Art in various forms

There are two forms of art that I participate in. One is writing, of course. The other is model sailplanes.

I've flown R/C models since I was 16. I originally started with glow-powered models, but when I moved to Fort Wayne in the 1990's with my wife and kids, I stumbled across competition sailplane flying. I can still fly glow or electric, but my heart is in dancing on the wind with a glider.

Gliders allow me to touch a bit of what artist's must feel. By their very nature and the edicts of aerodynamics, gliders are inherently graceful in line and motion. The smoother and more curvey a model is, the better it will work (within bounds of a host of other factors, mind, such as airfoil). There are huge number of fiddly bits to be played with in search of that magic combination that will lead the pilot to "wood" (i.e. trophies) at the end of the day.

What brings this up? Well, yesterday I went over to my brother-in-law Will's place to do an assessment survey on the damaged and distressed models hiding in his garage. Will flies gliders like me, but there's a reason I call him "Moose". Will and finesse have yet to truly meet and they might not hit it off when they do.

Anyway, as we sorted through the pile of damaged bits and pieces that need to be fixed (i.e. that I would be fixing), it dawned on me that I wasn't looking at things just to get them fixed enough, I wanted to fix them right. To me, just getting the parts airworthy again wasn't enough. I wanted the planes to be in better shape after I was done than before they went in (which, admittedly, is a pretty modest goal considering the care Will usually give his gear).

Anyway, it brought to my mind the whole difference between art and craft. Craft is what anyone can learn given proper instruction and serious study. Art is something more. To me, the models are, in and of themselves, art and my repairs should add to that, smoothing and polishing and renewing. When I build a new model, I tend to great finickiness, from the time I start the design to the time I let the model go for its trip up the winch line.

When I write, I seek not to simply capture a story. Rather, I work to convey the feelings and emotions that I perceive the characters experiencing. Yes, it's a hubris for me to call my writing art, but even if no one else thinks that of my words my efforts in prose remain art to me, my own efforts to reach beyond craft to express something more.