 |
People ask me: what is it supposed to be? What is it supposed to mean? I respond by asking: what do you see? Often this encourages the viewer to tell me about the painting - but sometimes not. If not, I say: I'll tell you the title and then you tell me what you see. Then I almost always get a response. What I find fascinating is that - while no two responses are ever the same - the response (whatever it is) is usually suggestive of what I thought I was putting into the painting. And even if not, I never cease to be fascinated by whatever is that the viewer sees. |
Folks never ask of a piece of music: what does it mean? They react. Hate it; love it; somewhere in between. The music evokes an emotion: happy; melancholy: "wanna go to war". Music gets a reaction: foot tapping; humming along; dancing; falling asleep; "wanna shake n' finger pop!" Why then, should a painting be any different? The idea that there has to be something elitist about so-called "modern art" strikes me as a little bit silly. The work of such twentieth century giants as Henri Matisse is not a "snack"; it is a seven course banquet. The banquet is not quick and convenient. It is not meant to be; it is meant to be leisurely and deeply satisfying. Any of us can enjoy a snack - just as any one of us can enjoy a banquet. While I would not dare to presume that I am another Matisse, I do believe that when I approach the canvas, I share his hope that I will provide the viewer with a work that the viewer finds satisfying . . . a satisfaction not only upon
first viewing . . . but one that will be sustained over time.
The viewer is as much a part of the artistic experience as is the painter. I am trying to put life into my paintings. If I succeed . . . if the work is indeed "alive", then it will connect with viewers. Not every viewer will have the same reaction, of course. There will always be differences in taste. Rather - my hope is that every viewer will find my work either "hot" or "cold" - but never lukewarm. Until a painting of mine connects with at least one other person, I consider it incomplete.
Art is not a solitary experience. It is more like a dance.
|
