I've been thinking a lot about artists who are couples, and what that was like for me at one time in my life. My previous post on Martha and Ralph Borge, the couple that painted in West Marin for MALT,and would have celebrated their 60th Anniversary this year...
I am also reminded of René and Georgette Magritte, made more famous in the lyrics of a Paul Simon song. They too enjoyed a happy and long, healthy marriage while being constantly involved in successes in the new and exciting surrealist art world.Photo: René and Georgette Magritte with their dog Loulou at Brussels airport before leaving with Sabena for New York. (http://www.musee-magritte-museum.be)
I was once married to an artist and musician, and being with him for a decade in my adult life truly affected the way I have learned to love art and view the world. It was a relationship that felt right to me. Artist's have a way of being able to discuss the world in a way that others do not have. We draw on a palette of colors, textures, senses and musical chords that some, I believe, truly can not see or feel; or, sadly... they never had the luxury of learning this language, like any other language that must be learned from youth. I was so lucky to have parents that fostered my art from a young age. I want to thank them both at this time, and tell them how much I love them. They still house dozens of my paintings in their home, and share my art with their friends, as if each painting I produce for them is a gift from the gods. They have never made me feel my art was anything but special.
In my recent reflection on my past and memories of my former husband, I have revisited my post I wrote years ago on "Motivation; Advice for Artists", to address how the loss of an artist spouse can affect an artist, and how I have found ways to work on my grieving and continue in life. It is no easy task. I think that "art couples" bond in ways that are truly unique, and my hypothesis is that these couples have a harder time with separation and divorce due to the very nature of their shared language of art. It is my hope to feel better about this loss someday, and explain it to my children. I hope others may understand as well, and may learn from my shared experiences. To read the revised post, click here.
Some successful, Marin County "Artist Couples":
• Kathleen Lipinski and Steve Emery
• Richard Blair and Kathleen Goodwin
• Linda Larsen and Larry Bryson
• Judith Selby Lang and Richard Lang
• Martha and Ralph Borge
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