The Purpose of Art: Part III
Buzz / Guest Writer Series
Editors Note: “The Purpose of Art” is a three-part series by a Buzz Blog guest writer that we will be publishing over the next few weeks. Dan Lake, the author of the blogs, is one of our Ohanga Creatives who specializes in impressionist oil paintings. To read more about Dan, check out his Ohanga profile here.
The Purpose of Art series explores the different impacts art can have on us physically, emotionally, and mentally outside of just aesthetic pleasure. The third and final installment in my series as a guest writer for Ohanga focuses on the power of art.
Project THREE: The Partners Painting Project
Julia, age 3, Partner Painting
Sometimes, the power of art comes as a spark, a simple moment of unexpected awareness. I experienced a sudden flash of inspiration as I ruminated on how to paint my 3-year-old granddaughter as she was sitting and painting “en Plein air” at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut. I was impressed by how concentrated she was on the image as she painted. I wanted to reflect that innocent infatuation in my piece and started to manipulate the image and prepare my composition.
But… I had the spark: “Painting her while painting.” Read that again. “Painting her WHILE painting.” Did that mean I was painting not only Julia but also duplicating what she had painted then? Could I find a way to paint Julia, but have HER paint an original painting directly on that same canvas? Could we BOTH own the outcome of her work?
Don’t parents collect their children’s artwork from an early age to review years later after unearthing them from the closets of their homes? Didn’t my wife and I have the evidence of this phenomenon with our children’s work from kindergarten being found in a box in deep storage decades after its creation? Was that saved for us as parents? Was it saved for our children? Why did my wife and I save that material for 40+ years?
IF I could have Julia paint with me, wouldn’t that become evidence of her earliest work that would NOT be stored and hidden as she aged? Could that be a memory that would be passed on and displayed through generations? Maybe…
James, age 9, Partner Painting
I had to find a way to bring this thought to fruition since it made the art have a purpose beyond how well I could capture her image.
I devised a technique for doing a portrait of Julia in which she also contributed her creative spark; it was a multi-step process, outlined on my website.
Lexi, age 6, Partner Painting
Julia was impressive during that process. You can see her talking as she created her art: She told us, “I am making monkeys,” and, “I am making blue monkeys and yellow monkeys,” and, “I like all my monkeys.” Since that initial painting, each of my other four grandchildren expressed that they would also want to paint with grandpa. And so, they did.
Art has the power to create memories that will follow generations in a most personal way. It is not just for galleries and sales but for sharing memories beyond the lives of the artists.
Art can transcend the artist and benefit the recipients of his/her work beyond the aesthetic. I don’t pretend to be as accomplished as some of the artists who have contributed fine works to our world, but I can paint and use my paintings to show others the way I view the world.
While “pretty” is nice and selling contributes to both pocketbook and ego, it is the power to share something meaningful that not only gives art life but also makes life art.
Author: Daniel Lake
We envision a world in which creatives can grow and share their passions unburdened from the complexity of business management; a world where a community can easily access art for sale as well as celebrate and engage with their local artists.
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