George Innes

As I was doing my reading this past while I came upon a painting by George Innes, and being the Art History major that I am, I became enthralled. The painting was entitled, “Sunset in the Woods,” and the light, the color, the resonating sense of spirituality all just fascinated me. I’ve been asked many times who my favorite artist is, and I usually have such a difficult time answering, but something about Innes’s work made me automatically ponder about putting him on my favorite list. Perhaps one reason I was so in awe was the fact that I was getting such a strong sense of spiritualism from a landscape painting. I am not saying that landscapes can be inspiring, for they most definitely can, but this instance was different. It is just a scene in the woods, there’s no physically portrayal beyond trees, grass, leaves, etc. but it feels like there’s something more. There’s something alive, very alive, about this painting. I almost get the sense that something is coming, something very good to say the least, something that would be life changing. Something is coming that could perhaps be an external event, but at the same time, and more likely, could be completely internal as well. In other words Innes is able to portray an imminent change of mindset through a landscape painting.  How this is done I cannot put words to.

            I then went on to read more about Innes, which I hoped would help me understand this new phenomenon I had discovered. Doing so also made this artist more real to me, which is one thing I love about history. Realizing that these people you are reading about are  just like you in so many ways, for to be human creates so many similarities, changes how you view their work. It makes it more applicable to daily life. Anyway, here are some interesting things I discovered about Innes: He was born in New York, and was one of 13 children. His father had hoped to bring him into the family line of work (the grocer scene) but Innes took his own path, that of an artist (I cannot imagine that to be an easy point to sell to ones parents, for my own study of art was not an easy sell to my own parents). He studied as both an engraver and a painter. He was first influenced by the 17^th century Dutch landscape painters, and the Hudson River School, and then later in life he became attracted to the philosophies of Emanuel Swedenborg. Swedenborg’s influence is what primarily led to this spirituality that Innes tried to get across in his work.

Since this is what most fascinated me about Innes’s paintings (their almost tangible sense of spirituality), I looked into what exactly these philosophies of Swedenborg were. In doing this I found a couple quotes from him (Swedenborg) that, in my opinion, really help describe different aspects of Innes’s work: “But by all this I am not deterred, for I have seen, I have heard, I have felt,” and “First of all it must be known who the God of heaven is, since upon that all the other things depend.” This first quote, well for one really made a big impact on me (reminded me to put things into perspective), really resonates in Innes’s Sunset in the Woods. There is this sense really looking at what you are seeing, what is all around you, and then turning that around and doing the same thing with yourself (looking at who you are, what you are doing, and what you have done). This second quote is also very apparent because Innes is taking a sincere step towards seeing the divine in his subject matter. He really seems to be looking first for the spiritual and then for the actual, and at the same time finding the harmony between the two. Overall this was a good experience for me, for I now feel I have a slightly better understanding of a very talented painter, and at the same time feel as if I have been enlightened spiritually. I am excited to continue my study of Innes and enjoy the incite all his work has to offer.

Maisy

It was the beginning of Win’s second semester of high school in Happy Ville, Utah. It started out as a normal day, except for one thing, there was a lot of talk about a new student. “Have you seen that Maisy girl?” was a line Win had heard so many times that he started losing track of who’s mouth it was coming from.  Now in a different city, a new girl at school might not be that big a deal, but that was not the case in HV. You see, all the students here had known almost everyone in their school (and their families) since kindergarten. So let’s just say that the residents of Happy Ville were part of a very close knit community, and when Win caught wind of this new Maisy character, he was curious. It was not until his last class that he saw this mysterious maiden. It was English, and she had just been called to be his new partner for a series of projects that would last all semester long.

She was a tall, lean girl, with a mane of thick, black, wavy hair, and electric blue eyes. She wore an outfit of tattered looking jeans, a loose but fitted peasant blouse, and carried with her a worn, tattered, tan jacket. She looked out of place here, like she had been taken out of a movie and thrown into this small town setting. This was someone he’d be happy to know. Beautiful, to say the least, but she also looked like someone who could provide a little variation in this sea of monotony that he had lived in so long. He was fairly good looking, enough so that he’d never had a problem getting dates with girls. He had always been a pretty confident guy. Right as she sat down he jumped into an introduction, which worked well since they were supposed to be getting to know their new partners, “Hi, I’m Win. And you’re Maisy right?”

 She smirked in reply, “Wow, word sure travels fast around here.”

He could hardly take his eyes off of her. “Yep, welcome to good ol’ Happy Ville,” he joked, “Where ya from?” he said with a smile that just barely reached his eyes.

“I’m from Chico, California. I’m surprised you don’t already know that though, not much happens here does it?”

“Well, we uh…no, things get pretty routine around here. So anything new, especially when those new things are as pretty as you, gets everyone pretty hyped up.” He hadn’t intended to declare his admiration of her so readily, but it just slipped out. All sense of reservation was then thrown out the window. She did not, however, seem to have been affected by anything he said.

