Why create?  The question is loaded with implications.  What is creation?  Where does the impulse come from?  Is there such a thing as good versus evil or are we simply trying to give purpose and meaning to an ultimately chaotic and random existence?

These questions are important and essential to understanding ourselves and our universe, but the drive to create and manipulate our surroundings continues regardless.  Whether we ever come to understand our existence beyond the myopic egocentric surround that we inevitably find ourselves mired in, the creative instinct will keep pushing us toward a clearer and hopefully a more concise vision of our place in the cosmos.  Hopefully only with this caveat- that the better we come to understand ourselves, the better we learn to not take ourselves too seriously.  I believe that will come with the territory,  If our past is any indicator, we've got a lot of serious mistakes to live down.

Talking about art is a little like trying to put the fragrance back into the flower.  We know where it came from, we know how it entices the propagation of a variety of life.  What we don't know is how this majestic symphony of creation began.  We might as well try to neatly define God or the Infinite.  Now, here's the kicker- Is either pursuit actually that far removed from the other?  When does the quest for pure art become a quest for Ultimate understanding?  I propose that there has never been any difference, that the impulse to create is as natural and as essential to our survival as the fragrance of a flower.  The question then becomes, "Why?"  Why, indeed!

What is art?  Is it something pretty that decorates our lives?  Does it have meaning beyond matching our sofa fabric?  Why are we so inextricably tied to the creative concept?  What would our lives be like without art?  For that matter, where does art begin and end within the context of our existence?  Is it something that can be contained, packaged, controlled and processed for consumption or is beyond our capability to tame it?  Is real art only that which, by genius or accident, inspires our species to greater heights or can Elvis on black velvet lay rights to the same motivation?  And who has the right to claim such knowledge?

Within most disciplines, there are fairly clear parameters that guide the direction of it's evolution.  Within medicine, it's health,  Within technology, it's invention.  But with art, the very act of placing boundaries on the discipline shatters it's purpose- which is to freely evolve.  Or does it?

 As a lifelong artist, I've found that trying to define art into a single definition is impossible.  Instead, I've had to allow it to fall into two separate categories in order to understand it's implications in our existence.

What is art?~ definition one:  The creation of form that brings an emotional and/or intellectual response.  Clearly, this is a wide open definition which intends to  embrace every possible aspect of art, from the crayon scribbles that adorn every proud parent's refridgerater door to the most esoteric and elusive creations such as Christo's flamboyant displays or Chris Burden's 'Exposing the Foundation'.  The point being, under definition one, is that art is everywhere, detractable by no one and unlimited in it's scope.  If you say it's art- damn tootin'!

Then there's definition two.  This applies strictly to those that intend to make the making of art their main purpose, their raison d'etre.  Under this banner, art becomes more than decorative, more than vision: art, as a true passion, becomes in and of itself one of the preeminent and absolute statements on the purpose of being, calling into question all that lies before us as a testament to our basest impulses and our highest callings.  The width and breadth of our history written in art is really the purest, unadulterated, unedited and most honest statements that can be observed about the nature of humankind.  Taken as a whole, the history of art becomes a clear, yet unapologetically cacaphonous  outpouring of who we really are.  Therefore, the burden of truth lies with us- the artists.  Does this sound like a tall order?  I hope so.  I hope the implication of that burden soils the Underoos of every would be Warhol that attempts to scrawl a straight line from their head to their heart.  As a lifelong pursuit, I'd say that choosing to be an artist of the second definition is akin to declaring oneself  to be a prophet and a conduit directly to the Source itself.  In the art world, we call them fanatics, lunatics and possible geniuses.  But history has given them a much more cumbersome title- Martyr.

Do you have to choose to be a member of one or the other camp?  Absolutely not.  As a matter of fact, most working artists prefer to remain undeclared.  It's really the function of the art historian to sweep up the schrapnel of explosive creation and try to piece it back together into an organized and well behaved record of the artistic impulse- often a complete fabrication in order to preserve continuity.

So, What is Art?  I think the most honest answer to that question is, "I may not know art, but I know what I like!"  If that answer doesn't suit you, stick around.  I'm bound to mess with your definition eventually.  Just give me time...,

It occurs to me that what I really ought to write about is what's really going on in my head.  If you're looking for a dissertation on the current state of Latvian education, you're definitely on the wrong blog.  What I do know about and what I can talk about (endlessly, my friends would say) is a lifetime of caring about art: history, concepts, color, techniques, critiques, lessons and, dare I hope, even the occasional pearl of wisdom.

I originally thought that I'd like to make this a curriculum, a class of how to..., but really, there are lessons galore out there in cyberspace.  How do you make rendering a sphere actually interesting with words?  Art is in the doing.  Getting your hands, clothes, carpet, ceiling and Mookie, your Afgan-Bichon show rat dirty is where the real thing takes place.  But it can't be just that.  Art, that subjective, crazy-making, inspiring, insipid, elusive, often psychotic practice of making objects of questionable value out of other objects of questionable purpose comes at a price- the loss of many a decent night's sleep.  And why would we do that to ourselves?  We can't help it.  Somewhere between our ears and our hearts we perceive  the echoes of ancient, timeless mysteries and a calling to respond with a reply that describes more than the fleeting echoes but, almost unintentionally, records a momentary and fragmented piece of our selves.  The very act of creation is the closest we'll ever come to touching Meaning, with a capital M.

