Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

My cat is sitting next to me on the bed this morning. We have a ritual, I eat my soft boiled eggs, he watches. When I'm finished I let him lick the bowl. He likes the leftover yoke. I look at my emails while I do this, and the posts people make at the Artprofile site. One artist has Klimt-like pieces, another artist finger paints...two very differnt syles. I like to paint with acrylics because they dry quickly. I'm always in a hurry it seems. An artist friend suggests oils. Always there's another way to do things.

 This morning I read an excerpt by the writer Samuel Ligon's new book "Drift and Swerve." Edgy...I liked it. I'm wondering how to be more edgy in my own work and feel like I can still show my face in the world. It takes a lot of courage to do art to begin with and then to do art people might not like...or shy away from. At the Phrasings dance concert at the Firehouse, dance and poetry was paired. The piece about bikini waxes was particularly graphic...and again I wondered where we draw the line. Maybe no where, and since we have freedom supposedly to say and think what we wish...we can...unless we come up against boundaries that come into play, for instance, where the government is concerned. But what about the rest of us? What about our responses? I guess we don't have to look or read or watch.

 I don't know the answer to this question...since art is personal and some would like to shock. I am more interested in beauty and harmony in my art. In my writing, I'm interested in telling a good story and in making sure I'm edgy enough to have my audience remains interested. So it's a balance I guess, of what I can tolerate and what the audience can tolerate. I did hear some of the audience members of Phrasings had tight lipped expressions at the intermission. So be it. Life goes on. So let's enjoy taking a risk, making art or writing that which not everyone will like!
Here are two new paintings: