“Ex Libris” means “from the library of.” There are many words whose first two letters are “ex:” excellence, excess, extra, extravagance, and expedience. And it would seem that much of our energies are expended towards adding one or another of these quantities to our “libraries.” It’s fair to observe that all of us are looking for more technique, more vocabulary, more acknowledgement, more playing opportunities, more fame, more money, more excitement, and so on. This is a natural and necessary part of the learning experience. But something happens once we expand our point of view (otherwise known as getting older and/or wiser): We begin to yearn for less. We look for cleaner lines, simpler reasons, more obvious truths, and less-complicated scenarios. Fewer notes (accompanied by better choices). The old “less is more” idea—the only caveat being that the “less” is more informed. In any event, the creation of art becomes […]

January 2022 Issue