I've been diving deeper into several questions for the past month or so.
What does my art need from me?
Why do I create my paintings?
What is it I'm trying to achieve?
Did I succeed?
Was it worth doing?
What drives me?
What am I hoping to communicate?
Who am I trying to connect with?
What do I want people to think, feel, or wonder when they look at my work?
It's a lot, I know! But these are questions all artists should always be asking themselves. Otherwise, we can grow stagnant and do the same thing over and over with little result.
During and after each painting, I journal about the work, asking these questions and making notes of my process. Out of that comes the themes my work communicates to me and others. With every thought, I ask why, to drive further into the core of the message. For example, in my artist statement, I talk about how I create "powerful places to get lost in," but what exactly does that mean and why?
I want my work to be raw, authentic, and expressive. I don't want any visible traces of overthinking. I want people to get lost in what I create, to lose sense of time and distractions fade. People take it in with all their senses and let it transport them. To be in the moment, present. It's the opposite of scrolling through an endless feed on social media. It's one thing at a time. It is to lose yourself in the layers, the colors, the lines, the texture. My paintings are the visual world of a daydreamer.
I'm an avid reader. I'm talking a new book every four to five days, sometimes faster. I devour books on almost any topic. However, political/spy/assassin/black ops thrillers and mysteries are my jam. It is the hunt, the mystery, the cat-and-mouse game, the behind-the-scenes secrecy, plotting, scheming, and the subtle instincts of trained spies and assassins that fascinate me. It is a world of shadows. There are clearly defined good and evil sides but there are also so many shades of gray. It is a world where you have to know the layers behind everything and take nothing at face value. It is intriguing and oh so thrilling!
Reading these books is a way of transporting me to another world. I read so deeply that the world around me fades. I get lost in the story and can clearly see it in my imagination as though I'm there. Someone can have a whole conversation with me and I won't hear a thing (as my wife can attest much to her annoyance at times).
It's like being in a flow state, similar to what happens when I paint. Becoming so immersed in and completely focused on what I'm doing that I lose track of time. I become so in tune with the experience that's happening, there is nothing else. The painting is talking to me and I am listening, understanding, and moving while being moved.
I want my paintings to communicate with the observer. I want you to discover an amazing, painted wonderworld full of shapes and color, deep and far away as well as close up. You tumble in and feel yourself float on the wavelengths of beauty, depth, and emotion. They are paintings that give you wings to dive in and fly. Follow a line through a journey until you meet another color, mark, or texture that takes you to another place. It is a must to get up close and take your time to truly see with your eyes, as well as your mind and heart.
It's challenging because we are living in a world of rushed moments. We don't take the time to be still, to breathe deep, to focus on one thing at a time. I hope to change that with my paintings, one moment at a time.
"Getting lost is not a flaw, but a feature of the human experience. It reminds us that wherever we wander, we are meant to be, finding our way and discovering new paths as we go."
-REBECCA KATZ, ARTIST
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