Information

• Echinacea 2

  February, 2022

  watercolor

  12 x 9.25 inches

  Portfolio Updates

Statement

• Here is a small painting of an Echinacea flower. I am intrigued by the problem of realism in painting. To me, realism is a philosophical conundrum. Reality is a unified field of paradoxes. When many artists think of realism, we think of duplicating what our eyes see. How limiting that is. The skill to model what one sees in paint is an academic marker of achievement, but it can become an addiction. It becomes easy to lose sight of talking about the problem of what reality is or could be.

  In this painting, I've emphasized visual and photographic distortions. I've also included a depiction of what I call a "synesthetic" experience. Synesthesia is highly personal. My experience of smelling flowers is usually unpleasant. Along with a pleasant aroma, there's the threat of an asthma attack. The visual experience of the flower is overlaid with shapes spreading out in all directions, signifying the smell that could take over the entire area, in my case.

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