Janice Lowry, photo from the L.A. TimesSurreal moments never fail to surprise me.
To the point: Janice Lowry passed away last September. Which is not surreal. It's very real.
But, I never knew Janice Lowry and I didn't take a class with her, and I never read her blog before yesterday. I'm into my third year, still getting acquainted with artists and figuring out what I am most passionate about. I didn't know her journals were installed into the Smithsonian. I didn't know before yesterday that she lived and taught a half an hour away from me.
During lunch yesterday I opened up this issue of Where Women Create, at the place I had previously left off and that place was page 82, Janice Lowry's studio.
Oddly, I didn't see the large type in red at the bottom of the page, "In Memory of Janice Lowry". What I saw was Janice's face, which looked familiar, and then her studio, and then her artwork on her studio wall, and then started reading her words and looking at her journals, and I thought, 'Oh, Yes! I've seen her work! I know about this woman! I want to take a class with her! Where is she teaching? She's in Santa Ana, so I must be able to find a class to take with her!'
And I looked online. And that's when I learned. Janice Lowry died on September 20.
I started to cry.
If that isn't surreal, what could be? I am not in a particularly sentimental place right now. I haven't recently lost anyone or anything. I don't know anyone who knew Janice. There is no reason to cry. But I guess reason has nothing to do with it.
Sometimes, in this artists 'community' of ours, you can feel vulnerable. Ideas and images wake you up. You get excited about learning new things, and you find something you think is groovy, without knowing why or even needing to know why, and you want to DO it. You want to discover it! And when you're that open, and that inspired, I think sometimes you live at the very edge of what living means.
That's all.
14 comments:
I totally know what you mean. I didn't learn about Janice Lowry until her passing. Then I saw this video and thought, oh.... a bright light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcuIjM6He0k
Thank you, Yaz! I'm glad you put this link on your comment. It is part of the link I have on the blog post, but I neglected to alert people to watch it.
actually, you summed that up - that funny feeling...
it IS being open
and being open is where an artist lets the things
that trickle
in
I'm checkin out the video link...
had to come back after seeing the video..
awww..
where she says she will live forever because of her journals....
I know! That totally got me.
Amen sista, amen!!
Here is to being wide open and on the edge.
Beautiful post Chris, I want to know Janice too and she does look familiar to me too.
The path lies before you now...
Thanks for stopping by Chris.
Thank you so much for your kind, kind words.
thank you for helping us, like a childhood sister, bust into the private life of janice lowry.
oh to have walked through the door of her beautiful expressive soul.
thanks for enlightening me.
i didn't know.
Chris, you have moved me so much with this post. I never knew of Janice Lowry, but after seeing her work and her video, (thank you Yaz, too), I can see what a beautiful artist/woman she was. Wow.
roxanne
I remember when I first heard that Janice's journals were going to the Smithsonian - and it was like a validation for all of us who keep daily journals and fill them with our art, our words and our souls. She was great and will be sorely missed.
Erin in Morro Bay
When a creative spirit leaves us it is a great and tragic loss to mankind. Has always been and always will be. The spark of creativity is what carries us all forward and helps us rise above all that is dark and unfathomable in the world. It is not at all unusual for you to feel such sadness when a spark winks out. But she has left the world a better place for having been here and sharing her light.
Such a beautiful post, thank you so much for sharing this!
I think any of us with a creative bent (or even a straight) can relate to this post, Chris. You obviously felt some sort of 'connection' to her, and your reaction to the knowledge that that connection could never been furthered, was poignant and genuine.
Take care. x
What a beautiful post Chris, thanks for sharing your feelings. I know what you mean, I don't know how many times I've been touched by people and their creations through internet by now, but I think art and creativity has something to do with it as it is a huge part of my (our) lifes, and it makes me feel connected to others in a profound way.
Chris, this is beautiful...I was familiar with her work and have seen her name around for ages but did not know she passed away.
it's fleeting, this life we have
how lucky to leave something behind that someone can discover a new...
x...x
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