Vital Aging Clinic

As I get older, I seem to always be on the lookout for good healthcare. I not only see myself as a patient but, I also want to be the customer as well. These days, it seems that we are the patients and the insurance companies are the customers. The reality is that the insurance companies dictate our care. While our doc is listening to us, it seems that it is with only one ear as the other is with the insurance company. The result is that our good doctor is guiding us financially as well, making sure things are approved and I understand that aspect.

I had, what I call, a life saving experience in healthcare a few years ago. I decided to consult “Vital Aging Clinic” here in my hometown of Anacortes Washington. The doctor, Alethea Fleming, set in motion a program that was guided by the principal of preventative healthcare as opposed to reactive healthcare. The health results were based on my individual needs and how to achieve those needs. The financial result was that the insurance paid for some and I paid for some but, I was in control of that part where I made the choice. At 68 years old and looking at my declining years, I am on no drugs and as active as I want to be. Because of this, my actual healthcare costs have dropped.

Does this sound like a commercial message? ….it’s not! This is a sharing message to any of you who are approaching your declining years and are trying to stay healthy ‘til you drop. Alethea Fleming is a Naturopathic Physician who runs Vital Aging Clinic. Check her out: http://www.vitalagingclinic.com/

Give her a call. ;-).... 360-630-3022

My books are available

I now have PayPal in place and functioning. Please find Alfred Currier, Impasto and Alfred Currier, Glacier National Park 101 available on my website: http://www.alfredcurrier.com/book.cfm

Visual Chapbook

I would have never thought that a month of plein air painting (painting outside) would culminate into a catalog. The whole process from beginning to end was both nerve-wracking and exhilarating. The way I talk about this might give the impression that it is a 500-page hardback. I have had a major book before written by a museum curator and published by a university press but, I had little input or control.

Alfred Currier: Glacier National Park 101 is a small intimate part of my life, in the summer of 2011. It is a quiet introspective with nature, a much-needed sabbatical from studio painting.

So, what's the fuss? Well, several discussions have surfaced lately about plein air painting and what qualifies a painting to be called "plein air". For the record, these works were started and finished on location with the exception of two that were the victim of a weather change at the very end. Now, some might say that if they painted from a photo, it's a plein air painting. Others might say that if it were started outside, it qualifies. And, one established plein air painter told me that 80% had to be accomplished while painting plein air.

I find all of this amusing, who cares? It's from within and how you, the artist, feel about what you do. I was moved by the beauty of the park, a visual commune so to speak. ...and the majesty of it all.

Through several conversations in the park, it became apparent that some of our leaders want to privatize our National Parks under the guise of being fiscally responsible. I find this appalling as it could open these sacred lands up for mining and degradation of our park system. This was the motivating factor for producing this visual chapbook. We need to keep our parks safe for our children's and grandchildren's sake. Amy Marquis, Associate Editor of National Parks Magazine wrote further on this topic in the preface of this catalog.

This visual chapbook will be released during my Glacier show reception this Saturday evening, Feb 11, 2012 at Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland Washington. You are invited. I will give a short talk at 6:30pm followed by a book signing.

Books will be available from my website, www.alfredcurrier.com/book.cfm after Feb 12.

The Life of an Artist

I was recently invited to be included in a book titled "100 Artists of Washington" by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. It's always nice to be noticed, but, I was asked to write a little blurb about myself in the first person. This was an uncomfortable situation. It's like holding a spotlight above your head while doing a tap dance. I sat quietly for a while, trying to gather my thoughts. What brought me to this point in life? Why was I an artist as opposed to having a real job with regular income and health insurance? I had done that for a while but, it never clicked with me as my mind would wander off somewhere. Eventually, someone would smack me on the back of the head telling me to pay attention. Was that the key? I wrote:

"Gazing out the window watching a bird hop from one branch to another wasn’t uncommon for me in my early years while sitting in my classroom. Others were learning more quantitative subjects like math and verbal skills. It was that meditative activity that has stayed with me all my life. Art has been my interest since childhood.

My formative years were established in a small town in southern Ohio, Chillicothe. Art took many forms in my life and creativity was at the center although, not always recognized. I studied two years at the Columbus Collage of Art and Design and went on to receive my degree at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. I did teach for a while at the Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Art, Chicago, the Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS, as well as painting workshops throughout the United States and Europe.

My voice, however didn’t establish itself until I moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1990. The Skagit Valley Region of Washington State was my artistic coming of age. It was here where my “impasto” skills emerged and my voice began to bellow. It was here where I discovered that my technical skills were my tools of expression and not the end within itself."

So, that was my submitted response for the upcoming book, 100 Artists of Washington. Did I choose the life of an artist or did it choose me? The idea of working 9 to 5 with regular income conjures up the idea of security and being able to walk away from your job at day's end. An artist has none of that. I don't seem to be able to walk away nor do I have the security of a regular income. I went 11 months in 2011 without a major piece of my work selling. In the past 3 weeks, 7 have sold. That's like getting paid once a year but, that's the norm in this profession. I really don't think of it as a profession as much as an obsession. There are many positive aspects that far out way the negatives. First, no one can fire or lay my off. Second, if the weather is nice, I can chose to go for a bike ride. Mostly though it the satisfaction of delving into yourself and losing all concepts of time and space while coming out the other side with the fruits of your labor(or fruits of your play).

www.alfredcurrier.com

"Art for the Heart" raises over $8,000

"Art for the Heart" raises over $8,000 entering its third week.
Proceeds to go to selected non-profits that support basic human needs and the environment in which we live.

Come visit my open studio.

see: www.alfredcurrier.com

"Vivo" Art for the Heart

"Vivo", a 36x48 impasto oil is entered in the Art for the Heart program.

See www.alfredcurrier.com

Formation of a painting

This is a very simple application of a creative thought. I have been studying ravens for the past several months with some in compositions that have been fun. I believe that I've only scratched the surface so, with no further explanation, please find Formation in it's development stages.

see: http://www.alfredcurrier.com/