What is This?

Since I first lifted a brush I have constantly questioned what perception truly is. If ’seeing is believing’ then what can I truly know? Synonyms for blind in any dictionary include words like ignorant, irrational, and unreasoning. To some people I am invisible, to others their preconceived notions of what I must be clouds any true perception, which leaves me with only how I perceive myself. I don’t obsess over my blindness; I only mention it here because of how it has influenced my art. Picasso said that, “painting is a blind man’s profession,” and this is true – art is not about eye sight, but about insight. I have developed techniques that allow me to use my hands in place of my eyes, and to paint by touch alone. The world for me now is a far more colorful place than when I had sight. I am not limited by the ‘normal’ colors of objects and people around me. Color for me is emotion and I have developed color theories that relate our other senses to a visual medium which allows us to see the taste of a glass of wine or the sound of a song. Visual metaphors that, just as in poetry, allows for a deeper understanding of the things being compared. This painting is actually three different paintings done with acrylic on three separate pieces of glass, that come together to form the one image.

‘What is This?’ – 8” x 10” Acrylic on Glass