Eye Gallery: For Reid, art is the place where pain, healing intersect
| Thursday, Sep 09 2010 10:15 AM
Last Updated Thursday, Sep 09 2010 10:21 AM
Eye Gallery reception
When: 6 p.m. today
Where: Bakersfield Museum of Art, 1930 R St.
Admission: Free to members; $10 for nonmembers. Light appetizers and a no-host bar will be available.
But wait! There's more! Museum unveils festival
The reception for Eye Gallery is only part of what's happening this evening at BMoA. For a preview on the always-popular Visual Arts Festival, turn to 21.
Images
Barbara Reid poses with her painting Sticks No Stones.
Tejon Twilight by Barbara Reid
barbara reid
Back and forth, up the Grapevine and down again. It's a drive Barbara Reid has taken more times than she cares to count and for a reason still too raw at times to remember. Her young son, Danny, required medical care in Los Angeles, so for a five-year period in the late 1990s, the two trudged south down the 5, putting as many miles on a worried mother's strained nerves as it did the car.
It's no wonder then that Reid did all she could to avoid that route when her son lost his battle with leukemia.
But eventually, with time and perspective, that changed and she even used a familiar sight on those trips as inspiration for "Tejon Twilight," her stunning Eye Gallery piece.
"Recently I started driving to L.A. again, sometimes a few times a week," Reid said via e-mail. "I decided to make it meditation time. I memorized each bank of golden hills and framed them with an imaginary viewfinder. Eventually I began pulling over wherever and stuck my head out of the sunroof to shoot photos. The golden hills of Lebec/Tejon are my beacon as I return home. Taking photographs throughout the day makes my trip an art excursion with exciting stops instead of a hassle."
Her art has provided solace time and again for Reid, who has devoted herself to her craft in earnest for the last 10 years, leaving a successful career in accounting and health care administration along the way.
"Creation of art can happen anytime, anywhere," said Reid, 50. "The end result may surprise and delight a group of viewers, or perhaps only me. I entertain myself with my camera. I have done this in hospitals, standing in line, when bored or worried. Art and beauty are anywhere that you focus your attention -- even on a subject thought to be repetitive or unpleasant.
"I have an entire series of photos entitled 'A Day in the Life.' These are groups of 25-50 photos per day taken 'en route' during my daily activities, of nothing or anything special. Cast shadows, trees, clouds, sky, coffee cups, cracks in the sidewalk. These are my favorite things."
More or our chat with Reid, who came to Bakersfield from Houston 28 years ago when her then-fiance was transferred here.
Which piece of work are you proudest of in your career?
Two pieces come to mind for completely different reasons. "Degradation to Delicacy" is one of my favorite examples of being in the creative moment and letting go after planning my steps during a monoprint process. "Yielding" brought farmers and water board members up close to look at detail of buried text and talk about the piece at a recent show. It was very fulfilling to see a piece of my art engage experts on a topic I had only recently began to study.
If you could have a conversation with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
Georgia O'Keefe. Thank you; you were such a trailblazer for women artists, heading out into the New Mexico desert by yourself in the late 1920s. Were you lonely? What was going on in your head? At what point did you quit caring what other people thought, or did you ever?
You had a very successful career before devoting yourself to art. What advice would you give someone who wants to get serious about art?
Get classes in the fundamentals and ask around for the best instructors. Art can be very solitary if you are used to the regular feedback and camaraderie of the workplace. I experience growth every time I get out of my comfort zone, which usually means working with other artists. There is no substitute for passion. Do not worry about marketability too much. Paint for yourself -- this will produce authentic works.
Who are some local artists you admire?
Art Sherwyn for range, spirit and integrity. His zest for life comes through in the work and the way he teaches. I am currently learning a lot from Claire Putney -- she possesses amazing drawing and interpretive skills.
A quote or philosophy you live by:
"Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway."
-- Mother Teresa
I value authenticity in myself and others more than anything. Second is a good sense of humor. Both contribute to good art.
Do you have a five-year plan?
Right now I am a member of Artists Creating Community, a group of five artists in a program conceptualized by Nicole Saint- John at the Kern Arts Council. The group combines advocacy with art and is smart, compassionate and open-ended. It has opened my mind and heart to exciting possibilities for the future. I like art for aesthetics, but I revel in art that makes you think.
