Barry Behrstock - The way of the artist: reflections on creativity and the life, home, art and collections of Richard Marquis

Namaste: I recognize the divine within you.

An Eastern greeting of respect for both friends and strangers.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition
The Way of the Artist: Reflections on Creativity and the Life, Home, Art and Collections of Richard Marquis
April 14May 18, 2007
Copyright 2007, Main Art Gallery, California State University, Fullerton
800 North State College Blvd.
Fullerton, California 92834
www.fullerton.edu

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the artist, curator and publisher.

Edited by Sue Henger
Designed by Theron Moore, Richard Lander, Dino Espinosa
Photo Credits: All photographs by Barry Behrstock and Richard Marquis, except pages 133 and 147 by Russell Johnson.

Printed by Permanent Press Ltd., Hong Kong

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Behrstock, Barry B.
The way of the artist: reflections on creativity and the life, home,
art, and collections of Richard Marquis / by Barry Behrstock.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-935314-70-0 (hardback : alk. paper)
1. Marquis, Richard, 1945Themes, motives.
2. Glass artUnited States.
3. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)
4. Aesthetics, Oriental.
I. Title.
NK5198.M366B44 2007
748.092dc22
2006039648

Dedicated to

YOU
The ultimate observer
and
meditative
I
and
interpreter and co-creator of the ongoing expression of this project

The whole story of the universe is implicit in any part of it. The meditative eye can look through any single object and see, as through a window, the entire cosmos.

Aldous Huxley, Point Counterpoint

A life well lived

The greatest act of creativity is life itself.
The medical term for the drawing in of air at the first moment of life is to inspire, inspiration.
To inspire is to stimulate artistic or creative thought.
Inspiration is to be stimulated to artistic or creative thought.
Art and creativity are unifying, forming the new or original where it did not exist before,
revealing images and ideas which help individuals see their connections to others.
A life filled with art and creativity, inspiring and being inspired by oneself and others,
is a life well lived.

Authors statement

I am a physician, but I am also a glassblower with nearly two decades of experience. In 2002 I attended the Pilchuck School of Glass near Seattle. While there, I had the privilege of visiting the home of Richard Marquis, one of the founders of the American Studio Glass Movement. I was overwhelmed by the energy, beauty, and calmness I found permeating the home that Richard and Johanna, his wife, had created. It is a sacred place of refuge, reflection, and inspiration, a work in progress to be cherished and protected.

This book is a written and visual record of my explorations and meditations on the force and power of creativity, as illustrated by images from Richard Marquiss life, art, home, and collections. With his generous cooperation, I have brought together visual elements from his studio and home environment and interwoven them with ideas stemming from my ongoing passion for medicine, philosophy, science, art, and literature. The organization presented here was not planned in advance; rather, as the elements evolved, they took on patterns and an order that resonated with my personal experience and learning. The contents can be viewed backward or forward, individually or as a whole, in the way they are presented or in a fashion of your own design. What we bring as observers is uniquely our own, and what we take away as participants is immeasurably enhanced by our ability to see the world through the eyes of another. This creative blending of our uniqueness and connectedness is a wonder of the human experience.

Barry Behrstock MD, 2006

Artists statement

So, anyway, there I was, just minding my own business when this intense guy walks into my life. He becomes fascinated with what I do, we become friends, and an interesting dialogue takes place over the next couple years. Then this book and an exhibition happen.

It all sounds so simple and clean and in the same way Barry Behrstock makes my work and life seem simple and clean. But be careful: theres no mention of sleepless nights, worry, or frustration. No description of problems from pain or money. Not that there necessarily were any of those things, but keep in mind he doesnt mention them.

Most of my life Ive spent with artists and other creative people. To them my life doesnt seem unusual. Its just what I do. Barry, with his interests in medicine, science, and eastern religion came in as an outsider and interpreted and extrapolated what I do and came up with some interesting observations.

Heisenbergs uncertainty principle states that the observing of a phenomenon changes that phenomenon. Barry did that to me. He emailed me articles and sent me books about math, science, and philosophy. He thought I should know why I was doing what I was doing. He sent me his essays in which he used my life, art and collections as metaphors for various musings. Some I agreed with and others not but they still made for interesting reading. My involvement with fractals and the Sierpinski triangle is due to Barry. The Net of Indra was right down my alley. It was a dark and difficult alley but never mind. Barry thought his essays and photographs of my stuff would make a nice book or maybe an exhibition.

So this is pretty much Barry Behrstocks project. He put it together and did most of the work. It reflects his insights about an artists life, his concerns about the cosmos, and perhaps something different for each of us.

Richard Marquis
Whidbey Island
September 2006

Directors statement

One of the factors that first led me to consider The Way of the Artist exhibition and publication is that the projects author, Barry Behrstock, proposed to focus on Richard Marquis, an artist whom I admire and respect. Marquiss artwork was seen at Cal State Fullerton in the group exhibition Hot for Glass, a 2003 survey of contemporary glass art collections in Southern California. Marquis is known primarily as a glass artist, but from my perspective, and as this exhibition reveals, he is first and foremost an artist. As some art world wag once stated, The really good guys could do it all with bond paper and a number two pencil. I think Richard Marquis is one of those guys. That he is one of the most revered glass artists in the world, whose technical skills amaze even jaded experts in the field, is a testament to the depth and passion of his aesthetic pursuits.

Another aspect of this project that piqued my interest was its uncharacteristic focus on the home, studio, and collections of the artist, rather than on his chosen medium. Historically, galleries and museums have devoted only scant attention to these particulars, yet these are integral parts of every artists life and can serve as an avenue to enhanced understanding of an artists oeuvre and what it means to be an artist in general.