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Although I describe myself as a realist, I do not champion objectivity over subjectivity; life inevitably involves a complicated mixture of the two.
I do however have reservations about the aggressive subjectivity that accompanies modern insular individualism.
I believe that such individualism can serve individuals poorly, trading meaningful dialogue and shared objectives for a somewhat isolated existence. Furthermore the resulting disconnection allows society to be dragged aimlessly by crude determinist forces.
While I do not seek to distil pure objectivity, I do try to avoid, mystification. I seek to make sound contact with an audience and hopefully to contribute to meaningful communication.
A painting tends to reflect the artists character, not just the ideas that constitute it, but also the subtle balance between those ideas. Attempts to unravel this complexity and express it in a straggling line of words often prove unsatisfactory.
However my central preoccupation at present concerns an inspiring quality that we naturally possess as human beings, but that we sometimes loose sight of, that is, our freedom individually and collectively to survey our lives and to create our own direction.
I find open anonymous landscapes to be an effective metaphor for this freedom. Such places refrain from prompting or shepherding the mind. The foreground, rich in sensory detail evokes the present; beyond this an open expanse beckons us to explore, plan and create.
Dec 2008
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