ARCHIVES - President’s Message - May 2005
The Painting’s Message II:Honoring the Expressions of the Artist
By John Muhler
Of course it all begins with communication… heck, just about anything you can think of is about the transfer of some charged chemical or electrical energy that will end up as thoughts, words, touch and, well, all the other things that are out there. That’s as far as I plan to go scientifically speaking; a language better left for my daughter, Sara - the research chemist. I’m much better at the esoteric approach, which really comes down to a minor rave or simply carrying on. Sara would call this stream of consciousness—it’s probably something slightly less than that. (This is where I sigh, shake my head and try to paddle on.) Problem is my paddle’s full of holes.
Now, art is a special form of communication and is probably a lot more succinct than all this word-processed jargon. We want to buy art because it speaks to us, sings to us, or even consoles us. And if you find the right piece it will continue to talk to you for a long long time. So you buy it. Good for you. Good for the artist. This is not just an ordinary purchase; it can be an important addition to the house, yard or body that should reflect your appreciation and acknowledge the unique form of communication that it shares. I call this honoring the expressions of the artist … or simply honoring the artist. Let’s face it, this is a distinctive creation; treat it as such. Whenever I make a purchase I try to have a plan as to where it could go, it’s particular soapbox. Over time the piece may need to be moved as the message is newly interpreted. Respecting the piece is still the priority.
As an artist that takes on commissions, usually portraits, I’m often invited into the home to see where the piece will hang - its setting - before I paint it. I know other artists are involved in this defining process and it can be a delicate issue. Once I was commissioned for a large pastoral scene. The problem was, the couple kept changing the format; first a horizontal rectangle, then a vertical rectangle and they even threw in a square. And of course the request to change always occurred right after I ordered the custom size stretched canvas. Fortunately the framer understood fickle people and decided to wait after he cut the canvas once! I was rather embarrassed to keep calling him. Another time I had to repaint the face several times as the client decided on new images. It’s important to show the work as it progresses so the ideas can be better visualized. Patience is always a huge lesson to be learned and allowing a little time for the ideas to mature can be a good thing.
I especially like it when the collector takes her time and gets to know your work and understand a bit of what you’re trying to say before they purchase. The language of art is not always clear and is often designed to make you feel a little uncomfortable until you get it. But once you get it and you find the place to honor it there is an incredible sense of connection, a relationship has formed between the artist and the collector with the artwork acting as the bonding glue. Now this is where I’d like to finish with a clever remark but for once I’m really stuck…
- John D. Muhler
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