The art of writing about fine art
By Kristin Hoerth
Sweet Dreams by Anna Rose Bain (see page 40).
This story was featured in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art December 2019/January 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
I’VE BEEN THINKING lately how there’s a real art to telling someone a good story. The idea first came to mind when a friend told me about a Toastmasters meeting he had recently attended. Part of the meeting is devoted to what the organization calls “table topics,” which are impromptu, two-minute speeches on topics that are assigned on the spot. The easiest way to approach this kind of speech, I suggested, might be to think of a story that relates (even if only tangentially) to the topic; recounting a specific experience you’ve had seems much less daunting than coming up with a general collection of thoughts or opinions. If, for example, the topic is “my favorite color” (which was the sample topic my friend gave me), it might be hard to describe exactly why you love blue; it’s easier to tell a story about how your favorite team’s color is blue and what it was like the first time you attended one of their games.
Not long after this conversation, I attended a live taping of the podcast called “How I Built This,” in which host Guy Raz interviews the entrepreneurs and innovators behind some of the world’s best-known companies and brands. The guest was Curt Richardson, founder of Otter Products, which sells the popular OtterBox waterproof cell-phone cases and is headquartered in Fort Collins, CO. During the course of the show, Raz’s questions and Richardson’s answers proceeded more or less chronologically to create a fascinating narrative about Otter’s history as well as Richard-son’s life and career. As interesting as the conversation was, there were still a few times when I found myself thinking of a specific follow-up question that needed to be asked or that an answer wasn’t totally understandable without some additional background information.
Telling a story isn’t easy, but when it’s done well, it’s such a pleasure to read or listen to. That’s why I’m so grateful for the wonderful storytellers who write our feature stories each month here at Southwest Art. If you’re a frequent reader of the magazine, you’ve likely seen their names countless times: Norman Kolpas, Gussie Fauntleroy, and Bonnie Gangelhoff have been getting to know artists and then crafting fun, revealing, accurate narratives on a regular basis for many years, and they’re incredibly good at what they do. Each story gives you a full picture of the person being profiled, and—we hope—never leaves you wondering. Please enjoy the great stories in this issue, and here’s to the talented storytellers who make them possible.
This story was featured in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art December 2019/January 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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