If they [artists] do see fields blue they are deranged, and should go to an asylum. If they only pretend to see them blue, they are criminals and should go to prison.
–Adolph Hitler
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I never thought I’d be quoting this particular German art critic here but I have to admit that this quote makes me feel better about my work. Although the asylum or the prison have sometimes fell into my realm of possibility, it has been those blue fields (and Red Trees) that have kept me from either.
Now do I see fields as blue in the real world? No. Do I pretend to see them as such? No. Maybe I’m not a lunatic or a criminal after all. But I do see the blue fields in this painting as real. Is that so crazy? I don’t think so and besides, seeing them as such makes me feel less criminally inclined.
Above is a good example, a new painting that is a16″ by 20″ canvas titled Just This Side of Blue. This translates so easily in my mind, having a reality that I don’t question at all. For me, it as real as anything I see in the outer world. And the colors and the harmony they create resonate with me and pacify my tensions and angers.
Perhaps Hitler should have kept a more open mind on the place of expression in art. In denying self-expression to others, he only demonstrated his own lunacy and criminality. The lesson: Be wary of those who try to control how you see things in your own mind. That is our greatest and last freedom– the right to our opinion and reaction.
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The painting shown here, Just This Side of Blue, is part of my solo show, In Rhythm, which opens at the West End Gallery on July 20, 2012.
Redtree Times 
To the contrary of what might be expected, seeing your fields of blue and reading your commentary about them didn’t make me feel blue at all. In fact, it quite cheered me up. Besides, hills often really do look blue. So, if hills can be blue, why not fields? Tsk — fascists!