The Quest for Meaning

Roses250Setting aside the search for great composition, colours, and all that goes into a well created painting, at times I stop and ponder the larger meaning behind my art. I think it comes down to this for me – I hold beauty in high regard. Beauty has been a long time theme for me, and one that can be applied to any subject. I hope to delight the viewer with lovely lines, shapes, and colours. More recently, I have also wanted to include a sense of mystery so that the viewer’s imagination can participate in the art. This is accomplished by leaving some things within the painting in an unfinished state; soft edges, understated colour, layers of shapes that merge and re-emerge. You can watch for this theme in my art as I plan to work on this aspect of painting more this summer – beauty plus mystery.

Since art is a language, there are as many different potential themes as there are different individuals. What about you? Do you have any overriding themes for your paintings or for the art that is on your walls?