My plein air painting companions left me alone today, except that one stopped by with a useful critique, and caused me to shift values. I shared the space outside the playhouse with an exuberant church youth group who was raising funds to end hunger. They were having a bake sale and urging drivers to honk. They had vast lengths of paper chains, and they brought tears to my eyes when they explained that each link represented a child who died from hunger every day.
The photograph has a weird texture going on that I think was an incorrect camera setting. I'm thinking about my art and its purpose and its direction. Shall I just paint for pleasure, or am I driven to make it an effort?
beautiful. how much were your values shifted?
ReplyDeleteWell, in terms of my ethical bias, not too much. Although I was reminded twice that day of the relative importance of art. Art raises our spirits and is part of what makes us human. It doesn't feed children or cool the planet. Not directly at least.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the relative darkness and lightness of paint, quite a bit, but not enough. I was reminded that a painting is an illusion; the white building in shadow must be darker that the brick colored plaza in sunlight in order to look true.