Does Time Make Sense of Art?

I’ll be sharing a retrospective of my work with a huge crowd of art lovers at an exhibition title “Evolution of a Painter”. The show is taking place in downtown Ashland, Oregon but many of the pieces included in it have traveled all over the country.

“Painting is an essential function of human life. Wherever human beings live, painting has existed and exists. Painting is a language, as with words.” – Diego Rivera

Putting together this show feels wild. I feel like an oversized cat stuck in a shoebox. There is comfort in it, but eventually, the seams will split and the lid’s going to come off. The work reflects where and who I’ve been over the last 25 years, and it’s hard to believe it’s all come from me. There are parts of me in the art that I barely recognize. There are also bits of work that mean more to me now than when I created them.

I love using story in my work, but why do I choose to tell the stories I do? Half the time, the paintings live out the vicarious lives of strangers, while the other half are direct reflections of my daily experience.

What am I getting from this process that keeps me coming back for more? Where do these stories come from? Why do they matter to me? The big takeaway (for me at least) is that the answers to those questions may never satisfy me.

“The Judgement of Paris” 30″x40″ – oil on panel

The act of showing up and painting matters more than the results.

What we get to learn from the painting has more value than the intentions that started the painting in the first place.

Both are true.

Seeing paintings from different parts of life hanging on the wall all at once, will give you pause—curated nakedness. Who but an artist can show you twenty years of their life in the time it takes to walk through a gallery with a glass of wine?

Art is a record of our breath, our struggles, and our inspirations. That’s what makes seeing the process so fascinating. Creating art slows us down enough to document the passing of time, and to highlight the often overlooked.

Join me for “Evolution of a Painter” Exhibition. 5pm-8pm on Friday, May 3rd @ 180 Lithia Way, Ashland Oregon

Have you had the opportunity to create over time?

When is the last time you’ve seen an artist’s retrospective?

What was your takeaway?

Does time make sense of art?