Essay: Reality of Art
My artistic reflections and actions mirror my personal exploring, describing and interpreting the tension between the Identity and Difference attributes of Art. For me, Art is an active force pushing and pulling me relentlessly toward confrontation with its Nature. Art is one of the fundamental ontological sources that drives my being, who I am, my identity towards a realization of the Good.
As a product of a web of interlocutors saturated in Western tradition in general and in the American Enlightenment tradition specifically, I have a strong bias towards the One, unity, the whole, the individual, the family, the community and against the Many, diversity, the parts, the individual, the family, and the community defined as inharmonious monads. Therefore, my artistic expression tells a story of my struggle to show favoritism toward that which is against my Nature and strive to value Difference in the unspoken Word, Image, and Idea.
It is ironic that this essay surfaces the deep-seated prejudice against Chaos in favor of Order. This internal contradiction is inherent in the Nature of Creation. I strive to keep by artistic reflection and actions pointed towards the Difference while acknowledging I have been firmly located by many sources in a clearly defined center that thrives on Systemization, Oneness and Order. I have always been driven to make sense of The Purpose of my lived life.
The Spirit of Art pulls and pushes me and all artists towards communication that becomes interpretation in Actuality. Thus the particular artist’s narrative is either consciously or unconsciously “in-Form-ed”. I use “Form” in the narrow sense as articulated by Aristotle and in the wide sense by Hegel’s Absolute Spirit. In my own reflection of the body of works I have created during my personal story, I have discovered that my need so seek a center and systemize my development towards authenticity was not Manifested in my art. Rather, the real Actualization of my visual thoughts suddenly shifted such that I recognized that my body of work was in Reality quite paratactical in Nature. The Spirit goes where it chooses.
Over the past ten years I have been embracing this source of Identity and found this struggle reflected in the optical illusion images created under the influence of Gestalt psychology. One tends to get locked into one interpretation and the shift to the alternative perception requires unimaginable effort. The deconstructivist approach of “reading between the lines” has been a helpful method for me. I have come to accept that my work pushes and pulls against itself, is uneven and untempered, irregular and uneven with contradiction, thematic/content repetition and lack of inner cohesion as defining rather than subordinate characteristics. In a Real sense, I endeavor to keep Difference as my direction and weaken my strong gravitational pull for Systemization by keeping my attention on the discovering and exploring Art beyond my knowing. My Spiritual mantra seeks the experience of Oneness, Beingness, Becomingness, and Beyondness through the daily practice of Art and Ideas.
Historically, my website, studio, and gallery represent the acceptance of my Creation narrative at this point it time – Difference powering Identity. My desire to share my ongoing journey into beyondness with others does require me to provide some structure new additional platforms.
Therefore, all members of my extended creative community are invited to share the Reality of Art through Smashed Clay creative centers.
