Artist's Statement
About Evocation
by David Berry
In a book or movie the story is relatively clear and the momentum is part of the medium; there is always a next page or next frame to drive the pace of the story. This is where writing and painting are most different for me. Painting is a quiet little thing that is tucked at the side of a space. Admittedly, a book can be shelved clandestinely, and it takes the effort of the reader to let the world inside sprout. Nonetheless, the book comes alive once it is in hand and can evoke a force of imagination that becomes its own proactive attraction. A painting rarely has that magnetism and requires more effort to be alive and therefore become more than a decorative accent used to connect the more practical elements of living space into symphony. While it may initially draw you in when you are not otherwise distracted, a painting has limited action to propel you through an experience. Storytelling art in particular requires your knowledge of the tale in order to come alive.
Abstract painting provides no formal hint about what you are supposed to think or feel. It excites at a more primal or conceptual level, like instrumental music compared to a song with lyrics. When it comes to spirituality, I have found that there is a lot of feeling and a lot that is unexplained (or unexplainable). To describe something spiritual requires a blend of the literal and the abstract, something more like a movie soundtrack than a symphony. I have provoked an impression, in word and in form, of some idea or concept, but then I have left the rest up to you. Rather than interpreting some meaning with realism, I offer this art as an opportunity for you to evoke something within your heart. Think of it as me giving you a set of mental crayons with which you can exercise your imagination. The abstract and fluid elements provide you with freedom to personalize your experience, while the likenesses of worldly subjects give some boundary areas to fill in. Staying between the lines is your choice.
In any event, the life of these paintings, for this moment, is up to you.
About Faith
Faith leads us in a particular direction, and art can be a compass to point the way.
About Spiritual Painting
The source of art is a singular essence, and painting is a means of sharing spiritual vistas.
About Fluid Style
My own style reflects the fragile and incomplete nature of our understanding of reality.
About Other Styles
An artist develops style by exploring art of the past, and new art is judged by the legacy of what has gone before.
About Evocation
At the very core the purpose of art is to evoke some inner feeling or memory.
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