I had been extremely busy with some deadlines at 11/30/2016 and again at 12/31/2016. Kata Rhe was also at the height of her busy season selling wine for the holidays… It worked out perfect for us to take a break.
Kata Rhe has been wanting to visit Worrell again for some time.
William Walter Worrell. He is an extremely interesting human being. Most of my family knows Worrell as the charismatic minister of Kata Rhe’s and my wedding ceremony on Edlin Lane October 22, 2011. At that time and since, I truly knew little about Worrell personally. I knew Kata’s impression, Kix and Eric Brooks’ impression… Kata Rhe has always thought the world of him and Eric did as well.
I finally had an opportunity to spend time with Worrell the weekend of the January 19th thru the 23rd. Worrell is truly unique and has made a career life out of expressing himself.
Worrell’s property was familiar to me. It reminded me of the family farm I grew up on. Barns and tool sheds. Machinery about. The scene is perhaps a layman’s paradise. In this case, it is definitely an artist’s paradise… Worrell has named his paradise New Art, Texas; down the road from the town of Art.
Looking down from Worrell’s studio and home is the Llano River. It is a gorgeous river with beautiful stone protruding the surface and rapids carving away. Seems like it would be hard to get work done with the distractions in such a beautiful environment. At the other end of the spectrum it probably provides great energy. I suppose it works both ways and more of the latter for Worrell. He uses that energy from the Llano to make art every day – bronzes, jewelry, paintings, pottery, and music… He is a Renaissance man. I encourage everyone to check out his work.
So much can be said about the trip. What was most invaluable to me was the conversation and fellowship with an artist that “gets it”.
What do I mean when I say someone “gets it”? In a world of ubiquitous Facebook arguments, hateful one-liners, and unfounded friend alienation and character assassination, Worrell comes from a place of love.
If our hearts started with love, the media’s pitting people against each other would quickly fade and our conversations with one another would becoming enriching and filled with purpose.
I listened and I learned. Actually, I was caught a bit off-guard and had a sense of excitement at the same time Worrell was talking. Let me explain: I have been in a text group with some of my closest friends for over five years. We discuss everything – politics, religion, humanity, mindset, etc…
We discussed fear and self-sabotage; perspectives of scarcity versus a perspective of abundance; discussed our passions… It was beautiful to me… As I type that, I ask myself “Why do I think the conversation was beautiful?” In fairness, my friends and I love these topics and discuss them frequently. Here I think it just came to me. My enriching text group consists of two CPAs, an engineer, and an insurance agent. We aren’t miserable by any means, but we are searching and yearning for more.
I am reflecting on a conversation I had with Worrell whose life-long dream was to make art. We were sitting in front of a wood stove in his living room overlooking the Llano River, surrounded by paintings, sculptures, pottery and music he has created spanning over 50 years, on his property he has named New Art where he has his own studio and pottery shop.
Damn. It just became so easy to see how that’s beautiful!
– January 30, 2017 8:40 a.m.
I also wanted to share a a few pictures from my visit… The first was taken 01.20.17 at 10:06 p.m. It is called “Orion on the Llano”. If you look in the top right you can make out Orion.
The second was taken 01.23.17 at 3:34 a.m. It is called “Artist and Teacher”. The artist placed bronzes in the foreground. The Teacher laid the foundation and painted the background.
Recent Comments