Between Two Worlds

The heart of an artist is a curious oracle which exists between two worlds. It occupies a place somewhere between what is and what could be. Herein the boundless topography of imagination takes on a realism not to be trifled with or marginalized. Indeed, the longer one spends in that alternate universe the more they appreciate its reality. For example, a while back I had an epiphany on this point by virtue of a question which came to mind, “If a melody is heard only in mind, does that melody still exist? ” As a composer I knew that the answer was yes. I have been entertained for countless hours by music that was never penned, performed, or recorded, stories enacted only on the stage of mind, and visualization that never entered the eye. Yet the experience of these things was as profound as any acquired via the senses. Herein I realized the significance of sentient realities, and the inexhaustible nature of creativity.

As an artist, I’ve always preferred drawing upon imagination, rather than copying a physical subject. Little wonder that one of my most prized possessions is a painting that my father painted out of his own imagination (seen above). It has always had the ability to transport me to that secluded grove of aspens, amid the sound of insects, birds, and rushing waters from its opalescent stream, scented by wet and wood, moss and mulch, lichen, resin, and distant evergreens--a secret place that my father visited time and again to create a window for the rest of the world to see. Thus, my aesthetic penchant naturally leans towards art that draws me in. Moreover, I have dwelt myself in the beauty of transcendent realities--places far too beautiful not to share. Whether through paint, song, words, or motion, I desire to create portals into worlds I have explored, wonders I have witnessed, music I have heard, words that transformed, and dreams there conceived. By these one literally changes the face of physical realities, we give birth to new creations, and pollinate the world at large.