Dream Realism Available

DREAM REALISM AVAILABLE

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.

SUMMER 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

When I started this painting I thought about a quote from a mid century tv personality named Mister Rogers. Back in the 50’s he said, “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.” Well I thought that was pretty good advice and it inspired me to paint this painting. I decided on an eagle to represent the helpers because I thought of strength, courage and wisdom. I figured that those traits are what I’d want in helpers. The flowers flying out of the wing are their good ideas that bring change for the better. The back wing means that openness and transparency are important in order to move things forward.

PINK CONDOR

This painting is a story about art and how it meets nature.

I first encountered Daisy the fox on my back deck and I thought about how she lives in the wild. She just seemed to be more directly connected to the earth and all the things that I take for granted like the pigments, oils, cotton and wood that I use in my paintings. I see her as the caretaker, guardian and protector of the earth elements that I use in my art.

She lives a wild life and in a sense it’s like the art world which can certainly be a bit wild and unpredictable. I added sculptures like the carved rock to reflect more of the art world.

The Pink Condor is another protector of the earth. It’s head turns pink as it matures and pink always reminds me of love, compassion and kindness towards others. In some cultures the condor even represents health and healing.

THE CONVERSATION

This painting is a deep dive into my thoughts about creating. The two figures in the lower left are having an in-depth conversation about the meaning of why we create. One asks the question “Why do we create?” The other answers “Because the world is our oyster.”

The other continues, “It can be tough to open an oyster but inside we might discover a beautiful pearl. It’s the same with life. We create because we grow through discovering our own pearls whether they be smooth or rough. And we have the world at our disposal.”

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 AVAILABLE