Pick up a pencil, make a few marks on a sheet of paper, and you have created a love letter or a grocery list. That letter or list tells so much more than the words. It tells about the hand that wrote it; was it strong, or light & graceful? Were there signs of shakiness? What color was used? Simple black or blue, or a bit more flare with red or green? Painting is the same. Are the strokes bold or refined? Are the colors fully mixed, or brought right from the tube?
A painting of a simple dandelion in a water glass can stir emotions in one person and leave another wondering “why?” A famous masterpiece might cause one person to pause for a moment, while wrapping another in heavy thoughts for hours. Some paintings are simple grocery lists while others paintings are those treasured love letters.
Art is a gift of peace and pleasure, how we accept it is where it varies. That dandelion in a water glass can both irritate and comfort. It is both a simple painting and a masterpiece, and how it is painted speaks directly to each viewer, evoking a personal emotion.
As an artist, I see things in the hand of its creator. Some days I see drudgery wrapped up in a painting, with skill and talent lost in my own emotions. I feel the hand of the artist and I sense their doubts. Other days I'm lifted by the joy of seeing colors splashed about on a canvas. Subjects are trivial at times. We artists just want to mix wonderful colors and watch them leave the brush, making friends with those strong or soft strokes that imbue them on to the canvas. Abstracts or realism, we deal with the same goals.
For me, that goal is finding myself that day, and hoping I like the person I find.
