But what does it mean? (part 4)

"Liquid"

48x60

This is the largest canvas painting that I've done to-date. (The largest painting I've done was a commission for a 72x72) I had seen this giant canvas at the art supply store on more than one occasion and I had always said to myself that I wanted to paint something this big.  When I finally took the plunge and bought this giant piece, I let it sit in my studio for a good 2 weeks and I stared at it.  I wanted to make sure whatever it was that I painted would be new and creative. 

Now, to be completely transparent as an artist, I had no idea what I wanted to paint.  I was at a complete loss and thought I had actually run out of creativity!  I know that you can't really "run out" of creativity, but there was still a small side of me that panicked and wondered if this was going to be the end of my painting career.  Then I did something that's really hard for me to do: I let go.  I let go of the insecurities that I had as a novice painter (the idea that nothing is good enough) and just let my brain relax.  That's when I got the idea for "Liquid".

The background of the painting is a deep blue that was washed with a dark brown over the top of it.  The red paint was a level 1 acrylic that I poured into a paper cup and mixed it with warm water.  When I got it to the right consistency, I just poured it right onto the canvas.  When the red had partially dried, I took a turquoise blue and mixed it water, pouring it directly over the red paint.  The result is what you see in this picture of the painting.  It was amazing to watch the transformation take place from a plain white canvas to this expression.

This painting is unlike anything I've ever done.  I have stretched my wings and begun the journey to see what I'm capable of creating, and this is just a scratch on the surface.

But what does it mean?

As both an artist and a lover of art, I know firsthand just how easy it is to paint something that has so much meaning to me, but very little to everyone else. When I paint, it's a part of my soul. It's an expression of emotion and many times a glimpse of what is going on in my life. But if you aren't the artist, it's oftentimes impossible to see that in a simple painting. That being said, I plan on taking a few of my pieces and giving you a glimpse into the soul behind them. The raw emotion. Hopefully then you can have a better understanding of why I do what I do...

"Light"

30x40

"From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson (quote lines border)

I was commissioned late last year by a small church group called "House of Light" here in Nashville to do a piece for their opening night of worship.  So I sat around for a while and I began to think about what we, as Christians, should look like to the rest of the world in a literal form of light. So I painted the city as a symbol of where many of us live.  Then I painted a man holding "balloons" that were a dull ivory color. (the balloons are small stone and ivory buttons) Those balloons were a small representation of complacency, mistrust, lack of care, those who have turned away. Then there was a much larger white button that looks like it has a giant starburst coming out of it. The largest button is a literal representation of of what Christians should look like.  We should stand out among the rest. We should be trying to break free from what everyone else would consider "normal".  We should be illuminating the world on so many different levels.  In reality, just as Emerson said, "...we are nothing, but the light is all."


Hopefully this gives you a little glimpse into what I was trying to say and accomplish in this piece.  Maybe it will give you a better appreciation for what the art is saying, all the while being to enjoy pretty art. 


As Pablo Picasso once said, "Painting is like keeping a diary".  Welcome to mine.