# 72 - "Struttin' Proud" And The Effort to Get There

                                          "Struttin' Proud"
             

                                         "Struttin' Proud" (detail)

Fellow Art Lovers:

If I were just the reader of this blog – and not the writer – I’d get just a bit tired of hearing an awful lot about freedom. That is, about me feeling a painting in my gut and then letting my hand go to express itself and, ultimately me.

Well, this painting, “Struttin’ Proud’ and also know as my mystery painting, goes beyond that. Oh sure, it feels great to just let your feelings out and watch the painting take shape almost on its own on the canvas in front of you. But with this painting, I wanted to express a specific idea, and there’s a lot of complexity here – more elements, more spaces and more subtlety. 

So this painting squeezed more effort out of me than I expected, and a lot more thinking. I wanted to show one brave soul, a child’s soul for that matter, in the middle of a complex world. So I had to think how to express that in a way that would give you – the viewer – pleasure. And then I had to review each element and ask myself how each one fit in and contributed to the whole.

The result was that I would think that I got there, then examine what I’d done, admit that I wasn’t there yet, and then change, polish, adjust and so on.

The result? Of course, I’m the worst judge of my own work, so I’ll leave the judgments to the viewers. If you have some time and thoughts to share, you can fire me a note. Or better, if you have even more time, you can visit my studio this weekend, Oct. 22 and 23, from noon to 6 pm.

Below is a map that might be helpful to you. Please remember: You can double the size by clicking on image. 

Thanks for your patience.

Best,

Bill