Painting Manifesto

I started this little manifesto when I was working on my artist’s statement for the recent Mary Nohl Fellowship application. I don’t think I’m alone in finding writing artist’s statements to be an onerous undertaking. The manifesto is not the statement that I ended up using, but it did help.

Painting is a refuge from constant distractions. Painting is a place of reflection, examination, joy of being – celebration of the small things.
Painting is process. Painting is outside the comfort zone. It is hard.
Painting holds a moment. It is experience and memory. It is an object. It is analog and occupies space. It is me. It is not me.
Painting is raw materials. Painting is oil, pigment, hair, wood – clouds, rain, wind – songs and voices. Sandpaper, shellac, sunshine, sweat and conversations. It is death and tears. Heaviness. Heavy heart.
Painting is light. Lighter, lightening up. It is the earth. It is the past and it is now. It is the future before it is.
Painting is sight. Painting is being outside of yourself. Painting is insight.
Painting is translation.