There are some things in life that can only be expressed through visual mediums. Words do not do them justice, nor does music, nor anything else. There is something raw and visceral in a piece of artwork that has been made to express something – be it anger, pain or ecstasy – that would not have the same impact in another form; there is a passion in art that impacts people, connects them to their very existence. Traditional art, especially, has this quality: the touch of a human hand to create something from nothing, to express the inexpressible. To me, art is largely about that expression, and a thoughtful, physical response to externals has been a huge part of my own artistic journey.
Art changes the way people think; it gives the viewer a new awareness. Either spatially or conceptually, it can cause them to have a different perspective. Many great artists utterly redefine space for their viewers, causing them to stand, shocked, as they see areas in a way they have never experienced them before, caught up to another level of awareness.
This process of increasing people’s perceptions is something that is unique to the arts. While increasing people’s awareness of their physical environment is wonderful, it is an equally important role of art to cause people to reexamine their mental surroundings. A simple painting can cause someone to rethink their entire philosophy in a way that words or arguments would not, merely because of the power of the visual image. This power of the artist should not be taken lightly. One should be thoughtful, aware, and very intentional in the message, whether it be serious or comedic, conceptual or purely a formal exploration.
I hope one day to share something eternal with people who see what I have made, to have an impact that will last long after I am dead. For this is what art is; it is the expression of life that will outlast death itself.
