In My Very Own Judgmental Opinion...

I had this conversation with someone last night about how artists describe their work. What they say about it and how they say it and what does what they say actually mean. Does that make any sense at all? Perhaps I’m just babbling around in my own head again thinking about things that don’t even matter to you or things I shouldn’t even concern myself with. But, here I go thinking it. Really my first thought was “what are you doing?”.

I find, in my very own judgmental opinion, that not everyone knows how to talk about their own work. Even me. The very thing that we create, we can’t talk about. We don’t know what to tell you about the who, what, when, where, and, especially, the why of a painting. I’ve seen people tell others how they should feel when they (the general public) view the art (the artists’ work). And I think, “like, why are you telling them how to feel when they’re looking at your art?” I can’t tell people what to feel - especially when they’re looking at something I’ve created. That’s crazy. Well, crazy to me. But people do it. All the time. And, as for talking about my own work, well, that’s never been easy for me either. But straight-foward and honest seems to work best for me. I’m not going to tell you how to feel about it but I will surely have a conversation about how you respond to it, what connection you’ve made, and often that leads to places, times, and stories I would never have imagined. And that fascinates me. 

When I’m in a museum or gallery space I hope no one else is there with me. I’m greedy that way. Maybe “selfish” is the word. Could be both. If I don’t get the “ideal” space, I’ll tune the “stuff” out and immerse myself. Personally, I want to experience the work of artists on my own. I want to feel what I’m going to feel in front of a painting as a new experience. And then, if I want, I get to decide whether I like it or don’t like it. I like, sometimes, to guess who the artist might be or who they worked alongside. And, if I feel like it, I can make the judgment call of whether it’s good or bad art. I don’t want to rely on the judgment call of others in that area except sometimes to say, “oh, we agree” or “oh, you’re wrong”. 

Imagine listening to a piece of instrumental music with your eyes closed and focusing on just the music, feeling the music. It is how I most enjoy viewing and experiencing the visual arts. It becomes my personal experience. My hope is that we all experience art this way. There have been various times when I’ve walked into a gallery, a museum, or someone’s home and my mind has been blown. I have felt many intense feelings when experiencing art and an overwhelming sense of awe is my favorite.

I wonder when people see my paintings if I should walk up and talk to them or, better yet, ask them what they think about it. I defer to not asking. I don’t even ask if they like it. I'm grateful when they ask the questions. Or not. But when we do talk and share, that time is so valuable to me. Their experience with the work is personal to them. As it is to me. Now, mind you, I am well aware that sometimes a painting can be just a simple picture of a thing. I get it. But, dang, I think we get to experience whatever it is as ours alone first before the world crashes in with their own skewed thoughts and opinions. That’s what I like about this. That’s what I want from this.

And just so you know, when I paint, simple joy is what I seek. After that, so many layers exist. But first, simple joy. And maybe, if I’m lucky, a bit of awe.
​