A luxury but a huge responsibility.
It's a two part process, we create and we share those creations.
Our role is to be the barometer , the eyes, ears and mouth of culture. From us people try to figure out where they are and how they're doing. Artists are gentle souls that must live in the midst of chaos and make sense of it all for the sake of culture.
People are genuinely starved for work that speaks to them. Since 9/11 the public attendance to cultural institutions is unprecedented. And I believe we are visually malnourished. The audience is assaulted and desensthetized on every front. Peace and quiet contemplation,even letting the eye linger for a little while, are rare luxuries.
And ironically I believe there's never been a better time to be an artist. Technology has given us incredible tools in order that our voices be heard globally. The internet enables everyone to experience our work with a simple click of the mouse. We arable to network and create communities we our kind and feel less isolated. The art world no longer has one center as it was Paris or New York in the past. Cultural Imperialism has pretty much died and now there is a terrific opportunity for great artists to emerge now from the farthest corners of the world.
1. What is required is hard work, keeping long hours in one's studio, honing our skills to develop a very personal process that enabled us to find our voice and express something meaningful to the world.
2. We must participate in our communities, support other artists, create public art projects, and remind legislators that creative life is essential to the health of culture.