Ultimately Art is about Communicating Emotion
Artist Ann Rea
My friend Jo Diaz, a publicist for the wine trade, once called me a “constant communicator.” For some reason this observation has rung in my head several times. When I think about it, she’s right. I’m either communicating intermittently and temporarily electronically, via my emails or blog, or I’m communicating through a permanent medium of collectible fine art.
So that begs the question, what am I trying to communicate and why? What am I expressing? My tag line gives my audience a big hint, “savor the colors of a moment.” This speaks to my direct experience when I’m painting. And it also hints at my personal and artistic journey that eventually carried me out of a long-term condition of chronic anxiety and into a fulfilling and purposeful life of self-expression as a professional artist.
I’m always thrilled when collectors express that my work makes them feel happy and calm because this is what I’m attempting to communicate, my state of being when I’m painting through the vehicle of color.
My experience of much of contemporary art is that it is expression within very narrow band of emotions. Those emotions are generally angst, irony, or shock, simply reflecting the emotional landscape of our culture. I’ve chosen not contribute to the negativity because I’ve taken my own negativity and transformed it to a peaceful expression. Rather than distance myself from an audience, I’d rather connect with them and hold the intention of making a greater contribution to the viewer’s mood.
Tags: contemporary art, Jo Diaz, savor the colors of a moment