AUGUST 1 • 2024 | 37
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my own life — my transition from Michigan
to the desert and the change from the artistic
medium I have been using for the last 55 years,”
said Aronson, who will have about 30 pieces
in the show to demonstrate the expansion of
skills gained in the 1970s as he studied at and
graduated from the School of the Art Institute
of Chicago.
“I’m primarily a printmaker with etchings
and lithographs in black and white and shades
of gray; but coming out to California, I switched
to oil paint, and I began to respond to the
beautiful environment around me,” he added.
“It’s desert, but it has a tremendous amount
of color, especially in the spring. I responded
to all of the color and the different shapes and
images. That’s really what is reflected in my
painting. I didn’t do oil painting until I moved
here so it was a whole new medium for me.”
Aronson said he believes his spirituality
comes across in his works of art even though
they don’t reveal specifically Jewish images.
“The art pieces reflect my love of nature in
the strokes of painting,” he said. “I love the
feel of the brush on plexiglass. It reflects a new
phase of my life where I’m more focused on the
world around me because I have more time to
do that.
“In the monotypes I have been doing, there’s
the theme of a road. I’ve been thinking about
where I’m going in life and what my spiritual
road forward is.”
Catching the Joshua Tree Dream Experience
Detroit
&
Glimpses of the Joshua Tree Dream book launch
Created by Lisa Schyck
CATCHING A DREAM
The book tells about and pictures the
desert environment the couple and
other creative people have chosen
and describes individual life stories of
those who also moved into the Joshua
Tree area.
“There were unique and similar
stories as to why people were moving
to Joshua Tree, and it really was about
people following their dreams to live
authentically and feeling free to do art,
music and things like that,” said Lisa
Schyck-Aronson, who did corporate
human resources work in Michigan
before studying and practicing interior
design after the couple’s move west.
“We came up with the title ‘Catching
the Joshua Tree Dream’ for the exhibit
in thinking wherever you’re at in the
world, it doesn’t matter. You can catch
your dream and live authentically, and
I feel that is very inspiring. People in
the book set that example.”
While Schyck-Aronson wrote the
forward and the introduction to the
book, the essays were written by Katie
Nartonis, and pictures were done
by Bill Brewer, whose photography
projects also will be on display and
shown among the artistry of surrealist
Snake Jagger, abstract painter Susan
Kearns and assemblage artist Bobby
Furst.
“I have videos with people from the
book to show during the exhibit to
make it a more immersive experience,”
said Schyck-Aronson, who explained
that this move also allows her husband
to live closer to his family members
who have chosen western living places.
While Aronson is no longer doing
exacting fundraising, he is helping
clients prepare for their financial
futures, and among his clients is the
Friendship Circle. That is why the
first day of the exhibit, on Aug. 8, is
a private showing and will emphasize
compositions by the adult artists
being served and showcased by that
organization.
“Living in the desert is like living
on a different planet,” Aronson said.
“It takes some getting used to, and
it’s been about four years for us. The
climate is completely different.
“The landscape — the plants,
the trees, the rocks, the mountains,
everything out here — is very
strikingly beautiful. It’s very inspiring,
and it’s affected my work and spiritual
growth.
“
As Jews, we started out in the
desert. Sometimes it feels a little
isolating because Detroit is my home
and has held most of my career. I was
surrounded by people, and here it’s
just basically Lisa and me and our two
dogs.”
Details
The exhibit “Catching the Joshua
Tree Dream” and the introduction
of the book Glimpses of the Joshua
Tree Dream run 5-8 p.m. Friday,
Aug. 9, and 1-5 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday, Aug. 10-11, at the Galerie
Camille, 4130 Cass Ave., Suite C,
Detroit. (248) 245-6650.
Desert in Spring by
Robert Aronson