a new painting, some thoughts and light at the end of the tunnel

     I've been asked many times what I want my art to say.  And I've answered this question just as many times, albeit in a roundabout way.  Really, what I want my art to say is more than "hey, I'm pretty, I'm a boat, a cat, a farm," whatever.  As I've said countless times, I always aim for my art to make the viewer feel something and that something is highly individual.  To do that, I paint things with my feelings in mind.  My favourite pieces are those that are rough and raw and brutally honest.  They make you think.  That's how I feel about my latest piece, called Light Finds a Way.

​     I love it because it's an honest, real-time depiction of how I feel, in this moment and at various times in my life.  Those that have been following my journey for the past 5 years know I've had some terrible times, times when things looked really dark, whether it's being broke, living in a shithole town, being in a terrible relationship, being unemployed, being robbed, you name it, I've been through it and it SUCKED!  Let's not lie here, all of it sucked and it sucked hard!  What I've learned from all those experiences was this, you have to go through it to get to the other side.  What I mean is this, it sucks when it starts, it sucks when you're in the middle of it, and you want to just curl up in a ball and die.  Well, you never really do that, but it's perfectly fine and I think, healthy to allow yourself to have a cry or scream or throw something (soft and not at anyone).  Have your tantrum, let the feeling out, and then, keep on moving.  When I say you have to go through it, it's both a metaphor and literal, just like you can't take a shortcut through the woods to your buddy's house without going through the woods, you can't see the end of the horrible situation until you go through it.  Eventually, a day comes where you see that glimmer of light, whisperings of a new job, a pretty little thing smiles at you, you find $20 in your couch, and there you go, things start looking up.  Life's a cycle and dark can only exist if there's also light somewhere close by.

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