Had my Gallery Talk at the West End Gallery yesterday. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who turned out. It was a great group who engaged in discussion almost immediately, asking questions and offering observations. They heard many of my familiar stories, such as the one about me as a child of about 9 seeing a woodchuck who had died next to the old barn across from our home. His body desiccated over the course of that summer and a vine grew his carcass, lifting it a few feet into the air. It was a striking image that several decades later led to my Red Chairs hanging in the trees of my paintings.
Some of the observations offered interested me. One, from a man who has followed my work for many years, thought that this new group of work displayed an emotional anger behind it, which at first caught me off guard. But the more we talked, the more I had to agree that these were indeed painted in response to things that bothered me , frustrated me and angered me. It was obvious that they acted as a sort of pacifiers for me against the outer world. It was interesting that he could sense the anger behind them. I don’t see it myself, focusing more on the tranquil aspects although I know that the darkness around the edges and behind the placid colors refer to deeper and darker emotions.
Of course, time dictated that there were stories that were left untold, that there were subjects that were not broached. I always fret about that afterwards, that there were things I wanted to discuss but somehow lost my train of thought during the talk or that there were questions that I didn’t answer fully enough before being pulled in another direction. At least I have this forum to fill in the voids that I may have left yesterday.
But overall, it was a good talk and I couldn’t be more appreciative of those who attended or those who have followed my work over the years. My work is nothing without their participation and feedback. Thank you for taking part in this journey.
Redtree Times 