Artist Statements: Introduction

As you can read in Lesson 4: How I Became a Painter and What I Mean by That, I became interested in painting very early in life. One consequence of this has been a long-standing awareness of the power, influence and limitations of the spoken and written word. In What My Paintings Are About: Words Are More Abstract Than Paint, I complain a bit about the disservice the word "abstract"–as applied to the kind of "non-representational" paintings I make–does to the viewers of my work. So, although I respect words, I'm a bit skeptical of them as applied to painting. Just as music is an language of sound, painting is a visual language all its own–and there are as many different kinds of painting, paintings and painters as there are different kinds of music, composition and composers.

Having said that, I also enjoy writing about painting–enjoy trying to find the right words to convey something of what the process of painting is about. In Paint Is: On Paint, Painting, and Paintings, I briefly outline what, to me, are the most interesting and important aspects of this medium. And in Abstract Painting: Images from the Real World, I embrace the term "abstract" and explore some of the questions that underlie my aesthetic pursuits.

If you find any of this interesting, you may also want to read The Way of Art, a transcription of a talk given by Joseph Campbell at Esalen some years ago. I don't I agree with everything Campbell says but I do believe he's on the right track.

Thanks for your interest in my work!