Give it Away and You Shall Enjoy Mortality

Back in the day when I was working as editor of a, what they call in the trade, "shelter," magazine I had the privilege to meet artist Benini and his wife Lorraine. At that time they were living in downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas and if not solely responsible for the upswing of the downtown area, they were certainly a driving force in breathing new life into the urban setting of the only National Park in the country that has an urban setting.

It has been my experience that our homes truly are a reflection of our personalities, and artists I find, as a rule, have fascinating homes. Benini and Lorraine's home was no exception to this rule. In addition to the exotic atmosphere,on the second-story flat with the gallery below at street level, Benini had a library of thousands of volumes which he shared openly with anyone interested in benefiting from this collective knowledge. Benini and Lorraine not only actively promote his work, but encourage the success of other artists with their frequent ARTS Encounters at their Sculpture Ranch in Texas hill country, a piece of property once owned by President Lyndon Johnson. While Benini is an accomplished artist, it is in this spirit of "giving it away" that he has prospered. And giving credit where credit is due, Lorraine creates an environment of generosity throughout their endeavors.

Someone recently sent me a memo, "give it away and you shall enjoy mortality." Benini and Lorraine certainly fall under this category. And while immortality is a lofty goal, giving it away, or sharing one's life experiences is a rewarding endeavor in and of itself. We share with you now, a presentation sent to us by Lorraine, and hope you come to enjoy and know the work that is Benini.

(c) 2008 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Which Are You? Work or Play First?

Playful Art by Ron Serfass - "WAVE"

Being a chronic workaholic, work is play for me. But we all need balance right? It is of course the play that provokes the spontaneous and creative side of our brain, so why do I insist on working first, then playing? Heck sometimes I'm having so much fun working, I neve get around to playing, much less taking a lunch break.

Back to the whole assumption that the work is play for me. It hasn't always been that way, I've had a nine to five job before, but even then I loved my work. I was just more appreciative of the whole TGIF concept than I am now.

I have no way of knowing for sure. But I think if I played first, then I might just not ever get around to the work. It's happened to me I think once, on a fine spring day such as this one. I guess I've just gotten disciplined, for instance I struggled with getting the "greenbean" (that's my kayak) into the water by myself this morning and had a fantastic little paddle before hitting the computer keys. I live at the base of a beautiful mountain, and I take great joy in watching the undulating hillside change in color in both Spring and Fall. But I had to make myself make that my priority this morning. How dumb is that?

It has never been my experience that good fortune just falls into my lap. I know there are people out there who live the life of Riley, but I'm obviously not in that category. I think they are probably "play first" people. I've always been one to work hard, taking pride in the process with not so much concern about the outcome.

A successful artist spends many hours honing their craft. Supposedly creative people struggle more with depression than others too. I think creatives also tend to be more passionate about everything, and this spills over into the work.

So which are you? Work or play first? I'd love to hear from you on this topic: service@buyoutsidethebox.com. --Ruth Mitchell

(c) 2006 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved

Hand Thrown Pottery

Cut Handle Plate-Allan Buitekant

One of my favorite mediums, is pottery. I'm attracted to the earthiness of it I guess. I like the utilitarian vessels as much as the complicated sculptures that some artists produce.

As we build our momentum at www.buyoutsidethebox.com we are working to provide our customers of the world the very best work from the very best artists. One of the more popular search strings we see come up again and again, is hand thrown and hand built pottery. That's one of the reasons we are so very pleased to announce the addition of artist Allan Buitekant.

This extraordinary potter hails from Union Mills, North Carolina where he has resided for the last four years atop Pinnacle Mountain. Buitekant studied at Greenwich House Pottery, Parsons School of Design, Brooklyn Museum Art School and the 92nd St. Y, all in New York. Not only will I add some of his pieces to my personal collection, but I will be gifting them to some of the many lucky brides I am acquainted with.

Check our collection out here. --Ruth Mitchell

(c) 2006 - Ruth Mitchell - all rights reserved