“Inside you there’s an artist you don’t know about… say yes quickly, if you know, if you’ve known it from before the beginning of the universe.”
― Rumi
I am a storyteller…always have been. For me stories and art are inseparable and always have been. Stories take shape on the page or canvas and create worlds that invite the viewer to step into this other space. Sometimes words appear within the layers or underline a direction but the rest is up to you. I have already told this part of my story but there are so many stories that you bring to each image. Inside of you is a storyteller so next time you view an artwork, let your imagination take flight and step into your storyteller self.
I walk into a gallery and want to put ear plugs in. I don’t want to hear the other peoples stories about the artworks I am visiting. Mostly these are historical and technical dissections of the work itself…with a short story if you are lucky. I want the freedom to imagine myself becoming the story with the freedom to unravel the threads and search for clues along the way. Each piece I visit is an invitation to step beyond the known into a different world. This, for me, is one of the great joys of art and creativity.
Oh, don’t take me the wrong way. I love knowing the historical stories. The who, what, where, why and when, but these are the facts as we know them that keep me stuck in my head. When I view a piece of art, I want to see it through my emotional heart based self, rather than my logical analytical brain. There will be time enough to step into my analytical self after I have savoured the story and explored this world by ‘stepping into the frame’ and becoming the storyteller. Letting the story have its own life and playing it out before I feel complete. Then and only then does it feel right to step back and critically look at the art elements that make the piece work from both a practical and theoretical standpoint. I have honoured the artwork and the artist. So if you think…I know nothing about art, leave that behind and step into the story. If you desire the historical talk then visit a second time ( or go early and spend the day) and find out the facts or buy the exhibition book and do a web search. There is always plenty to read.
My own work takes me on many journeys that are often surprising and unexpected. Each piece is a new section of the puzzle that is me, being slipped into place as each brush stroke brings it closer to completion. This endless puzzle…a story without end; this creative urge we name art is a place that can take us beyond the edges of our known world and allow us to dive into the unknown. We as viewer are safe to try the story path. If it is not to our liking then we turn and find another story to savour for a moment and then life resumes.
I invite you to come and sit beside me and tell a story. Look through the window within and see what lies waiting. If you dare not draw out your own brush, then delve deeper into the artwork that you love. Sit beside me and tell me the story that you see with the eyes of your eyes. How deep will you allow the story to go. It is up to you. The challenge…the choice is yours. We are all storytellers . What is your story?