Hello World.

Thoughts on artwork and a little about who I am.

I remember when I was in high school that was the first line I wrote in a programming class on the first website I made, “Hello world”. It’s funny how that phrase and memory came back to me, full circle at a similar point in my life , when I’m contemplating who I am and what I want out of this life. At the time I wanted to be a mechanical engineer or a web designer; the problem with that… I’m no good at math and I abhor coding. Now I write the same phrase pursing what my true passion in life is, art. It has taken me awhile to write anything here, but I think it’s a step toward something. I’ve been trying to find the perfect topic to discuss, but maybe that doesn’t exist and that fear has stagnated me, as fear holds all of us back from the things we want. Nothing in life is perfect, sometimes we must take action and dive head first into the unknown… so once again, hello world!

I’ve been obsessed with creating artwork for as long as I remember. When I was a child I have a vivid memory of the first thing I drew, or the first thing I “actually” drew. It was a hot summer day, I sat in the sunroom of my grandparents house with my crayons and scribbled a potted plant that was in the room, complete with flowers, purple and yellow in a red vase. I remember showing it to my grandparents and mother, I know at one point it ended up in a frame, but now I believe that drawing is lost to time. Even at a young age I was representational in my artistic preferences. The abstract thing just never interested me that much, never made sense. Reflecting on that now, I think it’s because abstract art (that is only representing colors and shapes with no tie to reality) asks the viewer questions that are less about the piece and more about why did the artist do that. These pieces can still evoke emotion through the use of color and shape, but to me its a different thing and I prefer the solidity of work based off of an interpretation of reality. It gives the viewer a ground to judge the work from, a baseline of familiarity which allows them to experience a beautiful or captivating image and then observe the marks of the artist.

Thinking about what are means is an important task to the artist. It helps the artist focus on what matters to them and is a unique view of the subject, no view necessarily correct. What art actually means to me and if there is anything that could be objective when discussing it it’s a very complicated topic, but I don’t think it has to be. Right off the bat we can say that art must be created with the intention of evoking emotion and posing some question to the viewer. In these days we see so many images, some of them are important, great works of the masters, historic events, small moments that touch us, all of those contain some small bit of truth and purity; an honesty in what they are. There is something that speaks through those images and is interpreted by the viewer that holds the up in a sea of imagery. This must mean that those works attempt to say something of deeper value and inspire an emotion in the viewer and in the artist who created it. There must be a genuine attempt at this expression, the quality of execution is of less importance than the emotion that the pictorial arrangement of colored mud, gray dust, or whatever medium the artist chooses to use; the work must be from a point of honesty, in message and that is within the reach of one’s technical ability. Thats not to say that you shouldn’t be pushing yourself, quite the opposite actually, you should always be improving and stretching higher. What I mean is that there is an honesty to ones self in their current capability, and not over extending oneself beyond what is currently within their reasonable ability; this takes honesty on the artists part, a refelction on where they are in the stage of their capability. So art is honest, to the viewer in the attempt to express and depict, as well as to the artist and their expression. Art is truthful, be more honest in your work. Be more honest in all aspects of life, especially to yourself.

Thank you for whoever reads this, I wish you the best in all your endeavors.

Until Next Time,

Kris