Thursday, June 5, 2008

Discovery

This painting was created in the studio, but only after painting on site last August. I was here on a day that was going to be hot so I arrived just as the sun came up. These shadows falling across the grasses was the answer.

Today I read something another painter said about the art of painting. This person said;

"that it is the responsibility of the artist to discover who we are, to tell stories, and to be the "eyes and ears" of our culture and tell the truth about society and the world we live in."

After thinking about this, I must say that the above is not the reason I paint. So why do I paint? I went back to my Edgar Payne book and found these words that speaks to things I feel when I paint.

"The love of beauty in nature and in creative work is instinctive and fundamental in each individual. Whether the interest in picturization is that of the humble, the unlearned or the cultured aesthete, pictures fill a definite need."

Sir John Gilbert says, "A room with pictures and a room without pictures differ nearly as much as a room with windows and a room without windows; for pictures are loopholes of escape to the soul, leading it to other scenes and spheres, where the fancy for a moment may revel, refreshed and delighted.

That is what I like about paintings!

3 comments:

Donna T said...

I agree, Donna. I don't want to "tell the truth" about our society or the world we live in. The world I paint has no unpleasantness, anger or pain. Maybe that's not realistic but it sure puts me in a better state of mind. Hopefully others seek an escape from the harsh reality of our world too. I always thought that was what art was supposed to do.

Donna Van Tuyl said...

Hi Donna T. It amuses me sometimes when I hear people complain about the litter on the highway because I am not looking down at the litter, I am looking at the mountains and the trees, the sky.....

There is an old common expression, used rhetorically to indicate that a particular situation could be a cause for optimism (half full) or pessimism (half empty); or as a general litmus test to simply determine if an individual is an optimist or a pessimist. In art or life you can go either way, I choose to live and work as an optimist (half full).

For me, the art that I enjoy is about beauty, and in movies and books, about hero's or transformations. Donna

Celeste Bergin said...

Donna, I love this painting. You capture the majesty of our state! I would love to nominate you as Oregon's artist-in-residence. You do it justice.... consistently! Bravo!