Souvenirs
We are initially a very visual species. The marketing industry is well aware of this. Logos and Trademarks have become more visual over time and less word based. For instance, the Nike Swoosh is recognized throughout the world regardless of language. The hemisphere of our brain that governs our visual experience (the right side) is older in terms of evolution than the hemisphere that governs writing and math (the left side). As a painter I have come to accept this fact. Things that have happened to me in my life begin visually. This is probably true of everyone. There are visual fragments or souvenirs that represent various experiences in my life, parenting, spiritual growth, teaching, recovery, to name a few.
Choosing to paint figuratively or abstractly, was once a huge issue. Artists had to pledge allegiance to one or the other, never both. I am grateful that this has changed over time. Whether, post-modernism affected this change or not is inconsequential, the acceptance of a plurality of mark -making has, in essence set me free! This freedom, like all freedoms, has a price. My commitment to abstraction has provided for me, a strong understanding of how we see. The optical experience that occurs within the picture plane is what the painter confronts. The choices made (color, texture, materials, etc.) are the tools with which the artist controls the visual experience. Blending this aspect with visual fragments or figurative notations and not becoming trite can be difficult. The answer at times, is exclusive to the image.