An Interview with: GERSON (GUS) LEIBER

In high school, what was your earliest creative experience(s)?

I can’t recall. There was no instruction.

You don’t remember doing anything creative prior to high school?

No, I don’t.

Your art career really found its rudder when you began training at the Royal Academy of Art in 1945. Can you talk about that time?

Not really. No, the only art experience I had was the examination for entrance when I was in Budapest when Judy [ wife, Judith Leiber] dragged me to the Royal Academy. But that was quite the alien experience; I’d never been to an art school before.

So that was your first experience finding your mode into the art world?

Everything was very…so unusual. I had no experience in an art school before because any artwork done in high school was completely unschooled. It was very strange. I just took this examination, which was a very scripted one. All of the applicants for entrance were given the exact same piece of paper and [they had us]   draw from the model.  I had never done that before.

Then how come you went there?

Judy wanted me to become a student there. But I thought it was completely impractical because this was right after the battle of Budapest-in wartime mode, and I didn’t speak any Hungarian except for a few words I’d picked up. I had no instruction.

You were an American GI in Budapest when you met your wife, Judith Leiber, the well-known handbag designer. That marriage has been strong for almost 70 years and it has been successful for both of you in business. Having had roots in Brooklyn from a poor family, your life was transformed with happiness, wealth and a solid direction in art. You’ve studied with famous artists and explored different mediums. How did that journey develop your vision in art?

I can’t explain it. I can’t, at all. I got to the Arts Students League and became aware of the trends in art and what was going on. The instructors were very good but their experiences were completely different. And my reaction was different. I did as I thought I should do, just worked, and made drawings. And actually, instruction was more from the fellow students. They were better than I, of course, and they were all ages and came from all different backgrounds and had different skills, talents. It was amazing.

There was one particular artist at the Art Students League whom you were very close to for decades, who recently passed away…?
Will Barnett.

4.     You draw, paint, produce prints and sculpt. Is there a medium that you enjoy most and why?

Enjoyment is a…is not the word for it. The mediums are just there to be used. Tools. They’re all tools. It’s sort of a search for self-realization. What’s going to happen? What’s going to…you know?

How would you characterize the search for self-realization in your art?

Well, I’m an intense reader, and the thing with New York is, it’s all a polyglot of people,  everything from the subway to the streets. In most of my early years, painting as art was very highly regarded. But no longer. It’s all changed now. Everyone is searching for a medium that is outside of painting. Painting brings you no publicity, no fame. Painting brings you no inclusion in museums and galleries and so on. Everything is looking for the odd thing, whatever it is. And those that find it are wonderful. So fortunate.

Of course, painting goes on. I’m a member of the National Academy, and I was elected as a Graphics member. At the Art Students League I studied with Will Barnett. But now that he’s gone I can say, we had absolutely no graphics instruction. The Art Students League had a very loose way of working.

And there were no grades in the Art Students League, right? You just worked.

No, there were no grades. You…the arts, in the G.I. bill, you were well-payed to go there and spend your time. And some of the people just came in for the roll call and left after that. There were no ideological struggles or fights between, say, a realist or an abstract painter. No, everyone did their thing.

Going back to when I asked what mediums you use…how do you move between them? Choose to do one medium over another?

It’s more of a feeling. For instance, I love the watercolors of Turner, and I would have given anything to paint that way. So I found a watercolor instructor, took classes, and I learned techniques and what-have-you. Some of those have remained with me, and some of those have not. Right now I’m not doing any graphic work because it’s hard work and requires dexterity and physical activity which I find myself at a loss with because of my age. I haven’t done any etching for years now.

What are you doing now, Gus? What kind of art?

Paintings and drawings.  Mainly paintings.

You’re a colorist, really such beautiful color. Color is very intuitive.

I’ve found that to be true. My work is very intuitive. I start out with just a few marks on a panel, and build and build. I’m pleased and astonished that it’s working.

Your work is in the collection of many museums, and you have won numerous awards and continue to exhibit. Do you maintain the challenge of creating art every day?

No. I can’t. My energy level is much, much lower than it used to be. I’m 94 years old. I’m astonished that I’m 94! Whatever happens, everything is astonishment.

You and your wife have built an extraordinary museum, The Leiber Collection, in Springs, New York. That was a huge project and is certainly a legacy for both of you. Do you have other philanthropic causes that engage you?

Yes. When I had money, we spent it quite freely on charities. But now that the place [Museum] has been built, the prospects for the elements of charity and so on are much lower.

 At 94 years old, what more could you have done or still want to do?

At this age, time is much more important than it used to be. You don’t know what’s going to happen the next minute, the next day.  I’ve discovered that I’m not a genius, but I think I’m a good artist.

AMAZING ART EMPOWERED THROUGH DISABILITIES

Disabilities promote challenges to invent new approaches, new  methods and new passion to make art. Not easy but the rewards are tremendous for those determined to engage in a creative life. 

Adaptation is a process of finding one's artistic voice. Whether born with handicaps or acquiring them during their lifetime, determination and resourcefulness will pave the path for talent to blossom. For those who were successful artists, they need to reinvent their approach and sometimes their art. 

