Viewers will probably like this image. I must admit, I do as well.

The conversation between artist and audience is as unique as every individual on Earth, I say tomato, you say twomatoe. Art is the idiosyncratic manifestation of one human’s soul – in conversation with another’s. It is truly an intimate relationship and there is no guarantee of success. I believe this is the appeal of the DPG project, at least for the artists involved. We can’t help but share who we are through our art, it percolates through every pixel of this digital presentation.

However, this dance of creator and audience is a slippery slope. “Do I give them what they want (what will sell)? Or do I give them my Truth?” … so says the committed artist. What’s the difference? Who’s the judge? Should social media determine worth? Does it? What does?

This is where notions of popularity diverge from “ART”. I am going to go out on a 100’ limb here, jump up and down and attempt to define “ART”. Art is the expression of an individual manifested. It is self-contained and undeniable. The best of fine art attempts to say something, for without context or ideas, art is just decor. However, I believe the photographic medium has far more potential. In my case it is a delicate dance, I believe my best work revolves around ideas, though sometimes i just appreciate a beautiful image.

This image shares both worlds. For me the notion of using a portable strobe to accentuate a lone almond tree in bloom at dusk provides a curated, unexpected view of the environment, which I like. For the audience, it represents a lovely image of spring in the natural world, hangable on a wall, and is a popular image in my library.

Either way my job is done. You as the audience have your work to do…