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Why do I paint myself?
Narcissism - If not for mirrors, I would have drowned a long time ago.
Convenience - I am the most patient sitter I know.
Presence - Simply to have a figurative element in a picture qualitatively changes its nature. It is automatically a reflection on humanity. A face cannot help but communicate.
Why do I paint my things?
I choose the things I paint for one of two reasons. The first is that I find something visually intriguing and want to examine it more closely. The second is that I am torn about getting rid of something, and hope that by painting it I will be better prepared to let it go. These reasons are not mutually exclusive.
Why do I paint at all?
While this is only a partial answer, I believe it to be one worth giving. I cannot define what art is, nor can I form a set of rules to follow to make or discern what is good art. What I can say is that almost all of what I consider good art has one quality in common. That quality is the attention of the artist. It is often most obvious in the form of accurate detail. The attention brings about two feelings: one, that, yes, it is like that; and two, that the subject matters.
The quality of that attention can be made clear through description or invention. Personally I find description both easier and more satisfying than invention. While both require acute perception, description requires less memory. I paint because I am distracted, scattered and broken. Painting is a form of attention I can manage every now and then. It is a way to attempt rightness, oneness, wholeness, etc
or maybe I just never got over coloring.
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