When you take the time to be in dialog with other artists, especially those that you respect, you can start to see who you are as an artist by the similarities and differences. What has struck me lately is just how different I am among my piers. Its these differences that make my work, and theirs unique.

In the past several weeks I have had a number of stimulating conversations about art with several artists who I consider extremely talented. In talking about my own work I found myself in want of explanation, and at times actually felt the need to defend why I was so focused on certain aspects of my work. Some of the conversations were along these lines.

friend: These are much brighter paintings than you have done in the past.?.
Me: Yes, I just want to paint nice things.?.
f: What is this shape supposed to be?
m: Um... I think it is a submarine, maybe something else. Ummm...I don't think its supposed to be anything really. Its a neat shape that is next to a boat that is supposed to make you think its like a boat part or something like that, not really though. I am trying to paint things that are not things in particular but only elude to those things because I am not really interested in things at all only color and surface and the things are only tricks or devices to draw in the viewer to what I am really doing.
f: huh?
Me: Its a submarine.