October 31, 2021
Often, my life informs my art. It can be emotions, which tend to give way to more abstract paintings. Or it can be photos I take in nature, or more recently, actually standing out in nature. There are also times that I paint something that later has a message or makes sense to me. This painting was started at home as a demo in one of my painting classes I was teaching. However, when I went outside to paint on Day 4, I was struck as I passed this section of Brunnshög how much it reminded me of my already-started painting. This section of town is going to be a new mini-city center, and there is information in these “cubes” about the coming construction and building projects. For Day 5, I brought my started painting to this place for inspiration and to continue working on this painting. As I started setting up my easel and painting, a couple was walking around and reading the information. The man approached me and asked where the new high-rise building was going to be. I told him I had no idea, I didn't know there was going to be a high-rise. He seemed surprised that I didn’t know. I was a confused by his response, but shrugged it off. I asked if he could take a picture of me painting. He was now confused. I told him I’m an artist, and about my project. Suddenly it made sense to him and he replied, “Oh, we thought you worked for the city and that you were setting up information about the building projects!” We laughed, as we realized why we’d both been confused. He said he’s a musician and also asks people to take pictures of him when he’s performing. He took a picture, we said goodbye, and they went on their way.
The rest of the time was quiet, and I enjoyed finishing my painting, “Outside the Box.”
