Monday, January 21, 2008

The Richard Simmons of Wondering

So, the first thing I should do is address this desire to focus on Wondering.

Wondering needs to be fostered and nurtured in order to grow.  Sometimes I wonder if Wondering itself is a luxury, but now I believe I can lead my life however I determine. That does mean sacrifice in other areas. In order to foster creativity and wondering, i has to be at the top of my daily agenda. Over the last two years, I have learned I am more energized and satisfied if I put all my efforts into a smaller number of categories. Life can get away from me if I don't focus and exercise self-discipline to get into the studio. 
A huge part of Wondering is surrendering to the moment. I was never one for surrendering, but sometimes better outcomes occur than I could ever have imagined. I'm done with forcing things to occur. If I just keep working hard, the work will improve and I will find myself in the right place at the right time- and my entire art practice will reach another level.
Maybe my notion of Wondering is similar to meditation. Focusing on a certain subject but being open to other thoughts flitting through. This is also how I want my paintings to communicate. They announce and idea but not a complete thought.

I have attached a link to one of my favorite Internet gems- Sol Le Witt's Sentences on Conceptual Art. I love how random yet rich they are. Also love the 'bullet point' format- kind of undermines the huge implications these have. They function as great starting points for a Wondering sesh- just as long as we don't interpret anything too literally.

Friday, January 18, 2008

The Passion is the Painting

A friend of mine recently posed a question regarding an essay I had written. "Okay, I get it. It sounds very academic, but I want to hear from you! What are your passions, inspirations, frustrations, etc."

This revealing thing, in painting, is intrinsic to the process for me. But writing about it is a whooole different ballgame. And so this blog will stand for me as an exercise to reveal more. Reveal more about the process, the raging frustrations, the challenges, the rewards, the ebbs and flows, about what goes on behind the painting surface.

And it's out there for complete strangers to judge.
Scary... I know.