Give It Away

*Disclaimer: I am not a writer. 

How much of visual art needs to be explained in words or in writing to get its point across?

Should each piece or collection come with an elaborate explanation? How much should the artist give away? Does over-explaining mean that the art failed to visually and/or emotionally convey?

We are constantly giving so much of ourselves away. Our private lives on social media. Our children’s lives on social media. We give 24/7 access with texting, messaging, and emails. Privacy and true boundaries are a thing of the past unless you live on a remote island with no WIFI…which honestly sounds like heaven. The universe can see what posts you like. The tech bros, and dare I saw our government, can track our every move.

I often struggle when I read artist statements, not because I think they’re AI-generated (that is another topic altogether) and void of the human voice, but because too often than not they sound elitist, pseudo-intellectual and filled with artistic jargon. I personally don’t want a viewer to shut down or feel like I’m trying to talk over their heads. I want the work to be more accessible than that. I’d rather the painting speak for itself and allow the viewer to draw their own conclusions of what is happening in front of them. Yet, I understand that many want more than that…they want some context… and we live in a world where humans can figure out less with their minds and more with their fingertips.

As an artist, the paradox for me is that I paint about shared experiences, so there is the catch. Finding that ‘sweet spot’ where I offer just enough while allowing for more questions is my holy grail. My work is not literal, but it isn’t fully abstracted either. It exists in this gray area where something seems to be there, but it takes focusing and dissecting to draw some conclusions. I want the eyes and minds to do some of the heavy lifting because I want you to linger with me a bit longer than the ten seconds of attention the modern world is molding you for.