Welcome to the Wild Rumpus

Beginning The Wild Rumpus

Here’s a story that explains the origins of this blog and where it’s going:

Being a friendly sort of artist, I encourage people to ask questions when they're looking at my work. So, there I am, by my work, chatting with some friends during an open studios tour and, out of the corner of my eye, I notice someone taking time to carefully look at my personal favorite piece in the Books of Love’s Own Dream series. Prompted by his apparent interest, I ask whether he has any questions. Typically, people ask questions about what the piece is made of or what it’s “supposed to be.” But, this man says he doesn’t have any questions, next he begins formulating a thought that doesn’t quite turn into a question, and then he hits on what he wants to ask: How do you do it?
I love this mysterious stranger! He’s asked the magic question, an open sesame that unlocks what  I consider making art to be. Inside me, there’s a jam session among materials, emotions, thoughts, imagination, perceptions, memories, inspirations and more. What’s happening outside me is that the work evolves through the blessings offered by ‘mistakes’, roads not taken and retaken and not taken again, physical feelings, what if(s) and more. Both inside and outside, and through the dialogue between them, the wildest of rumpuses rocks on.

Thanks to the marvels of the blog format, I’ll write both about the inside process AND show the outer one.  Bonus prize: I’ll show and tell the same for other artists. Super extra bonus prizes: photos of inspirations, ideas from many sources, and surprises by the score.

Remember my love for that man?  If you look at abstract art and wonder how it’s done, I love you too. To all of those who wonder -  art viewers, art students, art want-to-makers, and artists alike – this blog’s for you.