Art Talk with Deanna Musgrave

It was a somewhat temperate day in Freddie Beach before the road trip to Saint John and Deanna Musgrave’s Art Talk following on the heals of her exhibit opening a few weeks ago at the Saint John Museum.

Deanna is this year’s Studio Watch Emerging Artist.

Deanna and Ingrid relaxing at Art+Concepts before the road trip to Saint John.

“So, Deanna,” said Ingrid. “You seem calm. Not nervous, or anything.”

“I’m calm,” said Deanna. “Thanks for mentioning it, Ingrid. Yes, I’m calm. Calm. I am. Calm. Thanks for bring it up. No, not nervous. NOT nervous … CALM …”

“See I’m calm. I just bit the tops of my fingers off and didn’t feel a thing.”

“Oh look,” said Ingrid. “This time we have the car with the steering wheel. And just when I was getting used to using the force.”

“Oh hell, let’s go for the gusto,” said Ingrid. “I’m driving the whole way with my eyes closed.”

“Oh look,” said Deanna. “There’s where I get off. Right there at the end of the alley.”

“Sit! I do this all the time.”

We went to Vito’s for a pre-Talk dinner. “I just want a little bit,” said Deanna. “Because I’m so calm. I think I’ll have the sixteen inch lobster pizza, spaghetti with meatballs and mushrooms, a steak, medium rare, four turtle doves, roasted …”

“And I thought these people spent their money on paint,” thought Ingrid.

As people started to arrive for the Art Talk in the auditorium at the Museum, they were greeted by one of the artist’s larger pieces, which was more than the camera could handle, apparently.

The Musgrave family was out in full force to support the budding artist.

The talk went beautifully, smoothly, intelligently and gracefully. (Christmas gift suggestions: water bottles with straws thingys in them … or a hat with water bottles and straws – an inscription on it I Love Art)

At the end, the artist played music for the audience as her work stepped across the screen.

And then she ended with a question period. “Go ahead and ask questions. I won’t bite.”

A strange looking woman wearing a ball cap inscribed with I LOVE ART asked, “So, where do you get your inspiration from?

The artist took a deep breath and answered, “What do you mean, where does it come from? What do you think I’ve been talking about for the last 45 minutes? What kind of question is that? Sit down or I’ll bite you!”

“No, Ingrid,” said Deanna, “I wouldn’t really have bitten her. Well, not hard anyway.”

“Good,” said Ingrid, “because she’s coming this way now.”

“Can I bite her just once?”

“No!”

“Nibble?”

The artist posed with a member of the Saint John Art Club. “Who is that strange woman with the ball cap?” said Deanna.

“Oh, her,” he said. “She used to come into the Art Club and ask us where we got our inspiration. We bit her a few times and she went away.”