How I Decode Original Art
“Lightweight” DMC Original, 2019
One evening, a few years ago, I went to the Whitney Museum in Manhattan for a special event. I was with a small group and a personal guide. As the guide led us to each piece of work on display, he explained the artists’ intent. With each reference, I became more and more intrigued, only leading me to wonder what the artist would express to us themselves, had they been there. The dynamics of creating are just as interesting as interpreting. Naturally, I’m curious about people’s processes. If I could, I would want to learn about the intricate energies that flow through the artist as they create. I’d want to know much of it was filtered.
My art is barely premeditated. I sit with my paint supplies and create space for energy to move through me. The thoughts and feelings that lie dormant rise to the surface. It’s as if stillness is a signal. I don’t plan. I flow. That’s the joy I find in creating, and the reason I reference my art as abstract. There is no one way to tell the story. I begin to understand myself more after I’ve finished a piece. As each feeling has its own journey, so does each paint stroke. Like snowflakes. Unique. Original. One of a kind.
As I was listening to the guide that evening, explaining the artwork, I imagined myself trying to tell a specific story, relay a specific message, and direct the audience’s perception. Although one can have their own interpretation, I don’t think I’d necessarily want someone to explain to others what I was thinking or feeling when they observe a piece of my work. I more-so want people to dive deeper and simply focus on what it means to them. I don’t have intentions to be specific about anything in particular, and that doesn’t mean that my art does not have direction - it means that my art is universal. It’s the reason I specialize in fluid art and blending colors – to leave plenty of room for interpretation. It’s to symbolize that we’re all connected, and a part of something larger than ourselves.
My artwork represents freedom – the experience of it, the lack of it, the desire for it, and the possibility of attaining it. The fact that I only create originals, and not prints, is a direct reflection of everything in nature. One of one. Original work is what I have to offer. I started painting at the tail end of 2012, and since then I’ve hosted three solo exhibitions. Family and friends were the first collectors of my work.
Nature is my inspiration. In much of my work, you may notice references to water. Water, for me, represents going with the flow, riding the wave, letting things come, and letting things go. This element reminds me to be in the moment, present to no other place than what we refer to as “now.” I am connected to the water’s ability to cleanse, purify, renew, and birth. When I create, be it painting or writing, it is my very own way of allowing a river to flow. I know for sure that water is a direct reflection of my energy, I embody it, and I welcome you to join me as I continue to decode its power.