The day was just awakening when I ran this morning and passed the Brooklyn Promenade. The sunlight reflected on the water, the buildings in Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty. What a beautiful day, this is such a magical place!
I recently read the Brooklyn Rail’s Tribute to Elizabeth Murray (1940–2007). It was so nice to learn that Elizabeth Murray was not only a great (and famous) artist but an amazing person. My favorite part was written by artist Robert Gober:
“Elizabeth meant the world to me. My father worked in a factory and I grew up in front of the television. I had no idea what being an artist was about. I met Elizabeth because I had a terrible job demolishing her sheet rock walls and putting them in a dumpster—the lowest rung on the construction ladder. We got to talking and liked each other, and she told me that she needed someone to make her stretchers. She was making flat irregularly shaped paintings and I helped her transition to the overlapping and interweaving works. I spent five formative years in her home and studio while she unselfconsciously showed me what an artist’s life can be. On a normal day, I had a baby in one arm and a hammer in the other. That wouldn’t be my path, but made abundantly clear to me the fact of how art comes out of life, and that you had better pay attention.”
“Art comes out of life” – simple and beautiful words. I see an artist’s life like a circle – everything is part of it. In my experience – family, friends, nature, running, yoga are all part of my life and subsequently my art. I am very lucky to have a lot of wonderful friends. But there are two great artists that are my New York sisters: Bibi Calderaro and Lynne Harlow. We all grew up in different places in the world, but we have so much in common. As Robert Gober wrote about Elizabeth Murray, they “constantly show me what an artist’s life is about”. I admire how they balance their lives to be wonderful artists, mothers and people. They just amaze me!
Rossana Martinez, Art is Great! Life is Greater!, 2007
Letter for Escape from New York exhibition, SNO, Sydney, Australia; Curated by Matthew Deleget.
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