So- a brief update, and then I'd like to share a letter I've written and submitted to be used in the foreword of a book being published soon. The books author, renowned Canadian painter Robert Genn( [link]) has devoted countless hours applying himself to sharing his vast experience through weekly letters(which I highly recommend to anyone interested in the arts- subscribe on the right side here- [link]). When he asked the subscribers to his letters for submissions for his foreword I couldn't stop myself from replying. That letter after a quick note from this weekend's activity.

I was invited to paint at a local community gathering sponsored by Jackalope's Restaraunt, The Philosopher's Stone, and Red Bull in Charlotte, NC this past Saturday. There were 6 of us painting altogether and we were supposed to incorporate a bull in any way our interpretations allowed. Here's what I came up with-
I would've liked to have worked on it a bit longer, but there was a silent auction and the owner of one of the two restaurants hosting the event bought my painting, which he had to outbid someone else for Also won $100 through a raffle where event-goers could drop tickets into their favorite artist's bucket which covered my paint and a couple new brushes

...and the compensation is awesome, but the real reward is in rubbing elbows with the public throughout the painting process. For me, it is a way to try and practice some of what I preach below.

Dear Reader,


This letter is taken up on a whim and, like so many late-night studio sessions, holds the sweet promise of extraordinary breakthroughs and meaningful insights to come. These experiential gems are the proverbial carrots we hold out to persuade the mules of our limited personalities to climb out of the gorges and into the openness of expanded perspectives. Of course, many times the mule completes the journey and our thirst for expansion is quenched 100 times over. Many times also does happenstance and the unforeseen thwart us from our intended goals.


At these troubling crossroads Robert extends a helping hand. His letters act as practical guides to engaging with and resolving unforeseen creative obstacles as well as the glaringly obvious-but-unavoidable kind. They also serve to remind us of the sacred mission- the necessity of our mules’ reaching the canyon’s rim. There, our people await sustenance that only we can provide, whether any of us know it or not. In traveling to those places of depth and perspective, places infrequently encountered by others, we are able to harvest the nectar of life. The fruits we deliver, whatever their properties, remind those that consume them of lands and possibilities beyond their own. In witnessing our flights the earth-bound begin to remember their own wings, long forgotten beneath layers of protective clothing as they may be.


Where we go off in search of meaning and to drink of the rivers of beauty and creativity, Robert has, in addition to this same adventure, set out to inspire us and give a helping hand. In my own experience, he has caught my grasping hand more than once just as I was beginning to slip down a treacherous slope. For this, I am eternally grateful. He sets an example not only as the determined and accomplished artist but, more importantly I think, as the empathetic and compassionate artist. This world would benefit from more of us stepping up and trusting ourselves enough to share our precious insights and creative wisdom.


The reason so many of us struggle to gain the recognition we know we deserve is because we seek it mainly through the display of our art. These creations, though, have themselves arisen from the fertile soil of our wisdom- which is itself of far greater value than anything we could station in a gallery or museum. To seek this acknowledgment is natural but does it not seem as if some part of the process is missing? We are confused and stagnate when expected results are not forthcoming because we are all of us, in some small way, idealists. In a perfect world, our efforts would be obvious to all and valued more than gold. As artists I think we are wired this way so that we can act as engines to carry humanity across the vast plains of history into this promise land where presence and the light of the human spirit can be and is shared freely. We can greatly increase our successes along this creative path by finding ways to share our wisdom in equal measure with our art . Perhaps this is why we are drawn to Robert’s words. He has managed to do this through these letters and we are all better off for it.


With gratitude and a loaded brush held high,

Justin R. Christenbery
9-5-'09

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I do not believe in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.
-Thomas Carlyle

The first key to wisdom is assiduous and frequent questioning.
-Peter Abelard

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.
-Confucius
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