In the Mind of the Artist

Richard Jaworowski, a friend and sculptor from Connecticut, called me the other day in a state of great excitement; he wanted to share with me a dream he had experienced the night before. In that dream, Shirley and I were visiting his studio in Willimantic, Connecticut. There, we joined Richard and his wife, and the four of us milled about the place drinking wine and talking, discussing the virtues of his various marble sculptures and woodcarvings, laughing and enjoying ourselves. We caressed the sensuous stone pieces with our hands, enjoying both the rough and polished surfaces, taking pleasure from both the look and the feel of the marble stone before us.

Next came the exciting part of his dream, the reason for the phone call. The four of us retired to his ‘private studio’, a studio that doesn’t exist in reality, only in this dream. Marble pieces filled the studio, new works of art as yet uncarved, new pieces with exciting shapes and an unimagined sensual tension.

When he awoke, the images of several of these new ‘dream’ pieces remained sharp in his mind. I listened as he related his excitement at this private glimpse into a realm of personal possibility that existed in the mind and soul of a dedicated artist.

What a joy it must be, I thought, to feel so excited about a new and unexplored image from the subconscious working its way to the surface and making itself known to the conscious mind of the artist, especially after all the years of sacrifice and dedication to the craft. I struggled to imagine what that actual process must feel like within the psyche of the artist.

Living a life dedicated to art and marble is a hard path to follow, and Richard has endured many challenges and disappointments over the years. Listening to him today, to hear the joy in his voice as he talked about carving the new images afloat in his mind, I felt envious of his gift.

Follow the link below to visit an online gallery of Richard's work

The Art of Richard Jaworowski

Laudizen

An Artist's Sentiments

I talked on the phone with Richard Jaworowski and his wife last night, as they were relaxing at home back in Willimantic, Connecticut. He is an artist, a sculptor of marble and a carver of wood, she works a full-time job that doesn’t pay much. The downturn in the economy has been especially tough on Richard and the art world. The town might close up the space he uses as a studio. He is not selling any marbles, and the wood pieces don’t command the same purchase price as stone. To make matters worse, he sold some pieces on installment to generate some income, and the payments from some individuals have been getting smaller.

He told me that last night a friend paid him $50 on the marble piece he took months ago. Richard told me he expected monthly payments of $150 to $200, but things are tough all over and everyone is hurting, yet the $50 did come in handy.

“At least,” he told me in a warm and positive tone, “I have a new bottle of vodka and fresh coffee for the morning.”

Yes, Richard, I hear you; sometimes, that is enough. Get up in the morning and do it again: carve, create, and continue to live and love your life.

In friendship, we celebrated his bounty with a long-distance drink, he in Connecticut and I in Los Angeles. We raised our glasses, each with a shot of vodka, and he said the words of the toast in Polish, “Sto lat", which means "1oo years", or "May you live a hundred years.”

Yes, my friend, I appreciate your sentiments; joy exists in the contentment of life, in the simple things we share with family and friends.

May you live a hundred years.

Richard Jaworowski and Carlton Fisk

This Easter weekend has been a surprisingly busy one for Shirley and me. We had the great trip into the San Gabriel Mountains yesterday. On the way home, we bought a ham and some yams, so it looks like a traditional Easter dinner for us.

I worked late into the night on Saturday as I busied myself with the digital pictures I had taken during the day. There was editing, cropping, resizing, and building the gallery pages for my motorcycle website. After that came publishing and troubleshooting.

I posted my story about ordering the special holiday Kielbasa when I lived in New Hampshire, and celebrating my Polish heritage when I lived there. I sent this on to my Polish uncle who enjoyed the old connection.

And this morning as I lounged in bed, I got a phone call from the great Willimantic sculptor, Richard Jaworowski. He called to wish me a happy Easter, and I related the New Hampshire Easter kielbasa story. He let me know that he was on his way to Newington for a Polish Easter festival, and rattled off a list of the famous polish delights that he expected to feast on.

I've known Richard since 1974. In 1975 I was watching the famous Game 6 of the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Big Red Machine (the Cincinnati Reds) when my TV went out. I was living in rural Coventry at the time, and I was alone. Driven by an ineffable urge, I ended up breaking into Richard's house to watch the game on their TV, a house he shared with a girl named Rosie. In some strange way, that event has led to a lasting friendship that has withstood the test of time and distance. Yes, and a big thank you to Carlton Fisk.

Follow the link below if you are interested in the whole story.

With Carlton Fisk, Forever

Happy Easter to all!

Laudizen King
Easter 2008