Click here to purchase Project Open Hand’s 2016 calendar for $15 each with free shipping.
For almost 20 years, world-renowned artist Gary Bukovnik has supported Project Open Hand by creating beautiful, watercolor paintings for our yearly calendars. We had the honor of being invited into Gary’s studio to ask him a few questions regarding his art and his involvement with Project Open Hand and were delighted by what we learned.
How did you first learn about Project Open Hand?
Many years ago, I heard the moving story about Project Open Hand founder Ruth Brinker and her compassion for those who were ill and dying from HIV/AIDS. As time went on, the HIV crisis grew, taking the lives of my dearest friends. It was devastating for me, as it was for so many others.
Then POH expanded to serve a wider group reaching even more of my friends, including my dear friend Mary. Mary was a wonderful cook but as years passed, she became very frail. Project Open Hand stepped in, providing meals and greatly improving her last days. I’m still moved and grateful for what you did for her.
What does the POH tagline “meals with love” mean to you?
How appropriate it is to see “meals with love” as Project Open Hand’s slogan! The volunteers, people from all walks of Bay Area life, give from their hearts. Helping in the kitchen, the grocery center or with deliveries is emotionally moving and awesome to witness. It’s a privilege to create art for the greatest charity organization that I have ever heard about or had contact with. We have made 19 calendars, and the impact has been beyond my wildest dreams!
How did you know or discover that you were an artist?
My beginnings were in rural Painesville, Ohio, where we lived with my grandmother, who had a general store in the middle of nowhere. All around it, fields of beautiful flowers were being grown commercially for shipment. In my case, the subject matter chose the artist, not the other way around. My folks wanted me to be a pharmacist. As a kid, I never questioned that. Painting still life with watercolors is like chemistry; you have to take it apart first to see how to put it back together. It wasn’t until I went to University that I realized I couldn’t move forward with pharmacy. Art was the only possible direction.
What are you working on right now?
I’m currently finishing paintings for an exhibition at the Botanical Garden at the University of California Berkeley, opening August 24th. I will be giving a one day workshop on the 3rd of September to benefit the garden! My next exhibition will open on October 1st at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Washington DC, then one in Kyoto in November and one at the Shanghai Hongqiao Contemporary Art Museum in December.
What advice would you give to an up-and-coming artist?
First, tell the truth in your work. Art is subjective, it’s pointless to second-guess what others might like or what’s in vogue. The beginning for an artist feels both exhilarating and impossible. There’s no encouragement to overcome one’s own self-doubt. Do what pleases you. Secondly, NEVER GIVE UP! Dedication and persistence win out every time. Practice. When there are those days that seem the darkest, keep moving forward, even if slowly.