The Art of Gardening and Art
I love this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson about art; “The sower may mistake and sow his peas crookedly; the peas make no mistake, but come up and show his line.” This is as true for art as is true for my garden. In art every line, brush stroke, color, or applied technique reflects the eye and ability of the artist. A line drawn with a heavy hand shows little sensitivity and is ungainly when compared to a line drawn while the artist is carefully observing and striving to create the “feel” or “essence” of the subject. And so it is with a garden.
I not only sowed my peas crookedly, I sowed them too close together and built a weak trellis to support them. Now I have a jungle of pea vines who’s weight tore down the internal support web of the trellis. Over and over I’ve manually raised the tangled, broken vines and attempted to shore them up by wrapping twine around the outside. The result is a matted, twisted mess of vines. Not only did the vines grow too heavy for the trellis, but they grew taller and are reaching a foot over the top seeking support. They are radically leaning in the direction of the prevailing wind. I did not know enough about peas when I sowed their seed, and I’m learning just as I have learned to draw and paint. By trial and error. With patience, over time.
Beginning artists are so eager and want to execute a perfect painting the very first time. This is a good thing. For if the desire is not in the heart learning will not take place. But it is also presumptuous, audacious, and naive. It takes literally decades of hard work to master color, drawing, and composition. Most artists will not reach maturity until 500-1,000 paintings and drawings are completed. And yet, today beginners yearn to make prints of their work after completing a mere 10-20 canvases. Many believe that if they can copy a photograph, they’ve made a painting. Nothing can be further from the truth. What results is a redundant, easy-out attempt to pretend to paint and be called an artist. Just because you can cut with a knife does not qualify you as a surgeon, and the same can be said for an artist. It takes years of knowledge, intimate knowledge of the subject, and serious hard work painting the subject over and over again until the truth emerges into a good painting.
My tangled vines yielded vegetables in spite of my ignorance, but will yield much more and cause less stress once I learn how to properly plant the seeds and build a sturdy trellis. I believe that beginning artists once they mature will someday be embarrassed to see multiple reproductions of their amateur work, and will gain some humility and respect for what it takes to produce truly great art. Study, learn, experiment, and nurture your garden and it will grow better, do the same with yourself as an artist and your paintings will grow better, and better, until someday they will be good.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaskan artist