“Huh, well I’m just happy to be away from my last boyfriend. He was always high. He drove me crazy, but you can’t always help who you love right? Anyway, it’s good to be with a new set of people. I love meeting different types. Though, there doesn’t seem to be all that much difference between a lot of you guys. I mean, almost all of you are white. Which is fine, seeing as holding something against all white people is racist too, but it just blows my mind. Not to mention you’re all clean cut, not something I’m that used to. You all seem to be very into excelling at EVERYTHING. I mean I have never seen so many dedicated people in my life. You all rush to class to be on time. You all take notes. You all seem to be involved in some sort of after school activity. Let’s take you for instance. Come on, let’s here it. What do you do to fulfill the perfect quota?”

“Wow, you’ve got us all pinned down already huh? What do you think my out of class expertise is?”

“Hmm, definitely into something athletic, you’ve got a nice body and that doesn’t just happen. But you’ve also got that leadership air about you, like you know how things are done and you’re gonna tell us all what’s up.”

“Yes and yes I guess. I’m on the football team, quarter back to be exact. I am also the senior class president.”

“Oh boy, so I’m sitting by the cream of the crop then, eh?”

“I don’t know about that, I seem to be the lucky one in the room.” That got a smile out of her, which he took as a good sign.

“So what are you doing tonight? Because I really have nothing to do, and want to see what’s around here. My dad’s off on a work trip, surprise, surprise. And my mom is so lost in this novel she’s writing that there’s no help getting any sort of response out of her. Plus we just moved in so the amount of food in our house is critically low.”

He was aghast; girls around here were not that bold. He loved it. “Apparently, I am taking you around town. We can go when we get out of class.”

So that night was the beginning of their quick forming relationship. They laughed. She told him about her dreams of being an artist, of having her work displayed. She did not care where; it could be set in a window or out on a wall in a park somewhere, just as long as it was seen. She went on about her parents, her dad’s exploitations as an archeologist, her mom’s obsession with writing. She told him of her little brother, how he was a pain in the butt, but she still missed him. He had gone away to boarding school, which was to be her fate as well, but through such a tantrum she got out of it. This was a girl that got what she wanted. She told him things no one else knew. Win talked a bit about himself as well, but for the most part he just soaked in what he could from her. Partly because she was so gosh darn pretty; but also because he was hungry to hear about places outside of his very sheltered bubble of a life.

Throughout the rest of the semester Win continued to become even more smitten with Maisy, in which Maisy seemed content, Win’s parents, however, were not so sure. You see, Maisy was not a member of the LDS church, and while they were completely open to Win befriending those not of their faith, which was a slightly hypothetical occurrence seeing as 95% of HV was Mormon, having him dating one was another situation entirely. “But mom, she is a good girl, and our relationship hasn’t really been defined anyway,” he explained.

“Winifred, she does not have the same standards as you. She comes from a completely different lifestyle. She may be good, but that does not mean she is temple worthy.  You date who you marry honey, and she could not give you a temple marriage. I am not saying you cannot be her friend. In fact I think that you should be, and in doing so try to practice being a missionary. If she is as mad about you as you are with her, I am afraid she will be tempted to join the church simply because she wants you, and she needs to gain a testimony of her own. I do not believe that the two of you will be a wise match. Can you see this one as a wife? Could you see her tending children? She is an artist I have heard, would she take the time from her work to take care of my grandchildren? You must also remember that you will be leaving soon honey. You should get your call sometime in April.”

“I know mom, I know. It’ll work out. I know you have some reservations, but Maisy…there’s just something about her. She’s so fun, and alive. ”

“Just be careful son. I am sure she is fun, but is she responsible? There is more to life than simply enjoying yourself.”

Careful was not exactly what Win did, for the more he got to know Maisy the more he couldn’t stop thinking about her. They went on a few dates. As the semester came to a close he asked her to the Senior prom, at the displeasure of his parents, but they had a great time. Throughout this entire time Win had attempted to bring Maisy into the Gospel, or at least introduce her to it. She was not necessarily against it, she believed in God, but had no desire to commit herself to one specific church. She often used the argument that she could see God all around her, and had no need to go to meetings to worship Him, especially ones that took three hours. There were also things about the church that she didn’t quite understand, like what was wrong with casual drinking, or having a cup of coffee on a day that is just dragging on and on. He tried to explain, but sometimes the explaining brought contention, and since he had so little time left before he would be gone, he just didn’t want to deal with it.

Graduation came and went. While that was a normal change that Maisy was expecting, there was another that she did not. Win was leaving for two years to tell people about their church. He had received his mission call to Santiago, Chile but she had put it in the back of her mind. It was now the end of May and he’d be leaving at the beginning of June. As the day grew closer she began to try to persuade him to stay. “Win,” she begged, “Please just stay and go to school with me. Come on, there are so many missionaries out there right? They could get along with one less. I mean wouldn’t you rather stay with me? Think of how much fun we’d have!”

