Silence is as full of potential wisdom and wit as the unshown marble of great sculpture. The silent bear no witness against themselves.
—Aldous Huxley
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I’ve been scratching around in the studio for the last few days. Straightening up a little, putting things in their places. Taking inventory, as it were. Seeing what materials I have on hand, what I’m short on.
I do the same with the creative side of my mind. I take this time, as I’ve noted in the past, to look back at the year and the body of work I’ve created over this period. What have I done? What is strong and what needs to improve?
One thing I’ve done in the past year is the continuance of this blog. It’s done far better than I ever expected as far as readership and it has become a big part of my morning in the studio. The feedback has been great and I’ve taken a lot from the comments and e-mails received as a result of this blog but I still worry that this provides too much information about a subject, painting as an art, that often communicates best without words. I still fear that the impact of my words and thoughts will never add up to anything near the sum of my painted work and, as a result, a seed of doubt will be planted. A doubt that makes the viewer question their own view of the work. If I speak and write and eventually expose all my flaws and deficiencies, will the work still stand up?
As Huxley said, the silent bear no witness against themselves. There’s much to be said for that. Maybe the silent artist allows the narrative surrounding their work to form on its own, to grow beyond what they themselves may be. I can see that in many cases.
But I’ve found that I’ve always wanted to control the narrative around my work. To not let it be spun out of my hands. So I talk and write.
For better or worse…
The inventory goes on.
Redtree Times 