'Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.' --Sir Francis Bacon
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My basic premise about art is: Every painting should imply a story. For as long as humans have had language, they have enjoyed stories. Scratchings on cave walls and peckings on rock faces are almost certainly story-related. Art, in whatever form, comprises a framework upon which hangs a story of some sort. Sometimes the framework IS the story, as is often the case with depictions of landscape or figure studies. Depictions of people doing things--even just standing around--can conjure up stories for those looking at them. That may be what art does best. Certainly it also can entertain, elevate, depress, repel and evoke a range of other emotions among those viewing it, but only after they have begun to decipher the story that a particular work tells.
A lot of modern/contemporary art is said to be be 'experimental.' Experimentation is good, perhaps even the root of creativity--which all artists prize. For me, every painting is a bit of an experiment, in composition, palette range, technique, medium, or message. It's all about the challenge of doing something that pushes me to new places. That's what makes it enjoyable. I also enjoy trying to give each painting a bit of an edge in content or title--humorous if possible. Funny stories are better than sad or pointless stories, no?
If my subject matter and style seem to be all over the place, it's probably because I hate getting into any sort of rut. I paint what I enjoy thinking about--and I know that sounds a bit like Rene Descartes' 'I think therefore I am'--but it keeps things fresh for me. I might be a better painter if I did the same subject over and over again, like practicing the piano, but I probably wouldn't still be painting if I'd had to do that. Maybe I'm too easily bored...
John Ressler joined Pixels.com Licensing on July 27th, 2010.
