Saturday Morning, September 14, 2024
She's Like a Rainbow, Coming, Colors in the Air
She would never forget the moment. December. Her classmates had been called in from recess. But she remained. Alone. Absorbed. Something far greater held her fascination. The sky carried a chilling gray. Early bird winter warning. Dismal days, she had heard the teachers say. How wrong they were. She stared at the clouds. Couldn't they see? Gray, yes, but mixed with dabs of white and bands of purple. So many colors, far beyond dismal. It was beautiful.
Betty Lou Schlemm, watercolor - Maine
21" x 29" Rockport Art Association label
Betty Lou Schlemm, oil, Resting, 10" x 20"
Auction contains a number of nudes.
A snowflake brushed her cheek. It kissed with a sting. Then another. She held out her bare palm. The snowflakes landed gently, their patterns flashing before melting away. No two snowflakes are alike. She heard her father say. Neither would their color be she thought. The landscape began blanketing white in different hues and saturations. Betty! Betty! Her teacher's voice shattered the spell. She turned and started walking towards the school. She loved the world around her. How to capture these moments on canvas. This day would jumpstart the rest of her life. A passion sparked.
Color My World
Buddhism is a curious religion. Steeped in time, it may well be one of the oldest rituals still in existential existence. It formed around Buddha, the spiritual leader. His attainment of enlightenment set the bar for all humans. Five lessons define the journey: Purpose. Mission. Vision. Tone. Mindfulness. It is a challenge requiring multiple lifetimes, the basis of reincarnation.
Betty Lou Schlemm, oil, The Young Model, 23" x 20,"
retaining North Shore Arts Assocation label.
Each stage of enlightenment is defined by a color. Buddhist priests claim they see this color, or aura, emitting from a human. Invisible to most, nonetheless, these spectral colors mark one's progress. Have you seen her dressed in blue? See the sky in front of you. Colors equate to energy, the basis of being. Buddha's attainment carries the colors red, yellow, orange, white, and blue, coincidentally similar to a rainbow. This concept is not specific to Buddhism. Renaissance artists painteded Christ with an aura forever surrounding his head. Religions share parallelism. Faith, a gift to the believer.
Color Guard
A higher communication among the human races exists. Although we can be isolated through language, there is a certain level reaching universal understanding. It is found in the arts and sciences.
Betty Lou Schlemm, watercolor,
Gloucester Train Tracks, 13 ½" x 19 ½"
Despite different dialects, a musical note is a shared sound recognizable to all. Composers speak to us through their scores. One doesn't need an advanced degree to listen to Beethoven or the Beatles. Einstein spoke in math equations, understood by all in his field.
In the movie, Hidden Figures, mathematician Kathryn Johnson rediscovers the Euler Method, an ancient mathematical formula. She then applies it to retrieve John Glenn's space capsule from orbit. Timeless. The periodic table is, well, the periodic table. Then there is art. Painting. Michelangelo's fresco. The frieze in Pompey. Pharaonic polychrome in Egyptian tombs. Lescaux cave paintings. We see an image. We see color. No translation required. It speaks to our souls and about those long passed.
Betty Lou Schlemm, oil, Market People,
Rockport Art Association label, 15 ½" x 11 1/2"
Palette Passion
This week we touch the hand and eye of Betty Lou Schlemm. Born in Maywood, New Jersey, her life's journey found its way to Rockport, Massachusetts. There, supported by the love of an art colony, she painted.
New England, specifically the coastline, is a mainstay for artists. So many subjects, so many colors. The ocean an infinite backdrop. She's like a rainbow, coming, colors in the air, and everywhere. Betty immersed herself. Oils and watercolors. Seeking that elusive Golden Fleece, the one forever taunting and teasing artists. But the carousel ring was hers as she blossomed. A life well-lived is a gift. To choose one's path. To touch one's passion. This is attainment, enlightenment. Her colors forever emanating, from her soul, to her palette, onto her canvas. Nirvana.
Hand painted Art Nouveau china dresser box, E.A. Muller, ca. 1897-1927.
Doors open at 8 AM. Auction starts at 9 AM. PA AU 1265L [bb]