Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Making a mark- Berlin 2015

One year down, one year to go.
It is amazing how much one can grow in 365 days.  Just finished my second Berlin residency for my MFA through Transart Institute.  This residency, made it all real.  I am a real artist, making real art and trying to make a real difference.  I always have identified myself as a painter, to make marks that make sense or not, but to apply a pigment to a substrate.  When I perform that action, is it making a difference?  If I make a mark that I say means something and put confidence into it, is it making a difference?  This is the lesson I have learned, EVERY mark makes a difference.   Not only in the art world but in the world in general.
We as humans have lost the encouragement to make a mark.  We choose instead the instant gratification of posting/reading/writing/talking about it.  Evading the mark, forgetting the doing. When you actually have the intent to make the world a better place, the marks add up to create something wonderful.   We are all human, we are all on the planet together, and we can make a difference. Together.  When will we have confidence in being our own person, and stop conforming to a clique to justify ourselves?  When will we see that the lack of knowledge is the basis of misunderstanding.
My project that I have started here in Berlin, Rooted in RED, is a social project, I am literally painting red ochre pictographs on urban landscapes.  Not to deface property, but to create awareness of how we can achieve a one-ness through color, specifically red ochre.  I had so many doubts and questions that I didn't know where to start.  Then I realized, Rome wasn't built in a day!  So I  made a
'mark' and the more of these 'marks' I make, I realize it does make a difference.  If we all can make a genuine mark in our life,  you leave the world a better place.  When you refuse to do,  you are losing what life is about.  If we were meant to have our own world, we would, but we don't, we share it with billions of people so every negative action you take bring everyone down.  All of us. Every single one of us.
My goal isn't to preach, this isn't religious, or to campaign this isn't politics, my goal is to unite by making one mark at a time.


Thursday, August 6, 2015