatever they imagined. Their art was encouraged, supported, and patronized only insofar as it could be useful to the Church itself.

What we never find in the patronage of the early church is an art for art's sake mentality. Actually, "art for art's sake" is a peculiar interpretation of art developed in the nineteenth century, and I suppose what I really mean is a notion of art as an entity which is capable of standing on its own, divorced from its explicitly religious context. The early church is not alone in this idea; every culture that has existed, with the notable exceptions of Greco-Roman civilization and its modern, secular heir (which in this sense would have to be dated from the Renaissance) has understood art as primarily a means of worship. It is a relatively recent idea that art is something completely different and separable from worship and even religion in general. 

Book of Kells

This view of art as inseparable from religion is evident throughout the Middle Ages. The monks of Ireland and England used art to beautify the Bible, creating illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. Musicians found a venue for their work in worship with Gregorian chants that developed into the polyphonic masses of the High Middle Ages. Poets exercised their pens with hymns of praise that could be set to the music of the worship service. A glorious new expression of architecture reared its head with the construction of cathedrals.

During the Middle Ages, very little art was produced without a direct or indirect connection to formal worship; the Church itself was the inspiration, the breeding ground, and the employer for artists of all kinds. And the Church provided a living for the artists who breathed life into the Church's worship.

With the Renaissance, however, all this began to change. Private noblemen, like the Medici of Florence, began to take over the Church's role as patron of the arts, and the connection between art and religion was severed. Erlandson writes:

This new form of patronage, with its emphasis on calling attention to the patron and its idea of art being worthy in and of itself of contemplation, bears the distinct marks of the modern conception of the arts and patronage.

This notion of private persons as the new patrons of art continued to gain prominence after the Renaissance until the Church almost entirely lost its position as patron of the arts. Today the Church provides little opportunity or incentive for artists to exercise their talents. Artists must look elsewhere to find patrons for their work.

* * *

On Friday I attended the Trinity Arts Festival hosted by my home church, Reformation Covenant Church in Oregon City, OR. This was the fourth year the festival has been held, and the attendees all seem to agree that it was the best festival to date. While my church is a long way off from being in a position to provide employment for artists, the Trinity Arts Festival is a great way to encourage the arts in the congregation and the community. The art and music entered in the festival did not have to be explicitly religious, but participants were asked to share with the audience a way in which their piece brought glory to God.

Musicians sang and played instruments in the sanctuary and a couple smaller rooms throughout the church.

Art of all kinds--nearly a hundred pieces--was on display.

Photography

Drawings

Paintings

One of my favorite paintings there, by Lindsey Lyons

This painting by Kerilynn Ayers won the Peoples' Choice Awards

Woodworking and Textiles

Needlework

One-of-a-kind displays like this Etch-a-sketch drawing

Postcards were available for sale of some of the artwork at the event.

The festivities were enhanced by food--some of it submitted as art in its own right--and wine.

I submitted a poem for the festival, and it was displayed on the table put together by my writers' group, The Inkblot Society.

What is The Inkblot Society? The answer to that question deserves a post all of its own, a post that will be forthcoming later this week. But for now, I will leave you with this: just as the Trinity Arts Festival hopes to encourage art of all kinds within the church community, The Inkblot Society hopes to encourage, more specifically, the art of writing.

Thanks to all the organizers who made the festival such a fabulous event! Thanks to all the musicians and artists who participated. And thanks to Peter Mahar for allowing me to use many of his photographs in this blog post. I'm already looking forward to next year's Trinity Arts Festival....

Interview with an Artist: Anna Tooze

"To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then, by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds, or forms expressed in words, so to transmit that feeling that others may experience the same feeling - this is the activity of art."

So wrote the great Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy. What a novelist does with "forms expressed in words," an artist does with lines and colors. They both transmit a feeling that they have experienced so that others may feel it too. Today I have the privilege to cross out of my own artistic medium of writing and interview Anna Tooze, an up-and-coming artist from my area. I love Anna's paintings and am excited to feature her on my blog.

Anna Tooze

Anna Tooze's Bio: I am a 19 year old Christian artist from Portland, Oregon who loves the Lord with all my heart and am thankful everyday for all his many blessings--including my passion for art.  Ever since I was able to hold a crayon I have been fascinated with color, creating images in my head and putting them somewhere…it didn’t have to be paper. Currently I am a student and intern teacher at a local art school and love creating images inspired by beautiful things I have seen. The best part about being an artist is knowing that my pieces will be hanging on somebody’s wall someday, being admired by the owner(s), and being a part of the theme, style and comfort of that home.  This is why I love giving artwork as wedding gifts. Painting is my comfort zone.  It is what I can put my emotions into and it is something that is truly me.  I also love the connection with my grandmother I feel when I paint.  She also had a passion for painting, and even though I didn’t get to know her very well, I feel like I know her when I paint.

