WHY CREATE?
| My own experiences with art making has been
influenced by where and when I have lived. I notice that my art
making changes as I learn and grow as well as where I am living at the time
I create the art work. I first began making my "creations" as a young child
in Georgia. My favorite medium was the cool, red clay from my yard. I
remember making "mud pies", a direct influence from my culture and
surroundings. I usually created faces, in particular, clown faces, adorning
then with pebbles, sticks, acorns, pine straw and pine cones because that is
what I had available in my yard. What might have I created during those
young years if I lived in South Florida? Later on, I was influenced by a friend in elementary school. She use to draw the prettiest mermaids and she taught me how to draw them myself. Again, I see a direct correlation in what I created and the society around me as I was influenced by my peers. I remember living in Jamaica for a year when I was 9 years old. I recall what I painted. Different from all my creations of the past, my art work in Jamaica was vibrant with color in abstract shapes and forms. I believe this was a direct influence of the jungles, flowers, great mountains and new sights that I was being exposed to at that time. As a young teen, living in Georgia, one of the hobbies of young girls was horse back riding. Some of my friends had horses and we would ride through the woods pretending to be Indians. At a time in the late 60's, early 70's, the style for youth included moccasins, headbands, leather vests with Indian beads and braids in our hair. I noticed that I would draw horses, adorn my body with turquoise jewelry and evidence of popular Indian fashion could be seen. I remember making a leather belt in art class that included a sunset and natural forms directly influenced by the time and place in history as well as my physical environment. |
MESSAGE IN THE MASTER'S FACE by Gregory Zolna |
| As an adult in South Florida, I have seen my
paintings evolve from the use of browns and neutral colors, to those that
splash colors of the rainbow about my canvas. It has already been
recognized that artists in south Florida tend to incorporate more light in
their paintings as well as space and sky than those of the more northern
states of the U.S. This is vividly portrayed in The Beach, that was
painted by a friend and fellow artist of mine who lives in South Florida.
Could this be another direct influence of environment on the way, what and
why we create as we do? Life changing
situations and events in my adult life have also influenced my art work.
Today, it is important for me to share my spirituality and ideas about the
human experience in my artwork. This can be seen in Message in the
Master's Face. Look closely to find "images" within the face that tell a
story. Why do we create? I am aware that for me, it is to express myself in a way that is different that is, unique. After all, we all have a desire to be an important, unique part of our world while fitting in to the beautiful fabric that makes our culture complete. Creating unique expressions of ourselves makes each and every one of our art creations, priceless!
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THE BEACH by South Florida Artist Jeff Harrison
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