For example, when Matisse became very sick in his older years and could no longer stand to paint, he used invention to push forward. Since he was bedridden, he had to find a way to continue to draw so he fashioned a fishing pole with a piece of charcoal at the end of the stick. He used this to draw on his walls and ceilings but soon became frustrated by the absence of color. That propelled him to develop these massive color assemblages. Working from his wheelchair and employing assistants to place the components as he directed on the wall, this series of works became his most successful art.

Of the many organizations dedicated to disabled artists, the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists hold a roster of extraordinary artists and their work. Because of physical disabilities, these artists paint with a brush in their mouths or feet. The site is for profit to showcase and support the exceptional talent. Additional resources for disabled artists include, but are not limited to, the following:

VSA-the International Organization on Arts and Disability


Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts

National Arts and Disability Center

Some visual artists who are disable and have achieved great creative success include:

Jeff Bevis became a quadriplegic at a young age. Despite a host of problems related to this condition, he graduated college and developed his skills to become a fabulous photographer who has had numerous exhibitions.


As an autistic savant, Stephen Wiltshire did not speak until he was 9 years old. But soon after, he started drawing architectural landscapes often remembering many details from having seen the buildings just briefly. Stephen has become world famous for his art.

Born in South Korea, Erin Ellis was adopted by an American family. Having cerebral palsy defined set hurdles for her in reaching creative success.She began by using her mouth to color pictures and then developed her skills as an artist.

With no lower arms or right foot, Simon Mark Smith creates remarkable paintings, teaches digital photography, writes poetry and develops websites. Yes and he is also a talented singer-songwriter!

Life challenges happen. Sometimes you are born with an identified challenge and at other times you develop the physical/emotional provblem from a disease and accident or through the aging process. The artists profied are just some of the many creative individuals who have jumped over early hurdles to develop their talent and themselves.

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. Christopher Reeve

BOOK SIGNING: Judith Zausner at The Magic Gardens with artist Isaiah Zagar

When: December 18th  from 6:30-8:30
Where: The Magic Gardens in Philadelphia

Judith interviewed the iconic ceramic muralist Isaiah in her book: The Creative Landscape of Aging and she will be ready to autograph your book purchase. Both Judith and Isaiah will talk about creativity and aging.


It's FREE but seating is limited so sign up early!
http://www.phillymagicgardens.org/events/book-signing-event/

The Marvel of 3D Printing in FASHION!

3D printing has become a phenomena in almost every industry but is particularly fascinating in fashion where it must combine visual aesthetics, accommodate movement and ultimately give the user comfort to wear. A triad of a challenge enabled by current technology. The future of fashion has arrived.

As a graduate student of fashion design in Israel, Danit Peleg took that challenge to create her collection of 5 unique garments and shoes. She began the process with no formal training and selectively chose her 3D home printer, software to shape the garment and special material that would be strong, light and flexible. With immense perseverance and guidance from the technical community, she succeeded in her journey to bridge fashion with technology. 

While Danit primarily used triangles in an origami type of approach with an architectural vision, Iris Herpen's 3D fashion was created in a different way. It used a liquid material which, when hardened, almost appeared poured on the model because to achieve perfect fitting, 3D scanner technology was used for the body dimensions  It was a product of SLA technology and the founder, Chuck Hull, first invented this technique in 1983 for industrial applications.

And fashion accessories have are also an integral part of the 3D printing world. While necklaces and bracelets are smaller projects with fewer fitting requirements, designers have been eager to create extraordinary shoes which are more complex to design successfully. And so Continuum, a small 3D printing outpost in Brooklyn, has been meeting these fashion challenges with a focus on footwear. Mary Huang is the designer/technologist and pioneer in this art. 

She says: "Such dreams of seamless digital to physical distribution must start with reasonable steps. It is not enough to just have the technology. We must design great products that can be made with the technology. Only then can we truly disrupt how products are made, and bring the 3D printing revolution to the masses."

With a keen awareness of this growing technology in fashion design, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York installed a remarkable and comprehensive exhibition titled Manus and Machina :Fashion in an Age of Technology. The exhibition has been so popular that the show dates have been extended.  You can view a gallery of extraordinary work in that show and also enjoy a short video and a series of brief clips from celebrated people..The New York Times has provided a full review of this show with accompanying pictures. If you have not seen the show in person, enjoy its majestry through these online links.

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” 
― Coco Chanel

My book, THE CREATIVE LANDSCAPE OF AGING, wins Award!

My book, THE CREATIVE LANDSCAPE OF AGING is a winner in the 24th annual National Mature Media Awards Program http://www.seniorawards.com/2015winners/. 

The program, presented by the Mature Market Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for the senior market, recognizes the nation’s finest marketing, communications, educational materials, and programs designed and produced for older adults. The entries were judged by a distinguished panel of mature market experts from across the United States for overall excellence of design, content, creativity and relevance to the senior market.

To Buy the book, click here.

An Interview with WARREN SEELIG: Textiles Transformed

You primarily reside in Maine now. Where did you grow up? What is the most important aspect of your environment? 

