Latest posts by michael wilson (see all)
- JORDAN RIVER - February 5, 2019
- Inspired Art - August 2, 2018
- Waiting for Inspiration - July 31, 2018
- The Bridge between Painting and Photography - July 31, 2018
I watched a short video recently and when it was finished I asked myself where can the consumer buy abstract art worth buying? The artist explained how he had drawn fairly freeform but distinct forms on the canvas. The video was taken in his studio. It was a fairly large canvas. He was talking as he executed the piece and explained that the next process was to smear paint on the canvas and create a sense of chaos. He mentioned this several times – the creation of chaos. So in the short video we watched him do some of that – very free form smearing of paint with a fairly large brush. He said that after this was done he would typically come back and add detail…this detail might hint of something tangible or recognizable. He spoke about how he would start with something fairly distinguishable and then create chaos and then bring the piece back in to something we could relate to. I asked myself if this is ‘abstract art worth buying.’
Curious but in my own work I do not consciously attempt to create chaos. Just sifting through all the myriad impressions I receive seems a fairly chaotic process in itself. Deliberately creating chaos strikes me as an entirely foreign process. No doubt this works for the artist in the video. It is his way of creating personal art and an art that resonates for him. I think this was his way of getting at something spontaneous – a more free way of expression, a way of loosening certain boundaries first and then re-establishing them based on his own personal assesments. Just a guess at a hypothesis. It is very clear that every artist approaches his or her craft with entirely different backgrounds and motivations. There is no right way. Those who love art and wonder what abstract art is worth buying have their work cut out for them. They have to discover what resonates for them. Is the piece provacative? Does it give joy? Is it challenging? Does it contain inherent beauty? Is it an honest piece and does it strike one as genuine or is it just repetition, just another mindless waste of pigment?
Of course any time I see another abstract artist or watch a video of someone creating abstract art, my own work is challenged. I ask myself just how genuine is my own work? Am I creating something that speaks back to me with certain, distinct clarity? How close did I attain what I had sought for? Was something special discovered along the way, something intangible that helps me understand my own psychology just a little bit better. Does my art create a better world? Do I hide behind my painting or am I willing to expose myself? An artist just like anyone else can fool themselves. It takes effort to express honesty and in the process an artist can become quite disturbed – at least that is my experience. I am speaking in generalities because in art there is no rule to guide us. There are so many ways to interpret our world. There are so many ways to manifest our own inner and personal psychology. The one unifying factor is that every artist recognizes the need and value of creating art. We start out painting or dancing or composing out of sheer desire, out of joy. The trick it seems is to wind up at the end with the same simple motivations. As one gets along in years, continuing to paint, then the ability to technically create a beautiful image becomes easier. One recognizes good passages more quickly and more assuredly, one is able to distinguish a good honest line from a weak one. Execution improves. Facility becomes a much longed for friend – at last. If the artist mentioned finds his process of creating chaos and then restablishing his own interpretation of reality and it gives him joy, well then, we have to give him his due as well.