Or not.  That's the real fun of this stuff- we just don't know!  What could be junk today might be genius tomorrow and visa versa.  The pure subjective nature of the beast is what gives the the thrill to the chase.  Yet, there are many parameters to work within, endless boundaries of more or less flexible understandings that give the game definition.  We call these 'lessons'  For the hobbyist, they're rules- immutable and holy.  But for the real artist, the creator, the thorn in the thumb of convention, these lessons are merely the launching pad toward the unknown.

So, this is where we'll start, the known and the unknown, and we'll see if we can find something pretty to hang on the wall.

"What's with all the letters n'words n'stuff?"  Good question!  My personal work has taken an interesting turn as I've started to explore the visual forms of language and the alphabet.  How did this come about?  Kind of a confluence of influences, I'd say.

    I've always been fascinated by, and admired, the art of lettering.  When I used to work at other art studios, I'd watch the 'lettermen' do their thing and just be fixated on the precision of their craft.  The rules and parameters involved in the design of fonts is a complete art and science in itself.  When I began doing letter work in my business, I became even more in awe of those lettermen.  The ability necessary to do fine lettering was outside of my experience and became a focus of my learning: developing a steady hand, learning the rules of letter structure, building on my ability to compose even and balanced lettering, and just absorbing dozens of fonts into my repetoire.  A whole new art had invaded my world and once again, I was the student, craving knowledge.

    Hang on, I'm not done yet.  After moving to Nashville, I became fascinated by the rustic, 40's-50's look of so many of the street signs that grace the streets of this wonderful town.  I soon sensed a kind of relaxed humor in the Nashville way of life.  I mean, compared to the intensity and deadly seriousness of living in California, Music City seemed to take a tongue-in-cheek attitude to the values that drive most of the world these days.  Even those tens of thousands of talented musicians and songwriters that have gravitated to the epicenter of musical stardom aren't bogged down with the weight of possible failure.  They just do their thing and have fun while hoping for the best.  Success in Nashville isn't about fame and fortune.  It's about enjoying the process of living- a lesson I still need to work on.

    Anyway, as I began to meld into the daily fabric of Nashvillian life, I found something inside that I'd completely ignored my whole life- my sense of humor.  Applying my own twisted brand of funny and irony to the lettering thing, with a nod to the nostalgic signage of days past, I discovered a new language to speak with (visually speaking).  What you see on the Fine Art page of this website, under the heading of Word Works, is some of the first works in this line, including a set of alphabet letters that can be used to spell anything that works for you- your name, your mantra, your love. 

    It's all about fun.  Look around and enjoy the view.  There's a fascinating world of wild weirdness all around us.  And when you've run out of places to look for the humor in life, do what I did- look in the mirror.  Guess what?  I'm funny!

"Coming Soon"- a new piece that really captures my love of old signs as well as my sense of humor.
 

The client that commissioned this piece gave me free reign to do what I wanted.  I always seem to do my best work when I'm given that license.  This piece reflects the spirit of the client.  I love being able to intuit my patron's personalities and expressing them in art.

"Ripe Red", acrylic on canvas.  Being able to combine all aspects of my art into one piece (color palette, humor, lettering, pop style) brings out the best in me.
 

"Miracle", acrylic on canvas.  Also from the Tomato show.  Seems I've found my home here in Nashville.  They actually like my weird sense of humor.

"Animato", acrylic on canvas.  This was one of the pieces shown at the annual Tomato-art-fest in East Nashville.  I entered 6 pieces as well as designing the poster and t-shirt art for the event, all of which sold out.

Okay, so it's not art, but designing a business card that captures my style has been an ongoing project.  I can live with this one for a while.

Left side of a large diptych mural for Barona Casino's new Mexican restaurant.  I just wanted to capture the flavor of old Mexico.

The right side of the diptych mural.  I added more space by making a breezeway that's open to the ocean view.

Barona Casino entry piece, 1 of 3.  These pieces were commissioned by the casino to adorn one of their entrances to the casino.  Done in 'California plein aire' style, they capture the feel of the land that the Barona reservation sits on.

Barona Casino, 2 of 3.  Like so much of my commercial work, I created these pieces on canvas and sent them to the client for framing and hanging.  The internet has become an essential tool in my arsenal.

Barona Casino, 3 of 3.  Beyond the French impressionists of the19th century, the California plein aire artists took the concept that the Europeans developed and raised it to the level of genius.  I find this genre to be one of the best challenges to emulate as an artist.

This piece was commissioned to show the possible look of a 'green' community to be established in the Nashville area.  Despite some clingy old stereotypes of Southern life, Nashville, as well as most of Tennessee, embraces positive new concepts such as the 'green' movement.