by Ron Campbell

Hydroponical? Not sure if it’s a real word, but I like the sound of it. If I were to define it, I’d say that “Hydro” has something to do with the flow of water, and “ponical” means… ponical? That’s it. So, if we put the two pieces together, it means to me “the process in which the images flow through the minds of artisans onto the medium they are currently using”. Yeah. That makes sense.
I’ve been a resident of Floyd County for eighteen years. As co-owner of The Maggie Gallery, with my wife Lenny, I have come to know a great deal about the stuff that makes up the art community here. This would include the artists, the various types of art, and the methods of producing it. I’m not sure what it takes to become, or be called, an expert in the field of art, but I know it starts with watching what goes on in the community. I may or may not be an expert, but I will admit to having a copy of “Art History for Dummies” on my bookshelf, just in case.
We opened The Maggie Gallery and Custom Frame Shop twenty-one months ago. Since then, we have grown to display the art of seventeen Floydian and regional artists. The personalities of these artists are as diverse as their art. Trying to nail down what appeals to the art enthusiasts perusing the displays, however, has become a bit of a challenge. I am often asked by new artists “what type of art sells?”
Well, when the customer knows you personally, it may sell your art. It can also be the colors that you use, a subject that may connect with someone’s life history, or an emotion they may feel when seeing it. For tourists or the home-town proud, it could be a scene that conveys the spirt of Floyd. Even the size and type of framing has much to do with the sale. To pinpoint a basic, though, I think art should have life in it.
In the end, anything goes. All types of art can sell, whether abstract, impressionistic, or realistic. It’s up to the gallerist and artist to make the connection with the potential buyer.
Our mountain town of Floyd is fortunate to have several art galleries. However, it is overly-blessed with an abundant population of artists. In fact, there are so many artists that it’s difficult for all to find the opportunity to show. Even as a newcomer on the gallery circuit, The Maggie has a lengthy artist waiting list. In addition to The Maggie, Floyd galleries which feature multiple artists include Bell Gallery and Gardens, A New Leaf Gallery, Troika, New Mountain Mercantile, and The Old Church Gallery. I should also mention Arts on 8 in Riner; a new gallery having connections to Floyd. There is also the Floyd Center for the Arts, which is an anchor; giving both new and well-seasoned artists the opportunity to show in their facility on the hill above town. They also have an extension gallery at Hotel Floyd.  All this isn’t even counting the vast number of personal studios tucked in here and there across the county.
Now about those artists, of which I am one. We are unique, for sure. No need trying to figure us out. Our thought process is different than most, and our passions are reflected in the art we tirelessly create. We spend hours working away at what we love for maybe a dollar sum less than minimum wage, but we do it anyway. To get wealthy or famous, we’d have to mass produce so much art it would take the enjoyment out of doing it. But, the satisfaction of seeing it on a gallery wall in a town like Floyd clearly seems to outweigh any potential financial loss.
These facts are sometimes addressed as we talk to new artists who want to display at the Maggie, but enthusiasm remains in those who are true artists in the making. Despite some of these challenges, visitors and locals alike regularly sign up for the various art classes here at the Maggie. They want to learn the basics. They want to find the “place” that fits them. Those who are interested in pen and ink want their art to look like mine, just as much as I want my guitar picking to sound like John Denver. When potential artists come to me and say, “I don’t know a thing about art, can’t even draw a stick figure”, I tell them they are just the type of student we want to teach. They think they can’t, and we know they can.
We show them the basics. We take the scary out of it, and they are usually very pleased to discover the talent they never knew they had. We then send them off to find their place, build on what they have learned, and develop their own unique skills. As I have seen in the past twenty-one months here at the Maggie, many art classes in and around Floyd consist of painting with brushes, palette knives, and even some non-conventional items such as Q-tips and toilet paper rolls. I personally think a paint brush or an ink pen works better.
Long ago, as art evolved, it was discovered by the Masters that you could draw with a pointed silver scribe if the paper was coated properly (a process called Silver Point). So, it is good that we keep exploring all possibilities of placing images on paper or canvas. After all, the only thing that matters is the end result.
As I think about the evolution of different art techniques, I find myself drawing a correlation to other life experiences that have evolved over time, and it brings to mind an event that took place in my back yard some years ago. I started experimenting in the “art” of growing vegetables above ground using nutrients mixed into water which is then electrically pumped to the roots of the plants embedded into round porous clay balls at the bottom of plastic tanks. The process is called Hydroponics. I was proud of the results. The tomatoes were growing, and the cucumber was about four inches long. I changed the nutrients as recommended and kept the water pumping. So proud of this was I, that I showed my neighbor down the road; a young farmer who bales my hay every year. He quickly snapped me back to reality in his own very direct way, reminding me of the well-worn concept of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
He looked over my vegelistic creation and paused. He then made one comment, expressed in his southern drawl. “What’s wrong with Dirt?” he asked. Why did I not think of this? So, for now, I’m sticking with the paint brush and the ink pen!

For more information about the Maggie Gallery and the art classes offered, visit online at http://themaggiegallery.com.
The Maggie Gallery • 187 N Locust St, Floyd, VA Ron Campbell • 540-745-8000 • www.themaggiegallery.com