NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 ISSUE
UP FRONT
First of all, congratulations to Carl O. of Pennsylvania, Karen D. of Maine
and Jim G. of Nebraska...the three winners in the I WANT TO WIN A COPY
OF THE BOOK OF OBSERVATIONS contest in the September/October
issue of Artists Are Always Right! You'll each be receiving your signed copy
soon! For everyone else, you can find all the information about the book as
well as how to order your very own copy on the SchwartzShirts.com website.
A lot of work went into the creation of this book! As any artist knows, any work
of art requires a great deal of dedication. Obstacles must be conquered and
numerous creative decisions must be made. When a project is finished, there
is a great sense of satisfaction. I'm very proud of The Book of Observations
and am eagerly looking forward to other artistic challenges!
and Jim G. of Nebraska...the three winners in the I WANT TO WIN A COPY
OF THE BOOK OF OBSERVATIONS contest in the September/October
issue of Artists Are Always Right! You'll each be receiving your signed copy
soon! For everyone else, you can find all the information about the book as
well as how to order your very own copy on the SchwartzShirts.com website.
A lot of work went into the creation of this book! As any artist knows, any work
of art requires a great deal of dedication. Obstacles must be conquered and
numerous creative decisions must be made. When a project is finished, there
is a great sense of satisfaction. I'm very proud of The Book of Observations
and am eagerly looking forward to other artistic challenges!
Knowing first-hand how much work goes into doing what artists do, it saddens me to share the following.
I recently made my annual visits to several art festivals in the mid-Atlantic region. This year's sojourns appear
to confirm my growing belief that such festivals may soon become a thing of the past. Some of these art festivals
that were once comprised primarily of...well...artists…appear to have been taken over by organizations and
companies promoting their services and products. The question that comes to my mind is...where have all the
artists gone?
The artists who continue to participate in art festivals subject themselves to a lot of hard work and expense.
Unfortunately, it appears that many of the visitors see these art festivals as opportunities to stroll around nice
settings, look at art and listen to music, often without purchasing art. I've observed far more people standing in
food concession lines than lined-up to see the artist's work! Evidently, the public seems to be more concerned
with nourishment for their bodies than for their souls.
Does what I'm relating signify a demise of art festivals? I don't know. Perhaps it's time for artists to abandon art
festivals and instead promote their artistry to people who are still conscious and receptive of art on platforms such
as Artists Are Always Right and, in doing so, allow art festival visitors the opportunity to devote all of their time to
munching kettle popcorn and pizza, without the annoying distraction of art. Just a thought.
On a positive note, I want to tell you about a film I watched (again) recently entitled, Far From Heaven. Released
in 2002 and starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid and Dennis Haysbert, this is a film I'd highly recommend to
anyone who appreciates cinematic art. The acting, music, and cinematography are superb!
Finally, in contrast to last issue's scary SPOTLIGHT, this issue's SPOTLIGHT is designed to bring about a sense
of peace, an appropriate theme at this time of the year. Entitled, Peace on Earth, this SPOTLIGHT focuses on
peace in a world where peace is becoming harder and harder to find.
In keeping with the SPOTLIGHT topic, I will close with observation number 726 from the SchwartzShirts.com
website.
"Peace is like lavender and pink balloons on a cool and clear morning."
Until we connect again…
Douglas Schwartz, Publisher and Editor
I recently made my annual visits to several art festivals in the mid-Atlantic region. This year's sojourns appear
to confirm my growing belief that such festivals may soon become a thing of the past. Some of these art festivals
that were once comprised primarily of...well...artists…appear to have been taken over by organizations and
companies promoting their services and products. The question that comes to my mind is...where have all the
artists gone?
The artists who continue to participate in art festivals subject themselves to a lot of hard work and expense.
Unfortunately, it appears that many of the visitors see these art festivals as opportunities to stroll around nice
settings, look at art and listen to music, often without purchasing art. I've observed far more people standing in
food concession lines than lined-up to see the artist's work! Evidently, the public seems to be more concerned
with nourishment for their bodies than for their souls.
Does what I'm relating signify a demise of art festivals? I don't know. Perhaps it's time for artists to abandon art
festivals and instead promote their artistry to people who are still conscious and receptive of art on platforms such
as Artists Are Always Right and, in doing so, allow art festival visitors the opportunity to devote all of their time to
munching kettle popcorn and pizza, without the annoying distraction of art. Just a thought.
On a positive note, I want to tell you about a film I watched (again) recently entitled, Far From Heaven. Released
in 2002 and starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid and Dennis Haysbert, this is a film I'd highly recommend to
anyone who appreciates cinematic art. The acting, music, and cinematography are superb!
Finally, in contrast to last issue's scary SPOTLIGHT, this issue's SPOTLIGHT is designed to bring about a sense
of peace, an appropriate theme at this time of the year. Entitled, Peace on Earth, this SPOTLIGHT focuses on
peace in a world where peace is becoming harder and harder to find.
In keeping with the SPOTLIGHT topic, I will close with observation number 726 from the SchwartzShirts.com
website.
"Peace is like lavender and pink balloons on a cool and clear morning."
Until we connect again…
Douglas Schwartz, Publisher and Editor
