I’ve been thinking about this blogging lately and I’m wondering what direction it should go in. I mean, would you like to know how I got here, and where exactly here is? Would you like to know about my hopes and dreams? Would you like to know the meaning behind some of my work. See, I’m trying to keep this interesting for both of us. Well, for now I’m just going to try to follow a little something that popped up in my head last night, and it goes like this:
My Blogging Goal
Being Me
where I’ve been
here and now
where I hope to be
what and how I see
My favorite art has two sides to it, the visual and the understanding. Not all my work as both sides, but that does not mean I don’t enjoy all my work. I enjoy the occasional fantasy piece, even though it is only visual to me. I also enjoy my figure/Surrealism even though there might not be any deep meaning in it. Both of these I enjoy because they are creative and challenging and of course enjoyable to make. But my favorite, of all my art, is the statement orientated art (for lack of better words).
What I call statement artwork, is work along with the proper name that represents my understanding of a given subject. I like to tell stories, but I’m not good with words, so I use images. Let’s get serious, if it wasn’t for modern technology, I wouldn’t even be blogging. Being dyslexic makes it a little difficult for me to be a writer, and the things that interest me, might not interest you if I wrote them in words.
As far as I can remember, my interest in art started because of my lack of interest in reading and writing. Having dyslexia made reading and writing very frustrating for me, so when I picked up a pencil I would start to draw. I even had a teacher once tell me “if I was grading for art I would love to give you an A, but this is history”. That’s how most of my education went for me, improving in art, going nowhere in everything else. But, it took learning to read better to finally get better artwork (go figure). Let me explain. In my 20s I was a doorman for about five horribly long years. Did I also mention I’m hyperactive, so standing at the door to me is like going to the dentist in getting your teeth pulled without any painkiller. So what did I do, I finally started to read, and the subjects that caught my interest were subjects like: science, philosophy, spiritualism, psychology and of course metaphysics.
This influx of new information is what led me down my artistic path that I so enjoy now. When it comes to my statement work, I have two ways in which I create. The first way is coming up with a concept such as “obsessive-compulsive disorder” and then creating an image to represent it, as such below.
“obsessive-compulsive disorder”
The other way, is to sit down and just start drawing, and when finished, see what it says to me, such as “fear of fatherhood” as shown below
“fear of fatherhood”
Stories in images about my life and how I see the world around me. This is what I enjoy the most, this is what has meaning to me, and this is what I want to share with you. Take for instance, my blue Man series. In this series of acrylic on canvas paintings I am showing you and everyone else a view of my own life. At this point I have three in the series and each one tells you a little more about me.
“pushing ahead”
The difficulties and struggles of moving forward without knowing all the obstacles or where to go.
“false security”
Surrounding yourself with what you know, good or bad, afraid of the unknown, just for the fact that it’s unknown.
“revisiting the past”
Finally looking at the past for what it really is, is the starting point of moving forward.
Each little story, a different aspect of my life, a place I had to move through to get to where I am now, all told in paint.
I’m also starting a series of digital drawings that will incorporate the blue Man, but this time they are statements of the world at large and not me personally.
So, not every picture tells a story, but when it does, that’s where I like it even more.
Keep on creating,
Ken
Kennethschwartz's Blog 