5 between knowledge and dream
Tuesday, March 7, 2017 at 09:20PM Phil lived in an apartment on Fawcett Street, just off Kensington’s antique row. He had a great sense of humor, which he inserted into the serious conversations he loved to pursue with his friends and neighbors. He loved to laugh.
Phil in his studio apartment, 2016 - photograph by Deborah JaffeHe surrounded himself with his writings, drawings, paintings and an eclectic collection of deconstructed antiques that made up the media he most loved to use.
Few people were invited into Phil's domain and even fewer managed to accept the invitation. Those who did were greeted by a breathtakingly touching venue, and left having experienced a surprising sense of the numinous. - photograph by Deborah Jaffe
Phil Kurz, my brother and a much-loved friend, departed Planet Earth on July 22, 2016. He has left an aching void for all who knew him. He has also left us his work – and our own memories of a life dedicated to love, beauty, and kindness.
.....These 5 pages are a short biography written for Phil's memorial by
- Cynthia K. Hatfield, Sister & Visual Art Professor, University of the V.I.
- Michael Causey, Neighbor, Freelance Journalist and Editor
I Drift Between Knowledge and Dream
I Am the In Between
Phil Kurz, “The Flute of God”
An Exhibiton of Phil's Work is happening through June 3, 2018 and you're invited.
when? six days a week between 10am and 6 pm. Closed Wednesdays.
where? the Flood Gallery in Black Mountain, see directions to the gallery on the following invitation.
Cynthia Hatfield
These pages are a start (in blog format) to Phil's biography. Click to the Right to see them in chronological order; the Above header links to this page, where they are presented from most recent to his early years. Illustrations are a work in progress from photo galleries still under construction, so some thumbnails are not active & later images are not yet posted. Stay tuned for updates and please add your comments and stories about Phil and his artwork to the Blog page, by clicking on the PHIL KURZ tab on the header above, then on the "A BLOG: Phil's story..." tab to the right. - Thanks!
Reader Comments (4)
THIS WEEK! Benefit Auction through Asheville's Flood Gallery online NOW! - HURRICANE RELIEF Fundraiser (100% to Puerto Rico) https://www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/puerto-rico-hurricane-relief-art-auction-3261 [COPY & PASTE LINK]
CHECK IT OUT SEE SIX OF PHIL'S pieces...buy to support a very good cause, or just donate.
NOTE!!>>>Bidding ends on November 18th with a concert, and auction at the Flood Fine Arts Center at 2160 Hwy 70, Swannanoa, NC.
AUCTION FINISHED - a good success! Many Thanks to all who looked, bid, bought and/or blogged.
I especially like seeing his place - it brings the whole story of him "alive" - his space looks like creativity was thriving, all around him. Thanks so much for showing us.
COMMENTARY ON PHIL'S Art Exhibition Opening on April 2018. By Keith Frederick (artist and designer) Each one of us here knows something of The point in between.
The point in between light and darkness.
The point in between body and soul.
The point in between ego and spirit.
The point in between ecstasy and despair.
The point in between.
So, I think it’s safe to say that we all have a point of reference for this
amazing exhibit of Phil Kurz’s work.
Phil’s work does what all visionary art does. Upon first seeing it… it
disorients us, challenging us to a perspective beyond the familiar…
beyond the constant barrage of literal and mundane images that
simultaneously define and limit our shared societal experience.
The tendency for many of us is to resist the awakening call of visionaries
like Phil. We do this by clinging to the familiar, holding on relentlessly to
our individual and to our collective “place of comfort” along the linear trek
of time.
But, the world cannot survive without visionaries. Left to our habitual and
unconscious ways of being, we will surely fall victim to the same historical
pitfalls of the human condition: promoting absolutes and constructs of
right and wrong, good and bad, male and female, leaving us objectified
and without soul. Visionaries like Phil, instead, call us to awaken from the
cultural myth of absolutes and to find a balance that is only possible from
the perspective of The point in between.
Being a visionary is not for the faint of heart nor is there much choice in
the matter. I doubt that Joan of Arc felt there was room for negotiation
once she received visions from multiple saints calling her to recover
France from English domination. I suspect that Phil Kurz, as well, had little choice in the destiny of his calling. It simply was meant to be… and so perhaps he was
called to a point of surrender.
Surrender for many of us is a frightening proposition. But something
amazing happens in those moments when the creative aspect of who we
are rises above the egoic self, much like an aerial acrobat walking high across an arid landscape on a tight wire. Imagination suspends itself above the logic of daily existence to experience the point in between. I have no doubt that Phil Kurz saw the world from a vantage point high above the norm.
And yet visionaries are charged with the role of disrupting the familiar. It’s
their job. So, as you might expect there is a high price for those who, for
one reason or another dare to venture into the ethereal for the opportunity
to dance with the Divine. One must surrender to the idea that he or she truly
is a conduit for something much greater than the egoic Self. I imagine that this is the most difficult sacrifice of all: surrendering one’s autonomy to the sacred whims of a greater power.
Clearly, there is an obsessive quality to Phil’s work. I suspect that there
were seemingly countless times when he was literally unable to stop the
flow of thoughts, visions and insight demanding to overflow from his
psyche. It can feel like torment to not be able to stop the download of
information from beyond.
And yet, for 65 years Phil was able to balance those times and remain
tender and generous. Generous enough to give his unique vision the
stunning form that you see here tonight. As a result, we too can
experience his gift. He created a visual language, designed symbols and
characters worthy of the vision which he was charged to share with the
world. And, by so doing, he forever invites us to experience and reflect
upon our own journeys of The point in between.
Keith Frederick. Written on April 14, 2018 to honor and acknowledge Phil Kurz and his sister Cynthia Hatfield upon the opening of an exhibit of Phil’s work entitled: The Point in Between, an exhibition of Phil's work - running thorough the month of May through Sunday June 3 2018.
Come to the Flood Gallery in Black Mountain, North Carolina and see it for yourself.