Time To Tell

The words in this piece read: "The difficult messages matter the most. Power is scary. Please tell your story now."

(The sides are painted black allowing you to display this piece unframed. This is a digital photo. The scans above are more accurate.)

I have often said that each piece I make is meant for one specific person somewhere out there in the world. But I have rarely felt that as clearly as I did with this painting. I am not going to write a whole lot about this one. It is beautiful in person and I trust that the right person will see these images here and recognize this one as his or her own. If you have been waiting, hiding from your story, afraid to be a leader, maybe this one is for you? This painting continues my interest in the subtle inclusion of language in art with three sentences painted in separate areas of the image. There is a single sentence in each of the larger "rooms" and they read, "The difficult messages matter the most." And, "Power is scary." And finally, "Please tell your story now." This unusual image is sure to balance any room with its message of courage and calling.

Time To Tell was a complicated piece to create. I used a palette knife for much of the underpainting. Layers were painted on and rubbed off and scratched into and blotted and scraped. The neat division of space balances the chaotic active colors for a sense of energy put to use. And it has that weathered, timeless feel that I like so much and often seek in my work. It is a haunting original work that hints at magic and poetry and faith.