Once upon a time songs, books, movies, and dances were
designed around stories. Stories are what we want to see and hear. Stories are
what connect us as a species.
Think I’m wrong? Then think about the great stories we
remember. “Sound of Music” or “Roots” or “Star Wars” or “The Nutcracker” are
all fine examples of stories. OK? What is the greatest selling book of all
time? The Bible is nothing more than lots of stories. With characters like Mary
Poppins or Frankenstein or Harry Potter or Alice and her rabbit the stories can
go on and on.
Going back to the early folk songs, they were sung to tell
a tale that could be repeated and told again and again. Today’s songs are the
same. The tell stories of love and pain and experiences we all share.
So how does this story telling relate to artwork? A
painting or a drawing or sketches have to do with telling a story? Many of the
old wall drawings were to tell the story of a hunt or a war. The hieroglyphics
told stories etched in stone. Paintings of figures who could pay for the
attention or were symbols of the moment grace museum walls. Then other
paintings show us a detail of previous life telling us the story of our
history. Quilts were not just constructed for warmth but to also tell a family
story. 
