What is Art?

By today's standards, anything you can get away with! Deliberate obfuscation appears to be the goal of both artists and reviewers. That notwithstanding, the mysterious manifestation that we call Art is often baffling. But...we know that from earliest times man has given expression to his life experience in tangible forms: Art.

ALL of my paintings (no exceptions) are acrylic on masonite, tempered, l/8th inch thick. Traditional conservatives (often southerners), raise a disapproving eyebrow at this departure from canvas and oil. Indeed, for many centuries artists used canvas and oil. Masonite and acrylic did not exist. Canvas is "tough" fabric. First, it must be stretched tautly, and securely fastened to a sturdy wood frame. Even so, it is prone to ripples and deterioration, vulnerable to sharp corners, the slash of a knife, temperature changes, dampness, mold, etc. Oil requires turpentine. Both are toxic, flammable, take forever to dry. Some artists like this; they can "mess" with their brush strokes. In the course of "messing", the colors muddy. Acrylic dries instantly! No time to "mess". Paint does best, looks freshest, when it is allowed to do its "own thing". Let the viewer do the "messing". It is his way of being co-creator!

I use collage, freely. It has a respectable history. Picasso and Braque, during World War l, found paint hard to come by. They improvised, enhancing what little paint they had by gluing "found objects" - labels from boxes and bottles, bits of wood, fragments of signs, scraps of fabric, whatever was available. Necessity is the mother of invention. Collage evolved from need to chic. My favorite source is discarded wallpaper books.

But, to get real, the majority of the public (including eight siblings) know little or nothing about Art. People "know what they like", what they have been exposed to - routinely, thoughtlessly. Most are neither willing nor prepared to understand, accept Art. (Learning is challenging: eg reading and writing are NOT givens!) But, if a person is genuinely interested, willing to be surprised, will venture into the visually unfamiliar . . . THAT "difficulty" gives a work of Art its "voice" over the years. Viewers need to be reminded that they cannot discover "new lands" while hugging the shore. Why? Because Art is essential to man's well being. Take away the finest paintings (the Sistine Chapel) , novels (Willa Cather's "My Antonia"), Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture, Tennessee Williams' plays (eg "A Streetcar Named Desire") - what kind of life would result?! Art is human experience transposed into forms that we apprehend and continuously enjoy! It affirms and delights!

How do we go about understanding?

If varies. Art's nuances and complexities precipitate individual responses, no rights or wrongs. Chacun a son gout. Every respectable work of Art is unique. The same is true of the artist - who selects and arranges details from his experience into a tangible entity! The selected "parts" are fused into an integrated whole. When he succeeds, the work has an obvious vitality that eludes definition. It exists in its own Time, e.g. DaVinci, Warhol - and reflects that Time (social, economic, religious political).

My work captures my time in two ways: "portraits" of Pittsburgh as the city exists now, and portraits of children as they exist now! Both are as accurate as photographs, but in NO WAY resemble photographs (what would be the point when the camera can do it in minutes?). My intention is to encourage the viewer to do some "work" - a visual "conversation". I begin my paintings using a one-inch brush, quickly assembling patches of contrasting colors. Viewed from a distance, they blend; up close, the patches are obvious. But mobile, like sunlight and breezes on flowers! Everytime one looks, they've changed!

Using color slides of my paintings (Pittsburgh scenes, flowers. portraits), I give an effective presentation, encouraging a dialogue with the audience, - whoever the audience may be: passengers of a cruise ship, or school children whether they are first graders or high school seniors.