In a comment from yesterdays post (Out Into the Wide World) there was a comment from David Terrenoire (his entertaining blog A Dark Planet can and should be reached from my links list) where he thought he liked the shown painting because there an implied narrative.
I think there is something to this comment and I think it’s central to some of the attraction that my work may hold for some viewers. I may have addressed this before so if this seems familiar, excuse me.
Years ago, Cheri, my wife, described my paintings as blank sentences. By that, she meant that I was giving context, some detail and a bit of direction but the actual narrative of the piece was left to be filled by the imagination of the viewer and the experiences that they brought with them.
I immediately sensed the truth of her words. It also explained a few things. My writing had always lacked narrative depth. I was more concerned about creating mood and emotion with the words rather than the story construct. As a result, most of my writing centered around describing silence, ephemeral moments and wide open spaces. Pretty limited stuff and it left me feeling as though I were missing the mark somehow.
I wanted to create an environment where someone could see the things in my writing- silence, space and moment- but in a way where I was not filling in every detail. The viewer would add an actual element to the painting. The narrative of the piece might be implied but was only there if the viewer so wished.
Maybe I’m off-base here or maybe I’m blathering on in the artspeak that I so detest. I just don’t know.
The piece above is a new painting tentatively titled Above Canaltown. This might be a good example of what I’m trying to say here. For me, this very much about shapes, color and creating a certain emotional rhythm with the placement of the buildings, paths and canal. However, I can see where there is room for narrative and I may have my own for this scene. But if this piece is to succeed and have a life of its own, the sentence will be completed by someone other than me.
That okay with you, Dave?
