Community

Traffic 16x20 $450

The Maine community of artists is small. We share styles and techniques, we support each other by going to gallery and event openings, and we inspire each other's work. My recent painting, Traffic, was inspired by the work of the Haitian Masters - a group comprised of a similar community of painters, sculptors, and visual artists in Haiti.

Most of today's news on Haiti is focused on the country's vast poverty and instability. While those conditions do exist, Haiti is also a country of immense culture, spirituality, and natural wonders. It has been proven time and again that wherever struggle exists the soul of the artist will emerge. Indeed, artists in Haiti have emerged and while sometimes incorporating social commentary, the shapes and richness of color used by artists such as Montas Antoine and Henri-Robert Bresil speak to a Haiti that is much more than what we see on the news.

My new piece, Traffic, was inspired by the same shapes and textures that these and other artists of Haiti employ in their work.  For more information on the Haitian masters, please visit

the Galerie Macondo website. Galerie Macondo is based in

Pittsburgh and their website has an incredible breath of artists

as well as stories, music, and information on Haiti 

http://www.artshaitian.com/

Modernism at Its' Best

Jackson Pollock, American painter (1812-1956) is primarily known for his drip paintings. The result of his technique were dark, colorful, heavily splattered, and seemingly absurd paintings which were firmly ground in the modernist approach. Modernism focuses on experimentation and reshaping the present environment. To be modern in this way is to celebrate the human necessity to create. Today, one can find millions of images of pieces created by artists who have experimented with the drip technique. After all, immitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And yet, each individual has a certain take and personal style that may or may not be akin to Pollock's.

In my new painting, Symphony, I took a page from Jackson Pollock and experimented with drips, splatters, and physically moving the canvas around to bring forth certain patterns. The overall effect is, I believe, what made (and continues to make) Pollock's work so fascinating. It is not the immediate impression that is most striking, but the discoveries made when each layer is dissected and each drip and splatter opens up a new dimension.

Symphony 18x24 $950

What is it about Abstracts?

It's no secret that artists are insecure people. We worry about whether we are good enough to be successful, whether we are exhibiting or creating enough, and we question whether or not anyone is paying attention to our work. As an abstract artist in Maine, I have the particular difficulty of trying to sell in a market that is not only flooded, but flooded with landscapes and realist art. I often ask myself where my place is in this market and how I can broaden my audience.

In many ways, I feel that my art is misunderstood and sometimes not understood at all. It's easy to look at a well-executed and realistic painting of a tree and say, "Wow, that artist has some talent." But what about a series of circles or geometric shapes? The common reaction is, "My five year old could do that and I could get it for free!" While perusing the net for some consolation I found a quote that spoke to my heart.

How else can you express your soul, your spirit, your heart? Abstract is like music without words, you need not understand it, yet for each who go with it's flow there is meaning in a sphere beyond the mediocre. It is food for the soul. -- Esther Snyman

I have long maintained that I don't simply do abstracts because I am bad at drawing. Abstracts are about a deep connection with the soul and spirit of life -- the movement, the flow, the shapes, the texture, and the vibrant everlasting hues. It is my highest expression of self.

I do not know the woman who wrote this on a random internet messageboard but my guess is that she speaks as a fellow artist. In any case, her words spoke to my heart and provide solace when I doubt myself and my work. With these words, I soldier on. My theory is that if I keep producing my work, the galleries, the people, and the money will come. It's all just a matter of time.