What is love Art Show? Lenten Season is all about Love

The South San Francisco Cultural Arts Program had February Art What is Love? There are 8.1 billion people on earth, so there must be 8.1 billion Love interpretations or expressions. Do earthlings need a “Love Potion Number 9” as song goes.

February is the month of Love celebrating Valentines, Ash Wednesday , start of the 40 days of Lent, hence the February What is Love Art Show is more of a backdrop of Love rather than the main focus of this article for Lent is far bigger than Valentine because it involves redemption of humans and world. Spirituality over Carnality. Spiritual is Eternal while Carnal Love represented by humans is limited, flawed, temporary, fleeting.

My piece The Greatest Romance is a fragment of St Augustine of Hippo:

”To fall in love with God is the greatest Romance

To seek God is the greatest Adventure

To find God is the greatest Achievement .”

Dolores Hart, actress , had all the trappings of success, young, beautiful, with fiancee, an A1 Hollywood lister, known as the first actress to kiss Elvis onscreen. Yet, she at 24 , she left the world’s spotlight to become a nun. People wondered why. Years ago, Mother Dolores was a visitor in the SF Bay Area to promote her book “God is Bigger Than Elvis”. Her answer was she heard God’s calling : she fell in love with God, the greatest Romancer and Lover since Time began, the falling in love with God is the greatest romance.

I firmly state that anyone who believes God is Love, Love never fails (Corinthians 13:38) will never be afraid BNA ( Be not afraid).

Artists pick up their submitted pieces after show is over. Sometime ago, in the old Municipal Building Services parking lot, I heard an artist grumbling. What was she moaning about I asked. She replied, “My piece didn’t get a ribbon. I want ribbons.” I told her, “You are already a winner the moment you finish a painting or a drawing. A ribbon is only an opinion.”

I believe the moment you finish your piece, you’re a winner because you pulled something invisible and made it visible.

Let’s see what’s an opinion. I was viewing a Larry King show: Paul Harvey a retired radio broadcaster was the guest speaker. Harvey reached as many as 24 million people per week from 1951 to 2008.” King asked him , “What is the ONE thing you regret saying in the radio in your entire career for 57 years ?” Paul Harvey said something like this, “ In the 50’s , I was most popular radio host. Music became hits via radio; record labels asked for my opinions. I was asked by a music executive to listen and observe an unknown young singer. After listening to this new unknown singer, I said, “This young man will NEVER GET ANYWHERE. “ I wish I’d never said that. “THAT UNKNOWN YOUNG MAN WAS ELVIS PRESLEY.” Harvey background in music in jazz didn’t understand Elvis style; Presley was introducing a new music genre- Rock & Roll.

An artist or any creator in his/her field or area of his or her vision must always be in love with what you create.

Cezanne was rejected twice at Ecole Beaux Des Artes, his two portfolios weren’t good enough to merit entry to the French prestigious schools. Van Gogh only exhibited in third rate galleries.

Emily Dickinson didn’t publish her poems in her lifetime because the editor said her poems didn’t “breathe “ but she kept on writing her poems in small packets and placed them in a trunk.

J K Rowling novel Harry Potter ; Rowling was rejected by all USA publishers. Jennifer Hudson, eliminated in the early round of American Idol later won Grammy and Oscar award better than the finale first prize champion.

Even in the Sciences, Gregor Mendel flunked his dissertation on peas because the panel didn’t understand his theory; Sixty five years later, Mendel discovered a new field Genetics, laws of inheritance was opened. Now, Mendel has the title of Father of Genetics. None of the panel members understood his subject because Mendel discovered something new.

Artist are in collaboration with eternal Divine Creation. who created humans to create. When you finish an art piece you are already a winner because you pulled out an invisible unknown manifesting into a visible. When you create you are collaborating with the Eternal.

You showcase a glimpse of the Eternal Ultimate Creator. 'Everyone is a winner’- one becomes godlike. So as not to mistake of not including an artist, because I might make a mistake of not including the one who will be known centuries later; everyone who participated in the Love Art Show is already a winner.

Van Gogh, Cezanne, or Emily Dickinson . Cezanne was rejected twice at the prestigious French School Ecole Beaux Des Arts where portfolio was not good enough to merit entry. A century later he was branded as the Father of Modern Art paving the way for Picasso cubism. Huh? What happened to the batch who were accepted?

Van Gogh only exhibited at third rate galleries. He only sold one painting one for 400 francs. His letter to his brother Theo said he wanted to make paintings "commercial" to make some money. His paintings never sold for 50 to 500 francs because his paintings were meant to sell for over $100 million .

Unless you are superweathy you can't own a Van Gogh. How did Van Gogh become known worldwide ? Not through a panel of judges or curators but through a writer/critic who catapulted Van Gogh to fame ; Albert Aurier published the first glowing review, "Les Isolés," in January 1890, called Van Gogh’s paintings with a style and color, the work of a genius. Also his sister-in-law Joanna wife of his brother Theo saved his paintings from being destroyed.

So keep on creating not for ribbons, sales for $$, or for fame, but for the love of creation. Tell the audience about being a winner— centuries later if civilisation still remembers you.

Ray Bradbury, legendary science fiction writer for writing on space travel, robotics, living on other planets, when asked for an advice to new writers: Fall in love, stay in love, do what you love in your field otherwise Life is not worth living. Love makes life worth living. “ The Bible states,”God is Love. Love never fails. “ The universe has a great Art Show with 8.1 billion participants and it’s FOC, free of charge and you dont need a ticket or key to enter and as my painting displays “Love is a keyless door, open to anyone who dares to enter.