“For the Love of Red” ©Tom Hlas 2013. All rights reserved. Mixed Media on Paper, 7" x 5"
It's interesting to me to note that many if not most artists view painting a solitary practice.
However, if one digs a bit deeper, it's easy to see that it's really the specific action of painting and all the mental conversations and artist has with oneself that are the solitary endeavors.
When individual artists paint they usually do so alone in their studio or workspace. Whether they work on an easel, a table, the wall or the floor, they are one with their act of creation.
There are times of community involvement but those moments come in the form of critique, viewing, sales, collecting and enjoyment.
It's the involvement of community that brings painting out of solitude and surrounds the work with a cooperative, vibrant energy, an energy that may last for generations and generations.
Now here's the important part: Your role is vital because artists depend on your participation to help sustain them and the vitality of their work as well as to carry the spark of their creativity to a world larger than their studio.