I
once won a Blue Ribbon at the
Polk
County Fair.
Not a particularly noteworthy accomplishment, I admit, but there is a back story that I believe is worth telling.
Built
on the industry of ranchers, farmers, loggers, and those who provide services
to them, the Oregon economy is primarily a rural economy. Each summer county
fairs, from Multnomah County in the north to Klamath in the south, blanket the state.
I grew up in or just outside
of small towns: Sheridan, Willamina, and Independence in Polk County,
which had a great county fair: dusty, noisy, smelly, and filled with accidental
reunions and laughter. The variety of competitions available gave
women the opportunity to show off their canning and baking prowess,
with 4-H projects of lambs, hogs, and cattle being the real draw.
There
were also art competitions: watercolor and oil landscapes, primarily, with
birdhouses and quilting filling the Crafts portion of the arts competitions.
One summer, however, they held a graphic design competition. Its theme was “Promoting Oregon Tourism” and entrants were instructed to submit
original posters to highlight the attractions in our state.
While in the
process of creating my poster I discovered that applying Elmer's
Glue to tissue-paper can be problematic. It can also reap great
rewards.
I
selected a particularly vibrant turquoise tissue to represent the sky in
my poster. I painstakingly tore it into the shape of the sky over Mount
Hood with its horizon, creating a silhouette of our
beloved dormant volcano.
After
applying the glue to the tissue and then laying it on white
poster-board, I was horrified to see it wrinkle with a determination I did
not know tissue paper could muster.
Hoping
to repair the mess, I pealed back the soggy, disintegrating, glue-slathered,
and seriously mangled tissue to find a fascinating repeat pattern of
turquoise dye floating on a pure white background. The image left behind was
the perfect negative outline of Mount Hood.
Knowing
an opportunity when I saw one, I carried on.
Next
came adding text in the form of letters shaped by tearing more
tissue to create “Ski Oregon” in the white
space. Catchy. You may recall that the State of Oregon used this
slogan for some time while promoting tourism — a coincidence, no
doubt.
I entered that marvel in the fair and received a Blue Ribbon for my
adolescent chutzpah. My friend and fellow competitor,
Virginia, sniffed that it was “just an accident.” Whatever ... .
More
important than receiving a blue ribbon was discovering the joy, surprise,
and rewards of accidental discoveries in the act of creation. Every artist can recount
similar moments of surprise and horror that become the strongest elements of an artwork. It’s alchemy at
its purest, and is a huge part of what motivates us to create.
The
driving force behind creativity — and creation — is pure
accident motivated by curiosity.
Examples
of which include: iron oxide, ochre, charcoal, indigo, sand, clay, heat, wine,
and the malleability of stone, wood, leather, and finally,
metal. All were discovered purely by accident and immediately became
media for artwork.
Accident is the source of all great works of art, scientific discoveries,
heavenly bodies colliding, and genetic mutations — powerful stuff.
Let’s show
some respect for the power of the accident by encouraging our children to play and
experiment with all manner of media, from mud to metal. The next great accident is just waiting for a perfectly wrong combination
of materials to collide.
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Nominated for a Shorty Award by
Nominated for a Shorty Award by
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