These conversations killed Win. He really did have strong feelings for Maisy, as she explained she had for him, but he also knew that he needed to go on his mission. He replied, “You know I want to be with you Mais, but this is what I need to do.”

 She did not like this answer. Because of this she retorted in a way that she knew would push Win’s buttons, “Well, if that’s how you want it fine. You better look me up when you get back, though, who knows if I’ll still be around. I don’t like being lonely, and that’s usually not a problem.” This idea did worry Win, but he knew Maisy was just speaking off of her emotions and he thought what they had was real, and therefore would last. She would eventually accept the church, she had to.

Win left for Chile and Maisy went to art school. Win tried hard, and the experience was difficult, but good for him. After two years, which seemed to fly by in his mind, he returned to Happy Ville. It was the beginning of summer and Maisy happened to be home from school, and while a lot had changed with Win, he still hoped there would be something between them. What he found was a shock to his system.

He decided to walk over to Maisy’s place a few days after he returned. He was going to call, but thought it better to see her in person. She came to the door as he knocked. “Oh my, looky who it is!” she declared. She was covered in paint; in fact, he couldn’t even tell what the color of her shirt was originally. They both stood there, staring for a while.

“Hey Mais, how ya been?”

“Good, just living life. How was the mission Winny boy?
            “It was hard, but good. It’s crazy being back.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it is.”

“So,” He didn’t know where to take the conversation from here, “We need to catch up. We can get together another time if now is bad?”

“Yeah, I’m kind of a mess. But I’m having a party later, you can come by then.”

“Alright, I’ll definitely swing by.” There was an awkwardness in the air that was almost tangible. Something was different, but he still felt a longing for this paint obsessed girl.

The party that night was not what he anticipated. He walked in expecting to see a few friends, but there were at least thirty people packed into this medium sized house, none of whom he recognized. There was alcohol. There was a movie playing, that Win knew wasn’t one he, or anyone for that matter, should be watching. There were people that looked less then admirable to say the least. He looked for Maisy, and after some searching, he found her encircled by a group of guys. When she saw Win she waved him over.

“Hey man! Glad you came.”

“Hey. This is quite the party you’re throwing.”

“Yeah it was a lot bigger then I expected, and a lot more stuff is going on…” she explained as she motions to the variety of activities, “…then I had planned.”

“Mais, these people seem nice, but do you really want a bunch of drunk people in your house? They could do a lot of damage.”

“Oh I know, but it is so fun. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s good time. Come on Win, live a little. There’s so much out there, you can just shut out so many different people.”

“The people may be good, but come on; you don’t want to be in this situation.”

“I’ll be where I want to be! But you should stay, Ben here is a hoot,” she points to the guy who was sitting next to her, who looked a little tipsy, “We’ve been seeing each other actually.”

“Maisy, you know you could do better.”

“Oh really? Like who?”

“Well,” He sighs, “like me.”

“Wow, if only that were true. It seems if someone was interested in someone else, they wouldn’t just take off for two years.” she says as she walks back to her group. Win simply walks home. He tells his mom what happened. She explains how Maisy came out of art school without a penny to her name and no job prospects. She’s been seen with so many guys around town, no one knows what to think any more. His mom advices him to go over there and make sure the party ends okay, but he decides against it.

“Maybe Maisy isn’t for me,” he mumbles to himself. Everything seemed so black and white now. Maisy had changed, and it hurt too much thinking of her with other guys.

The next day he sees Maisy as he’s meandering through the halls at the grocery store. “Hey you,” she says.

“Hey, how was the rest of the party last night?” he asks.

“It really wasn’t as bad as you thought it was, a few people were a bit out of it, but they left fairly well. I would have rather it been without the liquor, but overall it was a good time. I don’t see what’s wrong with it.” This only erupts emotions that Win had been holding back.

“I just don’t understand what you’re doing with your life,” he declares in frustration, “You need to step up and take responsibility Maisy, I don’t want to see you throw everything away. You need to be a little more practical. Stop being such a kid.” She just stared at him and walked away.

Time went by without any contact.  Part of Win wanted to help Maisy, but another part, a bigger one, just didn’t think he could do anything. She seemed so set in her ways to him.

A month later, he caught wind of an elopement, one between Maisy and a Blake Jefferson, a recently wealthy software owner who had been in town to recruit people for his new company. Win was past feeling by that time, if only he had stepped up before and really explained to her more in depth his feelings for both her and the church. Now it was too late. He decided to move away for a while. As he was packing the boxes in his car, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Maisy’s bedazzled wedding finger. He looked up into her eyes a question burning on his lips, “Do you love him?”

“What does it matter?  He is practical. I’ll be set. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.”

The fire he had once seen in those bright blue eyes had died. She handed him a note. He read it as she walked away, it explained how she had never stopped loving him. She had started taking the discussions, for she wanted to better understand where he was coming from, but was too heart broken over him to finish. She had hoped Win would fight for her; prove that he still had feelings for her when he returned. When he simply withdrew, she felt lost. Win moved away, Maisy and her new husband did the same. The two friends never saw each other away.