Dream Realism

DREAM REALISM

As Edgar Degas once said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” The paintings in this series are my thoughts on art and how they relate to life. But it’s up to the viewer to make his/her interpretation. It’s about what the painting means to the viewer. Having said that, you can read my interpretation in the “Read More” link under each painting. But what is more important is to move on to what it means to you.

APPLE PIE TREE

In 2020, while creating this painting, I removed myself from the chaos in the news. Instead, I focused on the peace and comfort of trees. It seemed to be a simple and wise choice at the time. During the process of painting, I decided to listened to what nature had to say. Be still the trees said. While I sat and contemplated my trees, they brought back good memories of swimming in the sun and the apple pies my dad would make. It made me smile so I painted the memories. This painting was a time of shifting away from chaos and into the comfort of nature and memories.

GOOD IDEAS

By the time mid 2020 had rolled around and we were all in the midst of full blown chaos, I found that I had to make some serious choices in what to paint and why. That year brought out questions about the meaning of my art, why I paint and what life is about. The world had taken unexpected turns for all of us. I thought about a quote from Mr. Rogers. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” That inspired me to paint this painting. The eagle is the strength and courage of the helpers and the flowers flying out are their good ideas that bring change for the better.

PINK CONDOR

Sometimes I just want to be quiet, calm and reflective about my art. This painting reflects that mood.

The Light

This painting was my retreat from the world starting in late 2021. I didn’t complete it until 2023. While I painted this garden, I imagined what it would be like to sit on the grass, surrounded by art, while contemplating life.

The two figures are continuing to talk intensely about art and life, as they did in my previous painting “The Conversation”. The pointillist topiary head sculpture leans in to listen. Their current conclusion about art is that it’s not random. There are reasons for our creations. Art comes from a deep need within us to grow in knowledge and understanding of ourselves. For the most part we are unaware that we are in earth school and that our creations are microcosmic experiments that we take towards understanding the macrocosm.

There’s plenty of symbolism in this painting. The abstract turquoise and blue sculptures represent the journey of all beings to find balance. The maze leads to the light and higher understandings. The red sculpture pays homage to this process. The bear empties his mind of all distractions to find answers while, Daisy, the fox surveys her territory. The abstract painting and the blue bubble sculpture represent the waves of change and the broken green arch represents those that have come and gone. The splash flowers represent sudden sparks of thought about the meaning of art and why we create.

THE CONVERSATION

The year 2021 brought about a deeper dive into my thoughts about art. What did I want to say with my paintings? The two figures under water say it best for me. They are having an in depth conversation about the meaning of art and why we create. Their conclusion, so far, is that art is not random. We create for a reason. Life is for a reason. The rock carved face is saying stop and listen in order to find the reason. Above are the Farallon Islands, blue skies and a sunny day.

THE PROTOTYPE

Michelangelo’s first attempt at sculpting David. My process for coming up with this concept was based on grocery shopping. It was hot out so I walked down to my local market for a break. Outside the door was a shelf full of sumptuous watermelons. They just looked too good and inviting to pass up. I bought one and just sat and looked at it on my counter. I really wanted to paint it. That was the start of this tongue in cheek painting of Michelangelo sculpting his initial concept of David. I then thought of a friend who had a collection of concept “prototype” cars. After rambling here and there in my mind I put the two concepts together and settled on this dream like oil painting.

PAT MARGIS

DREAM REALISM