It is a message without words for words are strictly a human invention. These messages flow through my eyes as they see color, light and shadow. These messages flow through my hands as they mix colors and hold the brush to the canvas. My eyes, my hands, my being become an extension of the message that is being expressed from within and beyond.

You may call this frequency by many names or by no name. Spirit, Soul, God or Light may be appropriate terms depending on your personal beliefs. For those less spiritually inclined, you may call this the power of your subconscious mind, gut feelings or inner voice. Whatever your personal beliefs, this is where the messages I hear come from.

They are meant for you but I do not know what they mean for you. That is a personal matter between you and your creator. I just know that when I finish these paintings, I feel a deep sense of connection to all that is and a deep knowing about what is behind all that is. The individual message of each painting is as unique to me as it is to you.

You must have something to communicate, a meaning to express in order to paint in the abstract. The closer you are to your soul, to the inner voice reflecting the frequency of the universe, the better. Without such a voice, abstract art is too easily reduced to painting on the surface. It may look interesting and even decorative. It might even be done with masterful craft skills. But it will lack depth and purpose. It will fail to communicate meaning to those who view it.

The highest calling of art is to express that which is beyond our physical world and physical senses. It is to reach into the vast and intricate web of existence to extract a fleeting moment of clarity about who we are, where we came from and what we can be.

While I am but a mere beginner as a painter if measured by time alone, every painting I create is an act of faith. Every time I pick up the brush I am taking a risk. I strive with every brush stroke, every color I mix, everything I do to express that which my soul wishes to communicate to the world. My soul, connected with the frequency of the universe to all souls, all living things carries a message directly from the creator. As much as my abilities allow, I am striving to communicate this message through what I paint on the canvas.

No artist, including myself, knows the potential of their talents. We cannot know what we are capable of until we push ourselves as far as we can and strive for the ultimate. Some will end up father along this path than others. We can only strive. The rest is out of our control. But unless the art world lets everyone know this is where we are supposed to go, this is the goal, this is the meaning of the artists life…we will allow too many artists to create  exceptionally well planned and executed examples of the craft of painting that fall far short of what they could have been. And those artists will fall short of what they could have been.

Life is an act of faith. Ultimately, what we do involves taking actions where the outcome remains unknown. It can be no other way. If this is life, then so should it be in painting. While the planned decorative piece of fine art or evocative conceptual art or informative social art has their place, more artists need to listen to their heart, their inner voice, their soul and express the deeper meanings that lie within and beyond. It is only then that we will produce artists in our lifetime who can sit as equals next to the grand masters of times gone by.

But to paint like that means taking a risk with every brush stroke. How many artists are willing to do that? How many gallery owners and museums are willing to recognize, support and promote artists who take that risk?

In the words of Mark Rothko:

“It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism. There is no such thing as good painting about nothing.”