Art is a Collaboration

Art is a collaboration. It’s an exchange between the artist and the viewer, a silent conversation about the ideas expressed in a work. Each side has his or her own opinion and brings personal experience to the interpretation.

Yet, there is a different kind of collaboration that fuels the creation of a work of art: the one between the artist and his source of inspiration. It may be a memory, a person, a place that captivates the artist’s imagination. For my dad, it can be nature in its tiniest forms. As he tells it:

“One day, I went to my studio, looked around at all my paintings, and I just felt so happy. Then I took one small painting and started walking back to our house. As I passed by the swimming pool, a bee was in the water and desperately trying to get out, as if she were drowning. The grapes growing around the house attract them, and sometimes I think they become kind of drunk from drinking their juice! It felt like I could hear her saying, “Help me.” I went on my knees. My painting was in my left hand, but with my right hand, I scooped the water with the bee. As I raised my hand, most of the water dripped back into the pool, and it was only the bee sitting in the palm of my hand. First she tried to fan her wings, and then she took off. This time, I really felt I heard, “Thanks.” What teamwork, I thought. Just the way I paint for myself, and for other people, she is creating honey for herself and other people.”