Influences on me as an artist: My husband, Jim

This is my dear husband, Jim, who announced this morning, "Gee, I had to scroll back all the way to our anniversary to find a significant mention of me in your blog." He exaggerated slightly, but I've determined that I can't win. Anna took me to task for putting a picture of her in a blog post that her co-workers found and took the mickey out. Because he has a blog of his own, Dan and I seem to have struck a balance on this. So, in an attempt to redress his grievance, this post is dedicated to Jim and his influence on me as an artist.

It was theatre art that first brought us together. We were cast in a production of Annie Get Your Gun here in Greensboro. Because we were both seeing other people at the time, we first became friends. About six months later, we were cast in a two-character romantic comedy and we've been playing it out ever since then. After we married, Jim began to direct me in shows more often than acting with me. He is, quite simply, the best director with whom I have ever worked.



Bus Stop was the first time he directed me and it was a memorable production. He made me a much better actress and gave me some incredible roles over the years.



The Man Who Came to Dinner at Wabash College was the last time we acted together--and with Anna as well.

In addition to being a wonderful director and actor, Jim is also a gifted writer. I've always encouraged him in his research and writing. He's written a few plays, as well, and I hope he does more because he has such a unique perspective on all the angles that must be considered to make a play succeed.



With a few exceptions, he's dedicated his books to me and the children. This is his first book on the commedia dell'arte. When it was reprinted, he had Mellon Press put a photo of the quilt I made for him, "Improvizo!" on the cover. Arlechino is his favorite commedia character.

Not only has Jim been incredibly encouraging to me about my art work, but he has also provide me with the time I needed to study and work. The importance of this cannot be overemphasized. He encouraged me to go back to Purdue to pursue an art degre. He single-parented the children for two weeks when they were very small two different times so I could go to Arrowmont to study with Nancy Crow, and for the week I went to QSDS. He helped me set up a studio space at home so I had a place to work. He had my work photographed by a professional photographer and had postcards made of my quilts. In other words, he's my biggest cheerleader.



This is the most recent piece that I made for Jim. It's called "Te Amo Mucho." That really says it all. I'll leave the last word to the best of all writers, Shakespeare (Sonnet 23).

As an unperfect actor on the stage,
Who with his fear is put beside his part,
Or some fierce thing replete with too much rage,
Whose strength's abundance weakens his own heart;
So I, for fear of trust, forget to say
The perfect ceremony of love's rite,
And in mine own love's strength seem to decay,
O'ercharg'd with burthen of mine own love's might.
O! let my looks be then the eloquence
And dumb presagers of my speaking breast,
Who plead for love, and look for recompense,
More than that tongue that more hath more express'd.
O! learn to read what silent love hath writ:
To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit.

A little brag, an exhortation, and some housekeeping

Photo by Dr. John Zimmerman

I have to brag a little. Our daughter, Anna, is going to be the new company manager for the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston. She's worked as the assistant to the managing director, Michael Maso, for about a year and a half, but had to go for this position when it opened up. We are so proud of her and happy that both our children have jobs in the fields they want to be in during these incredibly dismal economic times.

The picture above is one of my favorites of Anna and her dad. It's from a Wabash College production of The Man Who Came to Dinner in which we all appeared. Anna's first love is directing, but she's also a wonderful actress. The play was directed by Jim's former student and current Wabash theatre department chair, Micheal Abbott who blogs at the Brainy Gamer.

And now for the exhortation...I know everyone is feeling the results of this recession, but people and organizations in the arts, and most particularly, the theatre are being savaged by it. Grants have dried up, large donors aren't coming up with the big bucks, and box office is off. This is where you can help. Wherever you live, please, go to the theatre. Most theatres rely very heavily on their box office receipts to fund what they do. Even if you can't afford to donate, you can probably afford a ticket. There is no substitute for live theatre and it may be an endangered species. If you have little children, take them to live theatre early and often. Even small towns usually offer some kind of children's performance. Trust me, they'll love it. Community theatres, college and university theatres, as well as festival and regional theatres could die if their audiences disappear. Since the livelihoods of both my husband and my daughter depend on live theatre, I thank you for your support. And since I love the theatre, I encourage you to be an enthusiastic and frequent audience member.

And finally, the housekeeping: I've gotten some very nice emails from the bloggers I mentioned in the One Lovely Blog award post and several of them have mentioned the award in posts of their own. Here's a link to Dog-Daisy Chain and A Spoonful of Sugar.