Blog: Is That A Real Painting
March 5, 2020 - Joy Reed Belt
Paintings can be hung anywhere, at least that is my personal philosophy. In fact, some of the art I enjoy the most is placed in the outdoor patios surrounding my home. Most visitors are not surprised to find a bronze or stone sculpture in a garden, but they do seem to be a bit startled to see a painting hanging among trees and shrubbery. I know that because almost everyone who looks into my back patio and sees an abstract Beth Hammack painting hanging above a large ceramic sculpture by Kansas City artist Bernadette Torres, will either ask me “is that a good painting?” or “is that a real painting?”
The assumption is that I would only place a reproduction or an otherwise flawed piece of art outside. Not true. I will place art almost anywhere it can be protected. For instance, Beth’s painting is not hung in direct sun, but glows from the ambient light. An overhang protects it from the rain. Since the beginning of recorded history, mankind has sought to integrate art and nature. Remember the Lascaux cave drawings in France and the wonderful murals found in the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii? Today, we are the beneficiaries of scientific discoveries that have made surfaces and materials almost indestructible. The permeability of paints and other art supplies not only allows the artist to be more inventive, it allows you, the collector, to be more inventive concerning where you place and how you live and interact with art.
In my case I have two patios. Both of them can be viewed from more than one downstairs room of my home. In the front patio there is a larger than life size sculpture of the opera singer, Jesse Norman, created by Sohail Shehada, an Assistant Professor of Drawing and Sculpture at the University of Oklahoma. Ms. Norman, who is always regal, seems to enjoy looking down on the surrounding large white pots of seasonal color while being protected by a harmonious grouping of trees and shrubs in the courtyard. I know I enjoy seeing her everyday as she watches me open the gate to take my dog for a walk.
In addition to the Beth Hammack painting and the Bernadette Torres ceramic sculpture in the back patio, there is also a nude female bronze sculpture by David Phelps. This placement is very appropriate as David has spent his entire career exploring the relationship of people with the environment. The third sculpture in the back patio is an abstract “Iron Shrub” by the late Alexandra Alaupovic, a Croatian emigrant, who received her MFA from the University of Oklahoma and was a pioneer in both figurative and abstract sculpture.
Living with the art I have thoughtfully placed in nature is a bit like constantly looking and moving through a giant kaleidoscope. The ever-changing color of the sun, the seasons and all the atmospheric conditions change the art... which in turn changes me.
Image - JRB's Back Patio
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