Jane Dreeben has been interviewing Vineyard artists over the past three years, and has compiled her findings into a new book, The Urge to Create: Vineyard Portraits. Ms. Dreeben is particularly interested in artists who have been persistent in their creative activities, and in those who are creative in more than one area. A collection of her work, including photographic portraits and accompanying written profiles, will be on display this month at the West Tisbury library. On Friday, June 12, from 5 to 7 pm, the library will host a reception in her honor, which will also celebrate the release of new book. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public.
The multimedia show will include 19 excerpts from written profiles, based on in-depth interviews, paired with photographic portraits of Vineyard artists, including painters, dancers, writers, musicians, actors, photographers, carpenters, weavers, storytellers, poets, and many others. Ms. Dreeben has been collaborating with Island photographers to produce a photo portrait of each artist which reflects some aspect of their creative self. The photographers include Regional High School students and grads, college students, and professional photographers. According to Ms. Dreeben, the goals of this project include: a broadening of our conception of creativity and creative activity; the presentation and celebration of the extraordinarily diverse, productive and talented artists in our Vineyard community, including artists who may not be as frequently in the public eye; and the production of her book collecting these written and photographic profiles.
Below is a selection of three profiles from her show and book.
Eric Johnson: guitarist, teacher, music director
“I play jazz every Tuesday night at Offshore Ale with Jeremy Berlin. We play a Steve Swallow song called ‘Falling Grace,’ which I’ve played for years, and I know that piece so well. I still know what chord changes I’m playing at any given moment, but I can forget too, and let the lines I’m playing in my improvisation go where they naturally would go. I close my eyes, I don’t have to look. It’s the best state to be in, when you’re completely in the moment. You’re not worrying about anything. The act of playing really takes you out of yourself. Which I think in terms of happiness is kind of the ultimate, to be in the moment. That’s the thing I cherish the most about playing, jazz in particular.“
Liz Taft: landscape painter
“Plein air painting, you’re always a bit under the timeline. There’s a little bit of you’ve got to move, because you’ve got to be quick or it’s over. As I’ve gotten to do such large paintings, I have even more of a sense of ‘I’ve got to move, I’ve got to keep going.’ Because next week the leaves are going to drop, or next week the trees are going to come out — next week something’s going to change. Because the seasons change a great deal. There’s not a long period of time. If we have a warm spring which we sometimes do, sometimes it is beautifully violet before stuff comes out, and that can be April. I’ve had Aprils when I’ve been painting. And then we’ve had really disgusting-looking Mays and I haven’t done a lot of painting. And I can paint until November, sometimes. When I was little and I felt like I was really connected to the forsythia — I feel the same way about my places where I paint. It’s like this intimate relationship. And I’m very conscious about if I’m two feet this way or that way. It’s like when I’m walking around, I get to a point and I’m, ‘Oh, OK, right here.’ And it’s very physical, it’s very in my feet. My feet know. It’s like my feet are a little dowsing rod! Because I’m so invested and drawn to certain places. I will go and paint them over and over and over and over again. Until I get it to be what I want it to be … But it’s funny, when I’m done with it, I’m done with it.”
Juli Vanderhoop: baker
“My love of breads and baking is the process, the slow process where everything takes its time and happens quite naturally. We are working with something that’s alive and that changes. We see it when our hands are in it. What you get as a finished product is beautiful, and well done. Something I wanted my children to have, my family to have, and to be able to put the love back into what the food was. And to create a story around it, it’s a very romantic thing for me. I am in love with that. The baking has given me so much. Much more than just a loaf of bread. It’s visual; it’s introduced me to different people from around the world. Seeing people come here and break our bread and share our bread, and appreciate what we do, is so much more than mass production on a mega scale. There’s something about this community and doing this here, baking small amounts, but yet enough.”