I recently made this image for a themed show on the topic “Temporality.” In the exhibit, the images are mounted on mirrors and in matching frames, the mirrors symbolizing the ever-present now. It was the first piece I have ever shown that was not a painting. Because I am interested in theories of time anyway, I had ideas about images that already exist that express the spiral aspect of time with more clarity than abstract painting. I found that thinking about the symbolism and looking for the images and combining them in Photoshop exciting, and upon seeing the entire exhibit, I wondered whether I might have arrived at a point where the beauty and plasticity of paint seems irrelevant. I felt good about making a piece that explored the theme of the show rather than just using a recent painting I liked and crafting some kind of statement and a title that relate to the theme, which I confess I have done before. I can honestly say that I feel free of concern about how the piece is received. Perhaps I have outgrown the habit of just showing something I hope people will respond positively to.
The other day someone said to me that music is how feelings sound and I realized that expressionist painting is how feelings look, and is therefore of value, but I have a new appreciation and intention to explore other more verbal kinds of imagery along with the purely visual.
