A late (art) bloomer

By Curt Swarm

When mans? need for food, shelter, and safety is satisfied, they are free to create. In other words, food, shelter, and safety come before art, or creation.

This belief has held fast throughout history, but has recently come under some question upon the discovery of artwork on the walls of trenches used during the World War I trench warfare in France. Not only did lonely or bored soldiers, on death?s doorstep, engage in graffiti and the inscription of initials and names on the walls of their deathtraps, but also delicate artwork.

Their renderings included colorful and poignant scenes of war, portraits of themselves and buddies, and reminiscent works of home and childhood. It was as if the need to create was so strong, that all other needs, like attention to wounds, disease, and survival, were put aside for the sake of art. Conditions in these trenches were deplorable. This man-made labyrinth of trenches was filled with water and mud; rats and lice had free reign; and foot rot (trench foot) killed as many soldiers as mustard gas. To create under such horrendous conditions points to a base human need: to create is to live, to say, ?I was here, and people generations from now, will know that I was here!?

When school budgets are cut, the first subjects to go are art and music?because they are considered ?nonessential.? What a shame. The adolescent brain isn?t even fully developed until the age of 18, especially in boys. Creativity is one of the best stimuli for brain development. Like riding a bike, art is not forgotten and can be called upon at any point during life to fulfill the need to create.

When I was in high school, art wasn?t offered. I had to explore it on my own, which made me appreciate it all that much more. It started with writing, making pictures with words. I would get up at 3 in the morning to get in a couple of hours of writing before the busy day started. I found out that other people appreciated what I had to say and the stories I had to tell. Newspapers made room for my missives when they found out that I could be counted on for weekly submissions. I wrote for free, and still do?my gift to the world. I am here.

Then came photography, because a picture authenticates a story. When digital replaced film, and the computer replaced the darkroom, the whole world of photography changed. Like Henry Ford and his Model T for every man, the camera was now in the hands of the masses and anyone could take stunning photographs, and get creative with the help of a computer.

And now, for me, it?s (and I use this word broadly) ?sculpting?--turning rusty farm junk into works of art. It?s a way of preserving some of this old agricultural equipment before it goes to the scrapyard. I had to teach myself to weld and cut. But intricate designs and humanistic/animalistic forms can be created from the oddest junk.

Moving to the abstract or, bending the mind to another world view, is the most fun. It?s not what everyone sees, it?s what you see.

The Keokuk Community Fine Arts Council is holding an exhibition for me in the Old Union Train Depot, on S. 1st. St., in Keokuk, on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday, May 3, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. You can see these creations for yourself. Half of all sales will go toward the new roof on the Union Depot.

Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526, email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com, or visit his website at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com. Curt also reads his stories at www.lostlakeradio.com.