THE ADVENTURE OF ARTby Donna L. Clovis
I n most heroine stories, the heroine is introduced in ordinary surroundings, doing mundane things. She is young, innocent, and humble. Then something new enters her life. It is the catalyst that sets the story in motion. The event that pushes the heroine into a new adventure. With this calling, the stakes are determined and she sets off for a long journey.
During the journey, the heroine receives help from an unusual source. In fairy tales, it is a wizard, a dwarf, or a fairy that aids the heroine in some manner. She achieves her goal because of this help and because she is a receptive listener to the supernatural.
The heroine moves into a special world where she will change the ordinary into the extraordinary. Now begin the obstacles. During darkest moments, the heroine reaches into her soul with the strength to continue. She seizes the opportunity to fight back and focuses upon her goal. The heroine overturns her worst fears.
The road back is often a chase scene. There is still one more obstacle left to conquer. It is the third act, the escape, leading to the story’s climax.
Finally, she completes her task. But the task is not the real treasure. The real reward is her personal transformation. The challenge is to take what is learned and apply it in daily life. In this case, daily life is the adventure of the artist pursuing her art. And the transformation is the making of an artist.
The adventure of the art is a major theme woven throughout the artwork of Donna Clovis. The next adventure of the art is an exhibition called, “Mother, May I” that opens at New York University’s Barney Building, Rosenberg Gallery, 34 Stuyvesant Street in New York, on December 5, 2007 through January 19, 2008 from 6:00-8:00 pm.