This is the first installment of a column I wrote a couple of years ago... less a statement than an exploration of what I am as an artist.
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I might as well admit it right off the bat... I have held a paint brush in my hand for far less years than most of the artists who will read this column. I've been a dad for over two decades, a publisher for even longer, and listing the hobbies that have flowed through my life could easily fill this entire space. So what business does a 46-year old novice painter have writing words about art?
For several years I was deeply involved in writing, playing and recording original music. At the time I was doing it for therapy – it was literally a survival tactic so I could keep my head on straight and be the rock that my family needed... and it was surprisingly effective.
I learned something very important in the process: practicing art (in this case music) with motivation and intent has more than just aesthetic benefits. It is healing, spiritually invigorating, and for me it was a catalyst in establishing a link with God; it provided a forum for dialogue. It primed the pump when the well seemed otherwise dry.
I was not born with prodigal talent in any field of the arts; certainly not music. My childhood sketches were rather artsy, but otherwise undistinguished. It took a life event of ultimate magnitude for me to make an immediate connection with art – a connection that was beyond the intellectual – and when it happened it was music that was in my life.
Music remains – I still play and occasionally I write – but in November of 2004 I experienced a stunning revelation. I discovered that I could paint! How that happened is a whole other story, but to have it happen relatively late in life is one of the greatest gifts I have ever known. There is no explaining it except to say that I must have finally been ready for it. After more than twenty years doing layout and computer design for print media I discovered that my own visual art could have a spiritual life that goes far beyond line and composition to include endless experimentation with color and form as a way of communicating my passions.
There are many skills I picked up along the way that enabled this to happen. I became proficient in drafting. I wrote a lot of poetry and song lyrics. I sketched in the margins of my textbooks to keep myself awake during school. I worked as a graphic designer (eventually founding, and then selling, my own printing company). In this I worked with composition, color, typography, and photo editing.
But mainly I just lived a full life and matured. I collected battle scars, became aware of patterns in life, and learned to love with my whole heart (parenthood will do that for you). I survived spiritual storms, periods of feast and famine, acts of loyalty and betrayal. I was giving and I was selfish. I learned to be thankful for the day, and for the life. Just as the painter learns how to see, I began to recognize the many hues and contrasts of humanity.
So now I eat, sleep, breathe and dream in paint. Visual art is always at the front of my mind. I have gone on an art book buying binge that defies all reason. I have read dozens of such books, but honestly, I often just look at the pictures.
I should say I pore over the pictures. Many are interested in deciphering the technique of pigment and brush, but to me this is secondary to the mental and emotional technique, because that forms the clouds from which content, composition, and color will rain. That is how I am learning to paint, and it usually tells me what I want to know. I have little interest in reading books about painting techniques. I have found my chemistry is compatible with oils, and I have no interest (at this point) in learning about any other media. I have strong opinions about what is good in art, and what matters most.
But I will be the first to tell you that all art is good. If you practice art in any media, or any form, you are doing a good thing and you can do no wrong. Every opinion I have is food for thought, and perhaps respectful debate, only. The best thing you can do as an artist is gather information, then follow your own compass.
If someone else's opinion doesn't make sense in the realm of your art, disregard it. If their viewpoint challenges you, provokes thought, that is a happy circumstance, and it is what I hope to do. I find that reading the philosophical musings of other artists is provocative. It is like the current that keeps the waters of art from becoming stagnant.
I meet people in art circles who have become stagnant. Perhaps they have been painting for 20 years, yet they are still constantly seeking advice, taking every workshop they can, and entering the student division because they lack the confidence to step up and compete with the best. Those are artists who are crying out for tough love!
They need to stop looking for the silver bullet... stop looking for the magic method or technique and start thinking about what they are trying to say with their art. If they don't have anything to say, then they need to think of something!
I decided that the way I was going to grow as an artist was to read about artists' lives, and about their philosophy on art, and that I was going to paint as much as possible. Also I am not going to limit myself as to subject or motif... basically I am going to paint whatever crazy thing I'm moved to paint.
I will observe, listen, and interact with other artists because that is a path toward knowledge. Even though I don't know what I am doing, I'm not looking for someone to tell me what to do. I'd rather make ten thousand errors and then hit upon something truly unique than learn to replicate what someone else does. It is truly all about the journey...
Having said that, I'd like to acknowledge an artistic debt to Lesley Humphrey, a renowned equine artist who, despite her international reputation and many laurels, is still moving toward something bigger and greater in her art (I can see it happening, but I can't say what it will be). She, with her simple explanations of light and color, and her impassioned discourse about painting with intent, was the lightning that struck the key on my kite. Now I paint, and I will forever be grateful to her for that.
BAL's own Frank Gerriets is another artist I respect. His speaks his unvarnished, plainly stated thoughts about art in a language I can understand. His use of color (particularly in his spectacular Night Music Series) resonates with the artistic truths I am seeking.
My teachers are Monet, Cabanel, Bosch, Manet, Van Gogh, and all of the wonderful people I have met at art shows, meetings and events.
So, what business do I have writing these words? Hopefully I will occasionally stimulate a new line of artistic thought. Whether you agree with all or none of it, please know it is offered by a humble artist who has none of the "right" answers. I do hope to pose more than a few of the right questions. With art as my journey, that is my intent.
(PIctured above: "Rhythm and Blue" Oils, SOLD.)
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