What Do I Want My Art to Say?

That’s the question I circle back to every single time I pick up a medium…whether it’s photographs, cinema, a blank sheet of paper, a digital canvas, fabric, or even these very words.

What do I want my art to say?

The first answer is always simple: how I feel.

I want my art to be a direct translation of my inner world. Every project I finish, every brushstroke or frame or paragraph, is evidence that I sat with a feeling long enough to heal it, wrestle with it, and finally release it into the world. Hence my turn around time 😅, that’s a story for another blog. Art is my way of moving things through me. It’s not just completion for the sake of “finishing.” It’s closure. It’s therapy.

Once that release happens, the art leaves my hands and enters the eyes, hearts, and minds of whoever comes across it. They might spectate, double tap, scroll by, or pause and really take it in. That’s their choice.

But here’s something I’ve learned about people and art: most won’t say what they really think when they see it. Maybe it’s out of politeness, sympathy, or empathy. Maybe it’s fear of being misunderstood. Art is “subjective,” after all…right?, and it’s easier to keep quiet than to risk saying the “wrong” thing.

And when someone does have the courage to speak honestly? They might get labeled unfairly…called “autistic” instead of “artistic.” A lazy confusion of language that says more about the speaker than the art itself. (That’s another blog for another day, trust me.)

Back to the question.

What do I want my art to say?

I want it to speak truth. I want it to whisper: “Remember when you were afraid to add color?”

I want it to challenge: “Take a deeper look within yourself.”

I want it to remind: “Be human. Don’t forget that you’re human.”

I want it to affirm: “Opportunity isn’t something we ask for, it’s something we go get.”

And above all, I want it to declare: “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things.”

That last part “Ordinary People” is what inspired my latest body of work.

My current medium is paint on canvas, a direction I didn’t plan but life nudged me toward. A few years back, I drew a woman I saw while driving… Mrs. Betty. I rushed back to HQ, sketched her out like I usually do, but this time I heard something inside me say: “Justin, Don’t just draw her. Paint her. Paint them all. Tell their stories.” Not kidding 😅, I’ll tell you about the childhood school bus story another time”

So I set a goal: five paintings in one week. That might not sound like much, but for me it was terrifying. Up until then, I had avoided color in my drawings, kept everything stripped down and bare, the most you’ll get is an outline.

But I found myself inspired by two incredible artists I’d been watching, Collazo and Finocchio. Seeing them paint both in person and online had me asking myself: “What peace does painting bring them?” From ones strokes of color to the others attention to color.

So I dove in.

That was two or three years ago. Since then, Mrs. Betty has been joined by Dr. Bryant, Gerald, Bela, and Lori. These aren’t just painted portraits to me… they’re lived moments, fragments of people we’ve all met, seen, or even been.

Now, for the first time, I have the honor of sharing them publicly. Ordinary People will be shown during the Open House at The Alternative Gallery in Allentown pa, on September 18th at 6:00 PM.

The Human Experience (T.H.E.)

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know my life long study is what I call The Human Experience. That’s what drives me. That’s what all of this is really about, finding different ways to communicate what it means to live, to feel, to exist, through whichever medium calls me at the moment.

Ordinary People is one chapter in that exploration. It’s my offering to the conversation about humanity. My hope is that when you see these paintings, you’ll allow yourself to feel something too, and not just spectate, but express your first, raw, unfiltered thoughts as you read their stories I hope you’re inspired to share yours. That’s where connection lives.

So if you made it this far in the blog, I hope you’ll make it to the gallery as well. Come see my first public showing. Come see the work of other artists who are brave enough to put their vulnerabilities on display. Come be human with us.

To every artist who has inspired me and pushed me through this journey…thank you. Your influence is more present in my work than you probably realize.

I’m excited for completion.

– B