Holding Hands

Without further ado, here is my interview with Anna Tooze. I hope you enjoy reading her answers to my questions and viewing these samples of her work.

1. When did you first realize that you were interested in “doing art”?

AT: I have been "Doing Art" ever since kindergarten coloring projects. It has always been something I have loved and had an interest in since I was about six years old. The first time I realized that I actually wanted to try learning art techniques from a teacher was when I was nine, and the first time I realized I wanted to teach and sell art was just last year (2011).

2. Did you take formal art lessons or are you self-taught? What would you consider the pros and cons to each of these methods of learning art?

AT: Both. I started taking private art lessons from a lady when I was nine, who held classes at my church with a group of about ten or so kids. She retired from teaching when I was sixteen, and soon after, I heard about a local art school and started taking more formal, classroom oriented lessons from there. During that whole period of time, I had also been doing pieces on my own at home and learning how to do different things by myself. More recently I have been searching other artists work and youtube videos to learn from as well (including Bob Ross!).

I would definitely say the pros of formal art lessons are you get to learn techniques from another artist in person and gain basic skills while interacting with other students who are learning as well. You get help and advice from other artists who are experienced in teaching and answering questions. The cons of formal art lessons would be, at times, you don't have as much freedom with pieces as you might on your own. The art school I go to is more of a classical art school. They have levels of classes and certain techniques they want you to learn; therefore, they want you to do art pieces that involved those techniques. You might, with formal art lessons, have homework and receive grades on your performance. Personally, I don't mind that! However, some might not like the fact of being "graded" on art pieces.

Now, the pros of being self-taught are the fact that you get as much freedom as you want (which is very nice at times!). You get to choose exactly what you want to learn and you get to paint exactly what you want to paint. Nobody is over your shoulder watching you, making suggestions or corrections, and all you do is in your own time. No deadlines. The cons are the fact that you wouldn't get formal teaching from an already experience artist and teacher. Sometimes, it can be really helpful to have other artists telling you what they think of your pieces and helping you master troubling spots. With being self-taught, you can still master hard things, but it may take longer and you don't necessarily have support and good critique from others that are learning as well.

Florence, Italy

3. What has been one of the hardest things for you to master artistically? 

AT: People! People, people, people, and I am still trying to master it! The hardest thing for most artists (I believe) is trying to capture the human face and figure as accurately as possible. It is truly an amazing thing when an artist can create a portrait of someone and make it look like you are really looking at them in person.

Fire Flower

4. What is your favorite medium to work with? What is your favorite subject matter? 

AT: I would have to say that watercolor is my favorite medium so far. I have still not yet worked with every medium there is, but so far that's the one I like best. I love the watery, smooth look and feel it gives and how it hardly has any odor! It is also the medium I have been working with the longest.

Favorite subject matter would currently be flowers, but I also love painting city and street scenes, as well as other nature subjects. It changes often, though! I like doing so many things.

Dahlia Radiance

5.One often-quoted phrase is that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Do you believe that is true? Do you think of your art as conveying a “message”?

AT: Yes, I do believe that quote is very true. Whether you are a photographer, sculptor or painter, each piece conveys some sort of message to the artist or onlooker. They may be different messages (good, bad, exciting or boring), but you feel at least something. I would like my art to first and foremost display the glory of God through His beautiful creation. What do photographers and painters mostly create images of? The world. Things in this beautiful world. Whether they are abstract or not, the idea came from somewhere. Even if the piece just looks like splotches of color, we can at least appreciate the fact that we can see color and that God provides that for us!

6. Besides stand-alone paintings, you have also done illustrations for a children’s book called Nightingale. How is illustrating a story different than just doing a painting? 

AT: Yes, I have! Illustrating a story is different because instead of telling a story or conveying a message through only ONE painting, you are trying to tell a story through multiple paintings. You are also trying to make sure the illustrations are clear. It would be strange to see a storybook with abstract paintings as the illustrations. You want to make sure the picture makes sense to the readers in relation to the story ESPECIALLY with children's books. It's definitely a challenge that takes a lot of planning, but well worth it in the end!

7. Do you have any future book illustration projects planned?

AT: Not currently, but I would not be opposed to the idea sometime in the future! If I can come up with a good enough story that I like, I would love to do another children's book.

Happy Autumn

8. Where can people learn more about your art? Is it available for purchase?

AT: Yes! You can learn more about my art on my own artist's website and through my Etsy shop where I have art for sale. You can also check out my book Nightingale on Amazon!

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview, Anna! Best wishes on all your artistic endeavors!