Topher Gallo
I think Popeye the sailor probably said it best: ”I am what I am.” While fundamentally the purest explanation of self-awareness to date, if the reference eludes you please ask your parents or the closest Gen X’r for clarification. In my opinion, we are artists because we are driven to create something missing inside us… I am neither special nor unique regardless of my parents’ insistence. I simply express myself differently than others… Like us, a painting or work of art has a beginning and an end… but thankfully, art has the power to endure the test of time where for us it’s rather limited. And that’s truly the point where the art begins to tell our story for us.
Who, what, where, and why I am are nothing more than distractions from the beauty of the creation. With those insights, the viewer is forming artistic opinions based on verbal and scripted social media ideas fed to you rather than using your objective artistic eyes. We’ve all seen the results in the pursuit of public approval and the cruel mistress it can become… can we not enjoy the creation without objectifying the creator?
My point is this, if you find a connection with my artistic endeavors, please let that be the defining moment of our relationship. If upon viewing you have a real visceral feeling one way or another, I thank you for taking the time to look, listen, and feel…. It’s truly all I can ask. We are all artists in some form or fashion, but without the art, our worldly presence is inconsequential and irrelevant to those around us. It’s taken years for me to finally accept my artistic voice in this world, and I hope you enjoy and find your emotive journey in the viewing as I have in creating these works.
