This series of essays begins with the post “What’s Next for Your Art?”
Our experience of the world is the culmination of our senses. We go through life with our eyes open, our lungs pulling smells past our nose, our skin touching the atmosphere, hands grasping and ears hearing. When we smell our favorite foods we are reminded of how they taste, look and a possible myriad of other sensations. It is almost impossible to experience the world with one sense at a time. As painters we rely on our sense of sight to create our work and that same sense on the part of our audience to appreciate it. It is good for us to remember that stimulation of one of our senses can often influence the others.
Still lives are a popular subject for many reasons, one of those reasons is that they are a very familiar part of everyday life, and we experience them on several levels. Of course, we see them, which is the main focus of our painting, but we also have held many of those objects in our hand, a pot or vase is a very familiar object and so holding it is a common sensation and when we see one in life or in a painting there is a subtle stimulation of the tactile experience of it as well. Other objects, like fruit or flowers can stimulate our sense of taste or smell as well. So, beyond the experience of sight there is also the other senses for the artist to consider as possible points of interest or stimulation.
This experience is across all subject matter. The human figure, landscapes, and street scenes. Scenes of violence and serenity. Even abstract paintings evoke strong sensations. These reactions can be very real. I remember seeing a painting of a stormy sky and was struck by the unique experience of smelling the rain.
These ideas are not difficult to grasp. I am sure we have all noticed the multitude of stimulations while standing on a windy beach or eating a piece of fruit. What I want to communicate here is the roll this phenomenon plays in fine art painting. To make us aware of the complex nature of our sensory experience and so that when we are painting, we can notice these and use them, because anything that adds a unique quality to our art creates another level of interest and contributes to the overall success of our work.
To be continued