A Painter's Statement

A Painter’s Statement in Six Aphorisms

By David M. Stallings




I.

The world is full of harsh, loud vulgarity.
I want to bring forth a soft, quiet Beauty.


II.

Sensibility leans towards the
timeless, the subtle, and the beautiful.


III.

A painting is always more than the subject it depicts.


IV.

The poetry of a thing depicted
is often more important than the thing depicted.


V.

Great work doesn’t take you to another place,
It vitalizes the place you are in.


VI.

Be it a Life self forged
Or one bound by Fate,
Two things are certain:
Life is hard,
Love is Great.

The Difference Between Painters and Artists

An Artist seeks the great idea.
A Painter seeks only to make a great painting.

An Artist risks losing himself to his ideas.
A Painter risks losing himself to his craft.

An artist uses paint to achieve a concept.
A Painter uses concepts to achieve a painting.

The Artist brings attention to his work.
The Painter receives attention from his work.

Fame forges the Painter into a humble servant.
Fame forges the Artist into an arrogant Caesar.