When Galleries Close: And What Is Ever Here
With little or no notice in the past month (July 2012), two flagship Sedona galleries that have inspired and served artists and art lovers for over 35 years each have closed their doors and emptied their walls almost overnight: El Prado and Windrush. Many, many people will miss the beauty, inspiration and sense of community that they served.
Another major gallery is moving to a lower rent area, others who hang on are often depending on artists to share rent and staffing, are artist-owned or are cutting deals to make sales. In the midst of it all, hope springs eternal and a few new galleries have opened in the last year or two. But make no mistake: the art gallery business is a tough one, and most especially in this economy.
Last night I sat under the still light of the desert moon remembering these beautiful galleries and all that they meant to those who love art, imagining all the stories their now-empty walls could tell. Smiles and sales, openings and conversations, friendships and inspiration, and all the delight of taking home a beautiful, original work of art to grace one's home. All gone now, and it's tenderly sad.
It is tempting to use this platform to gently nudge readers to consider stretching a bit to keep galleries in business, to "make the sale." After all, if we want any local business to continue, whether it's a gallery, a hardware store, or a bookstore, we need to make purchases there. And yet, I fully understand why people often don't buy even with they love a piece of art: too little money or too much stuff.
But deeper than all this, there is a lesson to be learned in loss and change, which is, after all, something that is continuously happening in every moment, in every day, in every life. As Eckhart Tolle teaches, there is something sacred in the dissolution of any form. At the moment of death, there can be a great spiritual opening, as I witnessed in my father's final days as he sat up in bed, awe-struck and reaching towards some unseen glory. More and more, I see that this opening is available to us in every moment, in every experience.
Outwardly, it is another matter. All life is constant change, the arising of a form and then its passing. It may be a breath, a note of music or a day or a gallery, but all things come to an end, pause, and then something else arises to take its place, for Life loves to express itself bountifully and beautifully in countless ways, as do artists.
But in that pause between forms, in the letting go of a form with which we are connected, in the ever-present isness/awareness behind all of it, there is a deeper beauty that has much to reveal. It's a place we can truly hang our hat and call home. It IS Home.
AND, it is so hard to put into words. Its truth and its beauty are beyond words and beyond our minds, beyond all form.
Can we put a wall around love? Can we measure joy? Can we build peace? All of these are but the rainbow colors of a wordless vital essence that is within each of us, here, now, a soft and beautiful feeling, a subtle awareness that is not of this world, that is not of thought, but that permeates this very moment and every moment. It is our very essence.
Can you feel it?
________ • _________
Recommended contemporary teachers of great insight whose books and videos that I have been finding really useful in these regards:
• Eckhart Tolle, one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our time. I often listen to his talks while painting. Free teachings online.
• Frank Kinslow, especially his recent book, "Eufeeling: the Art of Creating Inner Peace and Outer Prosperity"
• Gina Lake, a Sedona writer who has authored over a dozen wonderful books, all excellent. Free audio-videos.
• Leonard Jacobsen, whose presence teachings have deeply transformed many people. Free audio/videos on his site.
