I am happier canvassing the works of Monadnock artists, as we did during the 26th annual Open Studio Tour two weeks ago, than standing in front of masterworks at the Met or the Tate. Or the Louvre, where I have never actually been but am willing to bet is like the others — great, masterly, solemn as a church, but missing the artists, their studios and the motor of discussion with them about process, materials and inspiration.
That is the immersive fun of the art tour — to be with the artists in their element – as much fun as it would have been to visit Paul Cézanne in his country house and leave with an example of his bewildering art at the time.
A total of 65 artists opened their studios during the three days of the tour, presented as always by Monadnock Art/Friends of the Dublin Art Colony. It strikes me that 65 is a lot of artists, which is one of the reasons we take pride in our art community in Monadnock. It is a big one. We were on the trail for two days in Hancock, Harrisville, Peterborough and Dublin. We met artists working with paints, glass, wood and fiber, along with photographers, weavers, furniture-makers and sculptors.
In the background, nature – as always, a champ – pursued an art show of its own in the form of vivid fall colors and a spectacular Hunter’s Moon. It was autumn at its peak. Therefore, Monadnock at its peak.
The working spaces of the artists — their studios — are as interesting to this commoner as the art itself. The painters’ spaces are more serene and may exist only in the corner of a room where good light comes through the windows. They have an easel and a side table with paints and brushes. Perhaps an electric kettle nearby for tea. Large, horizontal surfaces are required for other artists who cut, slice, drill or hammer.
Light is always a factor, involving, as necessary, many overhanging lamps. Woodworkers are long on machinery and have very large studios with exhaust hoods. It requires a significant investment to work in wood and other hard materials. The same for photographers.
But it is the investment of time and attention to detail that leaves the biggest mark after a couple of days on the art tour, seeing the before – the proverbial lump of clay – and the after in the form of smooth, polished surfaces, precise corners, delicate brush strokes, vivid images and soft, colorful, wearable fabrics. Patience and a desire for perfection are as evident on the art tour as paint and paper.
Sadly, patience and a desire for perfection eluded me in college, especially in connection with Art History 101, which I failed after I stopped attending class. Have you had those dreams about sitting for an exam unprepared? Walking away from Art History 101 was something like that, although I was thoroughly alert and conscious when the final exam took place, albeit up the street, enjoying breakfast at a diner. My professor put a note in my mailbox a few days afterward, demonstrating her eye for detail — “You missed the exam.”
In my case, art history class came down to the rather dull experience of viewing the work of one ancient master after another in 70-minute slideshows while the professor intoned from somewhere in the darkened room, “And here is another example of… .”
Honestly, an open studio tour might have changed everything.
Jarvis Coffin and his wife Marcia owned New Hampshire’s oldest inn, The Hancock Inn, during which time he wrote a popular newsletter for the inn’s mailing list. Retired from innkeeping, he now writes full-time, mostly essays on rural life and fiction. You can reach him at huntspond@icloud.com, and visit postcard-from-monadnock.ghost.io to keep up with his other musings on the Monadnock Region.