Scratching in the Dirt

Writing my statement has always been a problem and as my work evolves the statement should too. I'm in a transition period right now...kind of like closing one door behind me and slowly opening another, but not knowing what's on the other side. So I attended a small workshop to help artists define their statements...good timing.
It was very interesting to hear the statements of others and they all had a good handle on the reasons why they create or perform. When it was my turn to speak... I was stumped.

The conversations of that meeting churned through my head for several days while I tried to pin down verbally my own reason for painting.

I wondered...why are we so different than non artistic people and driven to express ourselves visually? Could it be that artists are closer kin to the individuals who painted animals on cave walls, or who carved the history of their civilization into stone and wood, or made up dances and music that told stories of important earthly events that would be passed down from generation to generation. Our earliest ancient human history has been preserved through those types of visual arts. It was all created by the artists of those times and predates the developement of the written word.

Just think..thousands of years ago, the first artist picked up a stick, scribbled a symbol into the dirt and communicated an idea to another human.

We, artists that is, are moved to communicate visually because there are elements of our existance that still can't be expressed through words. First pictures..then words.

My statement is starting to take shape..but sometimes..it feels like I'm just scratching in the dirt..

Heading Home-Pownal

I've passed this farm a million times since we moved to this area over 30 years ago. It's a local landmark known as the Knight Farm and is only a few miles from our house. Everday this property changes with the light and the seasons...stoic, vigilant, timeless..a welcoming facade that sits right next to the road as you come up over the hill then down to the center of town.

Sweeping meadows drop down behind it and the attached barn is still straight and impressive. Once a successful working farm the majority of the land was recently donated by the family to a Conservation Land Trust and is now preserved for the public to use for all kinds of recreation and also abuts a state park. The fields are cut and baled every year and small herds of deer often graze there at night. Late one rainy night a large buck ran out in front of my truck, then bounded across the road after just knicking my rear view mirror.

The setting sun hit the windows and car just right and luckily we had the camera with us..I had to paint it..the sky was a million colors..yellow, orange, all kinds of blue...with thin feathery clouds streaking across. A magical moment to me.

This is a study in casein...11 x 14 on prepared plywood.