Blackfish artists reveal their influences

T.S. Eliot in Tradition and the Individual Talent states that “an artist of any art” cannot be judged, or assigned meaning, in isolation. All artists enter the genealogy. It’s possible to unearth childhood visions and experiences that either began the process of becoming or continue to guide us. Every striking visual image, every good teacher, every compelling idea can be important to an artist’s development. Some influences last a lifetime; others an afternoon. For each influence cited in this exhibit, there are a thousand unacknowledged - myths, family stories, first art teachers, critical analyses, museum visits, the study of art history, a thousand Sundays of radiant stained glass in a Midwest church, a single encounter with one of Ad Reinhardt’s black paintings. Our growth as artists is traceable.

JoEllyn Loehr, Chair
Blackfish Exhibition Committee