The Weekend Gallery in Williamsburg

The Weekend Gallery, part of This Century Art Gallery in Williamsburg, is a new and exciting addition to the Virginia art community. My original pastels from the Hotels to Remember project will be part of the next event. The opening reception is Friday, Feb. 1.

A Beautiful Piece of Art, A Damaged Soul

"A New Heaven, A New Earth" copyright MMSikes

At the Petersburg Regional Art Center open house this month, I did my usual walk through the main gallery to view the work in the juried show. One piece especially stood out for me. It was a glorious and delicately polished wooden sculpture.

I thought, this belongs in a museum. It was probably the best art piece I've ever seen in a non-museum setting.

Later in the evening, I stood by an easel working on my painting demo when an older black man stopped to talk. It turned out that he was the sculptor who created the fabulous art work that I loved. As we talked, I learned that despite his amazing talent, this artist had not been a success in New York and was unable to find work.

"People were afraid of me," he confided. This was in the 1970s when so much racial turmoil existed.

His comment started me thinking. We judge people by first appearances. We are afraid of certain stereotypes.

Artists are unique people. We see beauty others sometimes overlook. We often care about the work we make and the process we use more that we care about selling the art piece to a stranger.

We are sensitive people. Every comment made can touch us or it can hurt us.

Sadly, we live in a world now where it is not easy to trust a stranger.

Do we have more stereotypes to fear than ever before? I think we do.

Guns are not the answer--having them or not. It doesn't matter.

The answer lies in the children. We need to build a world through them that does not have stereotypes to fear. A world without bullying.

A world where the spirit of an artist is revered.

A world that does not leave an artist with a damaged soul...

--Mary Montague Sikes

Resurrecting a Book that Never Got Promoted

A silent resolution I've made for this year is to promote my book, Night Watch. For many reasons, this mystery/adventure/ romance never got promoted when it was released more than two years ago. The major lesson I learned from this failure is that it is always up to the author to create the necessary promotion for every book. It is the author's responsibility unless he/she is with a major publishing house with a huge budget for marketing.

Night Watch came about because of a trip my husband and I took to Trinidad a few years ago. Before we left, I connected this island nation off the coast of South America with the old movie, Casablanca, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. Of course, this World War II era movie was set in North Africa, so I'm not sure why I made that connection. But I did.

I began thinking about the glamorous Ms. Bergman and how she dressed in that movie. Wouldn't she travel in a white suit to her destination? Of course, she would. I bought a white pantsuit for our trip and wore it for our airplane trip. The suit was fine for that part of our travels. However, I hadn't counted on what happened after we arrived at the airport.

We were met by two not so well-groomed men who threw our luggage into a very beat up old car. We were booked in a timeshare resort located on a small island off the coast of Trinidad. These men were wearing T-shirts with the name of that resort emblazoned on them. That fact was the only semblance of confidence I had that we were not being kidnapped.

In this ramshackle old car, we flew down a dark and bumpy highway. From time to time, one of the men stuck his hand-held radio out the car window, calling "Gasper Two to Gasper One". It got a little creepy.

Eventually, we reached the waterfront where we saw a small rowboat with a motor on the back arriving at the dock. The two occupants, both wearing yellow slickers, met us, a flashlight in the hand of one. As we motored past huge ocean-going vessels, it was evident my white suit was a very poor choice for travel attire.That was especially true as water began filling the bottom of the boat, and they started bailing it out using tin cans.

We spent a week at this Trinidad island resort and every moment was an adventure. Night Watch was born from things we actually say that happened. I embellished all the facts with my imagination. Because of a relationship with art theft, I used the title of a Rembrandt painting for the title of my book. I wish now I had made the title, Night Watch: A Case of Mistaken Identity. Two many books and other things bear the title, Night Watch, which also caused a problem with promotion.

Promoting this book is a resolution I intend to keep.

--Mary Montague Sikes

Is Inspiration Only for Amateurs?

Recently, I tuned in late on a television morning show during a time when the famous realist artist, Chuck Close, was speaking. He talked about his work which he has created using a wheel chair since a seizure event in 1988 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. During his talk, Close said that "inspiration is only for amateurs." I believe he was making the point that professionals work day after day on their creations never waiting for inspiration. That kind of determination and work ethic has kept Close going as an artist who since the life-changing "event" now paints with a brush strapped to his wrist. A person with less strength and determination might have given up. Chuck Close did not.

"Inspiration is only for amateurs" is a statement that intrigued me. Since that day, I've thought about it over and over. Do creative people, like artists and writers, need a determined work ethic more than they need inspiration?

What is inspiration anyway? For me, it's a revelation that causes change of some kind. Perhaps it's a change in the way of thinking. Perhaps it's a change in life direction. Perhaps it is something more intangible.

"Mountain Flower Inspiration" photo copyright MMSikes

Perhaps it's connected to the magic amulet for success. Is that possible?

While there is no substitute for dedicated work ethic, I believe we all need inspiration. Some more than others.

And they aren't all amateurs.

Thank you, Chuck Close, for making me think. Thank you for making me consider what is inspiration and who needs it.

We all do...

Is There a Magic Amulet for Success?

"How long have you been a writer?" people ask.

"Forever," is my usual reply.

And that's how long I've been insecure. But the insecurity is not about my writing. I've always felt confident and secure about what I've written.

My concern is the reader's response. Will it be what I expect? Will it be what I want? How can I reach a wider audience with my work?

For 2013, the writing insecurity I intend to tackle is that of how to gain an entire new audience for my creativity. Over the years, I've made lots of talks about branding, marketing, and promotion. I've learned a lot and I've shared a lot. But there's something missing, something more intangible.

"In Search of Magic" - MMSikes

It's the magic amulet for success. When writers discover this illusive, invisible gem, they no longer need to search for success because it will find and surround them. All of a sudden, they will gain a wider audience and touch people everywhere.

How do you find the magic amulet? Is it something upon which writers stumble accidentally to propel them to a new level of success? Is it a new found charisma?

I don't know. With your help, I intend to find out.

It should be an exciting journey.

--Mary Montague Sikes