Love Letters on Canvas
A friend recently showed me a passage from Theo of Golden by Allen Levi, in which two people are discussing what makes art “good”. The artist, Asher, says:
“…I guess if a work of art makes us see something familiar in a new way or makes us feel something we ought to have felt all along or shows us our place in the world more clearly, maybe then it qualifies as ‘good’. If it makes us better somehow, maybe that’s what gives it value.”
I’m really interested in how a painting can engage us on these different levels, and I’m often moved by the experience of working with people on a commissioned piece.
It usually begins with a couple coming in to talk about what they like. Often, they’ve seen one of my paintings, they enjoyed it and would like to commission something more personal. We meet in my studio, where I get to understand the reasons behind the commission. I love these conversations because they help me find the meaning in the work.
People reflect on their lives, where they’ve lived, and where their children went to school. They point to all the places that mark the highlights of their years together. I love the way a face lights up at the mention of somewhere that holds significance. Sometimes it’s an event now long past. Other times it’s part of a new daily routine. Now and then, they’ll ask for small personal touches, like their dog running along South Beach, or a particular much-loved house.
Some of the couples I meet have been together for many years. Others are just starting something new. As I listen to why certain places matter to them, I get to see those places through their eyes, and what was once familiar to me is made fresh again. While I’m painting, I’m holding onto their story and the joy it represents.
I see people stepping back and looking at the geography of Perth and its surrounds as a landscape that holds their story. These paintings aren’t just decorative. They become something bigger: an appreciation of a good life and a celebration of what’s valued.
There’s another line from Allen Levi’s book that stays with me. Theo says:
“For anything to be good, truly good, there must be love in it… love for the subject being depicted or the story being told, and love for the audience… Nothing is what it’s supposed to be if love is not at the core.”
You could say that these commissioned works are love letters on canvas. I’m so heartened by people’s abiding love for one another, and by the effort they put into keeping it alive through these celebrations of love and connection.
