Inspired By Spirit Lines

A Field Trip to the Helen Hardin Exhibit at the Crocker Art Museum

A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others. ~ Salvador Dali

Listening Woman

I took myself on a little field trip the other day—down to the Crocker Art Museum in the heart of Sacramento. I made a reservation online a week early and printed out my ticket. There was hardly a soul there when, in my eagerness, I arrived a half-hour early. I had the galleries nearly to myself. When does that ever happen?

“Spirit Lines,” a display of etchings by Helen Hardin, Little Standing Spruce, was the magnet that drew me to the Crocker, and her masterpieces did not disappoint. I was enthralled. Hardin is described as a “trailblazing Native American artist.” The display of her work was book-ended by pieces created by her mother, Pablita Velarde, and her daughter, Margarete Bagshaw. I could see how the work of the mother, a talented artist in the Pueblo Tradition of New Mexico, influenced her daughter, but also how Helen fused the old with the new to create something entirely unique. Helen’s own daughter’s work is even further removed from the traditions, pushing deep into the abstract. Evolution and fusion.

Changing Woman

I could barely pull my eyes away from the painstaking detail of fine lines, the bold colors and shapes, and the stylized “kachina-like” female characters that populate Hardin’s art. I wanted to reach out and touch them, but refrained from the impulse. Her works are full of energy and personality. They embody the vibrancy of the feminine spirit. Don’t you agree?

Harmony Brings Gifts from the Gods

The verb to inspire comes to us from the Latin inspirare, which means to breathe in the spirit. From the same root, the noun spirit is the breath of life. Art inspires. Beauty inspires. When we see beauty and are inspired, we are filled with spirit, with life, and feel energized. The muses, the Greek goddesses of inspiration, fill artists with the spirits of creativity and insight and lend their name to our word museum, originally a shrine to the muses and their arts.

The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere—in landscape, music, art… We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul. ~ John O’Donohue, in his book entitled Beauty

We are so fond these days of what’s called “fusion cuisine” or “fusion foods” that combine elements of different cultures to create something new and delicious. Helen Hardin’s art work is like cutting edge “fusion art.” She liberally mixed modern abstract ideas and ancient traditional forms of art to create something wholly new—prints made with finely etched metal and layers of bold paint. Hardin conceived and gave form to all new “kachina-like” feminine spirits so as not to offend her elders. Rather than shrinking from the taboos, she expanded the spirit world, much like the Ancient Greeks birthed new muses as their powers were needed. In science, fusion is the process of merging atoms together to create energy. Hardin’s “fusion art” inspires and energizes.

The Spirit of Autumn

In her book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron recommends that people wishing to expand and develop their creativity take themselves on regular solo outings to places of beauty. Her suggestions include everything from walks in the woods and visits to flower shops to museum gallery viewings and cruising the aisles of hardware or fabric stores. She refers to the prescribed excursions as Artist’s Dates. I think of them as Personal Field Trips. These outings feed the muse, inspire the creative, provide new sources for the breath of life.

The Muses Dancing with Apollo - Baldassarre Peruzzi - PD-art-100

Now, post-two-shots, I look forward to venturing out for more spirit-inspiring, muse-feeding Personal Field Trips.

What feeds your soul?

What inspires your muse?

What do you long to do now that we can carefully venture out more?

If you’re in the Sacramento region, I highly recommend taking in Helen Harpin’s Spirit Lines exhibit. It’s at the Crocker Art Museum through May 16, 2021. You can get more information here: https://www.crockerart.org/exhibitions/spirit-lines-helen-hardin-etchings

#forceofnature #strongwomen #crockerartmuseum #crockermuseum #helenhardin #spiritlines #spirit #muse #inspire