Although I am learning to draw (I’ve been since early in the pandemic but I set it aside for a while), I love doing abstracts.
Sometimes I just pick some colors, pick up a brush and see what happens.
Other times, I wake up with an idea in mind or realize that my brain has been kicking around an idea for some time and now is the time to let it out. When that happens, I’m learning that even though I have a clear idea in my mind, when others look at what I’ve created, they may see something entirely different than what I had in mind. At first, that bothered me and made me feel like I just don’t know how to get my thoughts out onto the paper. To try to rectify this situation, I decided to give the piece a title but then I couldn’t decide on the title that best depicted my intent.
Then I realized that art’s job – (yep, I think art has a job) – is to let people interpret it for themselves.
(Side note here: yep, I do consider it art. MY art. This comment is brought to you by all the conversations I’ve come across in which people decide that other people’s creations are not art. I intended to make art; therefore it is art. Now back to our regularly-scheduled programming.)
At any rate, the two titles I gave this piece are Mass and Point System. They both adequately relay my intention. Despite this, two responses I’ve gotten from people are: it’s a flower; it’s a bloodshot, hungover eye. That second one I find hilarious, so much so that I thought about renaming it!
In the name of trying to let my art speak for itself, I will not tell my intention. But …
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Proof of My Existence 