Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 13, 1993 TAG: 9304130263
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LINDA KANE SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
TWO SURVIVE, THRIVE IN ART WORLD
Realist artists Jack Beal and Sondra Freckelton, artists-in-residence at Hollins College, consider themselves somewhat like preachers, sharing the ministry of contemporary realism.It's a generous gospel and a positive one, much like Beal and Freckelton, the people. When they discuss their work, there's lots of laughter, and the tone is relaxed. They are practicing artists and arts educators, and they do both extraordinarily well.
But perhaps even rarer, Beal and Freckelton are recognized for their encouragement of young artists and a strong rapport with their peers.
A married couple since 1955, each has created acclaimed art for more than 30 years, exhibited in top museums, received coveted awards and fellowships and achieved impressive commissions and sales. And each has a clear impression of the down side to a life in the art world.
For example, the highly charged, competitive art world has earned its reputation as a place where dog-eat-dog dogmas apply, where art and angst commingle, and where 92 percent of master of fine arts graduates have been known to drop out of the field.
"The art world is in a state of collapse," Beal explained in an interview earlier this week on the Hollins campus. "The motto among New York City art dealers is `Stay alive till '95.' It's industry-wide, and the number of artists making lots of money in the last two years has dwindled.
"Additionally, realist art isn't in fashion. There were seven important realist exhibitions showing simultaneously on 57th Street in New York City last fall, and none were reviewed in the New York Times."
"Buying art has become more like playing the Wall Street game," added Freckelton, a prominent printmaker and watercolorist, "with buyers speculating arbitrarily as in stocks and bonds, in order to trade. It has had an adverse effect on the art market."
Is this what Beal and Freckelton will talk about when the present upcoming lectures and slide presentations at Hollins College, Radford University and North Cross School?
No, their lectures will more likely go like this: Museum-going is the number one public attraction in New York, the city where everyone has a Yankees ballcap. If you are an artist, nothing else can offer the enormous satisfaction of a life in the arts. And they'll discuss contemporary realist art, which is their first love.
"Realist art is accessible. It has so many levels that there's always an entry point for appreciation, Freckelton said. "A person less educated in art can enjoy it for the image alone, and art scholars enjoy it on many levels. Like good music, it will grow on you, unlike non-objective art, which may not have an entry point for appreciation."
"I have a motto," Beal continued, " `To make art like life.' So much of my understanding of music, rhythms and logic has come from art, music and literature.
"To me, making a painting, if not a glorification, is at least an acceptance of that image, so I select my subjects carefully. One piece, "Virtues and Vices," explores moral dilemmas and shows how much our perceptions have changed. Pride used to be a one-way ticket to hell on the express train, and now it's a virtue. It says something about our culture."
Beal and Freckelton once considered retirement. Instead, they have taken to classrooms where they have found even more reasons to feel positive about the direction of art and new artists.
"I run my life drawing class at Hollins like a Marine drill sergeant - all three hours of it," explained Beal. "And the students give everything back. I come away from my classes feeling inspired and recharged for my own work."
Another reason for his high spirits may be the release of a second book on Beal's work entitled "Jack Beal." Out this month, it was published by Hudson Hills Press. The volume includes 64 full color images of Beal's work and will be available this week at the Hollins College bookstore.
"To become a fine artist requires, of course, an aptitude, but also a passion for it exclusive of everything else. And you must understand that it doesn't get easier: You slow down and your standards get higher. I guess we won't be relaxing in rocking chairs any time soon," Freckelton said.
"Sometimes I think being an artist is more like having an illness than an occupation," added Beal.
\ Beal/Freckelton presentations: Jack Beal lecture and slide show, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Green Drawing Room, Hollins College. 362-6451. Beal and Freckelton lecture and slide show, Thursday, 8 p.m., Heth Faculty Club, Radford University. 831-5420. Beal and Freckelton lecture and slide show, Friday, 10 a.m., Slack Hall Auditorium, North Cross School, Roanoke. 989-6641.\
Artists Linda Kane is a Roanoke native who spent 12 years in Santa Fe, N.M., writing about the arts.