A Philosophy of Art

The goal of the artist is to make a statement. Whether the statement is about life, nature, society, emotions, conditions, or events, is often of consequence only to the artist at that instant of time. Not every statement need be made of elements that produce a booming crescendo or controversy. Sometimes the artist simply says, “I saw this thing, this place, or this moment; and I saw it in this way. I want to show it to you.” Thus, the statement can at times be nothing more than a quiet affirmation. The better the skills of the artist, the closer they come to producing a statement understood by a larger segment of the population. The artist often tries to show the viewer a commonplace sight through a new viewpoint—hopefully, a viewpoint that excites the viewer or causes that viewer to reexamine the scene or moment—and find new truths and relationships in those elements. I have long been fascinated with the forms that mankind forces upon nature. The straight line is predominantly an element that occurs when man attempts to control nature or forge or shape natural elements. Nature rebels and works its biomorphic forms in an infinite variety of responses. Many of the photographs I take are of nature as I saw it at that moment; others are created images of nature as I sought to reshape it. The viewer is invited to decide whether an image is real or created. The computer and the digital camera are the ultimate collaging tools; limited only by the artist’s vision.