I fell in love with Maine when first teaching at Haystack. I also (believe it or not) love and thrive in cold weather but more important, I love the quality of light found here that comes from diffused light from changing weather here on the coast. My home here is on a lake in the country and I thoroughly enjoy the isolation and quiet….. but at the same time thrive in cities like Philadelphia and New York. I love the energy there and in general am attracted to both extremes….urban and rural. 


Do you recall your first experience of being creative? About how old were you and did this creativity come in spurts or was it a natural continuous flow? 

An early memory of loving to make things comes from making puppets that I stitched together when about 5 years old…. also did some very crude embroidery which was much encouraged by both my mother and father. I always had a project of some kind going on at home but then loved art class once I was in school. I also vividly remember my father being very enthusiastic about slit paper castles that I loved to make. I remember him saying at age (around 7) that “no other kid makes as beautiful paper castle as you make.” That certainly did not hurt my self esteem which I think was very important.


You have talked about your first woven cloth as a dynamic energy field complete with living mystery. Do you also have such wonders when you are constructing work with hard elements such as metal? 

Absolutely…. its not the (literal) material that is so important to me as it is discovering the “phenomenon” of textiles through my early experience in woven textiles and later translating that feeling through a variety of materials and in range of forms. 


You have a very successful career as an artist, educator, and writer and also honored to be a Fellow and Board member of the American Crafts Council. How do you balance and dedicate yourself to these different sectors? 

They all inter-relate…. Teaching is an extremely inspiring experience for me…. student discovery of their profound need to make, build and construct and love of materiality is exciting to observe and share with them. Their idealism about everything going on in their lives rubs off on me easily…. and is much appreciated. Also, I am interested in writing about ideas which I think are important and see few others who are paying attention. Students teach me so much about the textile medium through the way that they relate to it. My writing is often inspired by emerging artists and what appears to be important to them. Finally, I have been on a few boards including Haystack and the ACC. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with emerging artists with institutions and care deeply that they keep up with what the current generation of artists care about. The future of these institutions must be shaped by the needs of young artists. 


You participate in the installation of your work which is demanding physically because your art is both large and heavy. And at the time of this interview, you have multiple simultaneous exhibitions. How do you manage your involvement? 

In very large projects I hire assistants to work with me, especially when commissions come up. Keeping extremely busy keeps me young in body and in mind I think. I am in denial that I am getting older and recognize that I have slowed down in some ways. I guess that I am driven to do what I do and expect that that will never change. 


You are now 69, do you reflect on how your art has changed and what challenges you would like to take? 

That's a difficult question to answer in a few words. I am doing my best to not repeat my self in my work even though there is a real demand for that. I am more interested than ever in working collaboratively with installations at places like the Portland Museum of Art, Maryland Institute of Art and Haystack….. work where I have little idea what the finished product will be until the work is completed. Much of this work has no market value and only photo documentation and the experience of having accomplished is left after the project and showing has been completed. 

A CREATIVE REBIRTH: Artists who Emerge Creatively from Another Career

People have many talents that are seldom realized in their lifetime. Economics is a factor that often cuts in the explorative personality; when making a living counts, when tuition investments matter, when security trumps innovative play-all are reasons to maintain a traditional career stance. But then something happens that stirs the soul to take risk, adventure and seek a creative life. It could be a big inheritance, a medical change or motivation to take a corporate parachute and color it or just an inner need to get a new life rudder.

These are some artists who successfully transitioned from their traditional career roles to a creative life.

       John Creveling was a career coach and was enjoying photography. About the time that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, he began to draw and paint. “I'm not sure if I discovered art or art discovered me. But I'm loving it every minute, every day, to try to experiment and grow that way.". He continues to create art in different mediums.

·     Dennis Stelz was a champion marksman who almost went blind from spinal surgery complications. He became very depressed. But fortunately, with the support of friends, learned to turn wood and his creative life was born.

·     George Saunders was an environmental engineer who had worked as an oil surveyor, a doorman, a roofer, and a knuckle-puller at a slaughterhouse. He was an avid reader, became a best-selling author and now reputed to be one of the world’s finest short story writers.

·      Lucy Rose Fischer earned a  Ph.D. in sociology and eventually focused on gerontology. She always loved art and, at 60, after her husband’s health scare, she quit being a sociologist and became an artist.

·      Ben Fountain was a lawyer who had taken some creative writing classes in college. His big writing success came with “Brief Encounters” which was eighteen years after he first sat down to write.

        Dr. Earl Briggs was always a doer and innovator. As a dentist, he did his own lab work from inlays to bridges to dentures. Now retired after 43 years, he enjoys painting and making jewelry.

·      Insider Artist Judith Scott was born with Down’s Syndrome and deaf. She was institutionalized at age 7 and, after 35 years, her fraternal twin sister, Joyce, gained legal guardianship. She spent her days at Creative Growth Art Center where she developed a unique talent for creating art that involved wrapping and binding diverse elements together. Although deceased, her work is in collections of major museums.

Everyone has the ability to be creative and, with courage and determination, a whole new part of your life can be launched!


Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative place where no one else has ever been.

Alan Alda

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