Keeping it real

Modern life is like fake on steroids.
At least that’s how it feels to me. 

I have always had a dislike of fake things and especially fake people. Maybe it has something to do with my years in ministry, or maybe it’s part of who I am. I have never liked lying, and fake and lying always fit together like two peas in a pod. 

Years ago, when I started in ministry, people faked who they were in real life. They would pretend to be someone they were not. But eventually you would get to know people for who they really were. It’s most often those pretending to be holier than everyone else, who would get exposed as the greatest posers. 

Then, with the introduction of photoshop, people could even fake how they appeared on their social media accounts. They edited out the wrinkles, dropped some weight, and made themselves look younger than they actually were. Oh, how I hate those fake photos. I know how you look…

But now, with AI being unleashed into society, fake is rising to a whole new level. And it is rising at such a rapid pace that I am not even able to count the ways. 

I am convinced that you have no interest in hearing another artist ranting about AI, so I won’t. 

What I will say though, is that my intense dislike of fake things might be the reason why I find comfort in painting realistic art. I don’t WANT to squint my eyes to block out the details and then paint an impression of what I see. I don’t want to imagine things that are not real and create make believe stuff. I don’t care if this is considered more artistic. 

I LOOOOVE what is true. I LOOOOVE what is real. I LOOOOVE to mix colors that match the colors of the subject that I am painting. I LOOOOVE to place those colors on my canvas exactly on the real place where they belong. It is not fear of moving outside the lines that compels me to stay safely within them. It is rather an acknowledgment that those lines truly exist that inspires me to create real art in a realistic way.

If my love for what is real disqualifies me from being recognized as an artist, then so be it. I am not painting for recognition anyway. I am painting according to my own values and beliefs. I’m creating art because I LOOOOVE the creative process. I paint because I need art, and, because I want art to be real, I will paint what I see exactly as I see it!

What I am looking for is real beauty!!!

And when you see my art you will see the beauty that I saw for real!!!