Artist Forum

Tonight I treated myself to one of my geeky, guilty pleasures - attending an artist forum. If you don't know by now, I love art. I definitely have my favorite forms of art and there is some "art" that is questionable, but overall I love being surrounded by the artistic talents of others. The Springville Museum of Art (SMoA) is sincerely one of my favorite art museums. It's this hidden gem in a small-ish town - something unexpected. The museum itself has a old world Spanish feel in the architecture. The rooms are spacious and the exhibits are intriguing. As already mentioned in a previous post, there is currently an exhibit by James Christensen and his two daughter, Cassandra Barney and Emily McPhie. These were the artists that spoke tonight. It was fun to hear their inspirations and fun, family banter. I thought it was very interesting to see how their unique personalities have shaped their work. Moreover, I gained greater insight into several of their pieces as they described the emotions and situations behind them. I was initially drawn to Cassandra's spunky, whimsical personality, but Emily more accurately captures the emotions I feel in her work. I even felt privileged enough to meet them following the forum. (As a side note, Emily McPhie is living in Arizona and flew back on the same flight I was on two days later. Our flight was delayed and I had the privilege of conversing more with her during that time!) It was an extremely rewarding night for me.

A piece by James Christensen 

A piece by Cassandra Barney 

A piece by Emily McPhie