Many people ask me, “What does this painting mean?” or, “What is this supposed to be?”
Good luck.
I never answer those questions directly. It’s not that I find them annoying, nor do I take any pleasure in being evasive. Part of it is that I feel if I somehow “explain” an image, viewers would have little reason to think any further about it.
That would be disappointing.
However, the main reason I don’t explain the work in detail is that I simply don’t think I can. More specifically, if I could verbally communicate the ideas contained in my work with the same depth and complexity I feel they possess as visual statements, I’d be a poet. Or an essayist. Or a novelist.
I am none of those. There are many people who can put thoughts and feelings into words more beautifully than I can.
So I make pictures.
Nevertheless, I like to meet the viewer half way. I’m happy to explain why I do what I do and detail the impetus behind my work in order to entice further consideration of the imagery. For those of you who prefer the visual over the verbal, continue navigating this site via the links above. To those who would endure a detailed (and lengthy) description of my artistic objectives, please read my complete Artist's Statement.
Russ Revock