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True morality consists not in following the beaten track, but in finding the true path for ourselves, and fearlessly following it.
—Mahatma Gandhi
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This is another small painting on paper that will be accompanying me to the Principle Gallery in Alexandria this coming Saturday, September 21. I will be giving my annual Gallery Talk there beginning at 1 PM and I always bring a small group of new work with me– along with the painting(s?) that I will be giving away at the end of the Talk.
Some of the new pieces that will be coming feature small distant solo figures in generally large open landscapes. It’s a theme that has been a favorite of mine for some time now but one that I don’t visit all that often. Maybe I have to be in a certain mindset for them to come. Don’t really know.
I call this painting Off the Beaten Track. I like this piece for many reasons, including the obvious messaging of it. It just feels right which is something I can’t explain at all.
I can explain the message of this piece, at least as I see it and as it relates to my own experience. The Gandhi quote at the top partially explains it, that true morality can’t be dictated by the crowd that travels the beaten path. Without getting into the details, I think the current populist movements taking place around the world, including here in the US, are sufficient evidence of that.
What they claim for morality is certainly not the same as mine.
But beyond morality, life comes down to knowing when to veer from the beaten track, when to forge your own path and find your own way. That is absolutely true in making a life for yourself in the arts. There are few guides to show you the way so many stick with the path, which is, as a result, crowded to the point that everything seems squeezed into a bland sameness. And it’s often headed in directions that don’t seem appealing or to make sense for what you’re hoping for your work.
Sometimes you have to break away from that crowded path and climb to higher ground, to look for something that draws you forward, that keeps you moving.
A muse. An inspiration. An opportunity.
To higher ground, where your voice can be heard above the drone coming from the path, where you can be clearly seen.
Fresh air and good views, both of where you’ve been and where you want to go.
This is what I am seeing in this little piece. It might be smallish in size but it speaks volumes for me.
Hope to see you at the Gallery Talk on Saturday. I have some neat things to share…
Redtree Times 