When the Viewer Informs You of What You Were Thinking

Last night was the soft opening of the Ardest Gallery’s new location in the Woodlands and my oh my was it a hit! The artists represented are extremely talented. The vibe was fun and exciting. The turnout was great.

And in the midst of it all, I learned something new about myself and my work. I have six pieces on view (above), all in black and white theme. And while to me, the common thread is the medium and overall look itself, I had a conversation with a stranger about what he saw which totally threw me.

He stood back at a distance and looked for a long time. He tilted his head one way. Then the other. He got up close to examine the details. And then he said, reading the names of the pieces off the wall, “You have these three here, ‘Listen’, ‘Hold Me, and ‘Together’. They form an “L” shape here on the wall. I think you’re looking for love. That’s love, man. I can see it.”

My instinct was to blurt out “NO! NO LOVE FOR ME! NO WAY! LOVE IS DEAD!” but instead I kept my mouth shut and thought for a moment. Hm. I may not be seeking love at this moment, but I do certainly miss having that. Life post-divorce and all the drama/trauma that comes with it weighs heavy on the soul, man. It’s something I feel like I’m still carrying. Daily. And yes, if I’m being honest, it would be nice to come home to someone who will listen to me. I do miss a good long hug. Holding hands. Connecting. With someone. Subconsciously, these things had to be on my mind when making this stuff, right? Of course! Where else does it come from!?

The viewer, without even knowing me, was able to carve out that understanding of where I’m coming from, simply by looking at a group of pictures that I made.

And I think that is pretty darn cool.

Do you peel back meaning from the art that you see or do you avoid reading too much into it? Tell me in the comments!