I recently watched a video with Bruce Springsteen and Gayle King that was on 60 Minutes about his new concert/movie.
During his short video he talks about so many things that touched me as an artist; how his music relates to him is the same as how my art relates to me. One of the comments he makes is ”The audience wants you to do two things, surprise them and make them feel at home simultaneously. The better you can do those things the further down the road you get to go on your journey with your listeners”. Wow, I always have said I want my viewers to feel emotion when they look at one of my paintings. But, how do you explain that emotion? Isn’t it part of the same as his comment, you want to surprise them and make them feel at home. I think that is a large part of it. Now when I’m doing a portrait of a lost pet or person, I want them to feel the love, to fill a hole in their hearts, to feel comfort, like that feeling you get at being home.
One of the other comments in the interview is – “Music is – it’s a repair shop, and hopefully I’ll repair you. So I’m basically a repairman. And I’m trying to repair myself. If I do that well enough, I will help repair you while I’m doing it, ”How true of a statement as with my art. If I can poor the emotion of the lost of the people and pets in my life into a painting. Maybe in some small way I can help them, repair that hole they are feeling.
Another part of the interview Springsteen talks about the character in his film. He says “When you draw on a character you are draw on some part of yourself. You are using a lot of detail that has nothing to do with yourself or your life but you are mining a lot a variety of different emotional veins to make people perceive the authenticity today, not necessarily the details of your sound it’s the authenticity of the emotional life of the sound you are delivering so I always try to make that ring true.” Isn’t this the same as creating a painting? Where does the painting come from you are drawing upon something in your life, some part of you?
One of the other quotes they talk about from the movie is “we are always trying to find somebody whose broken pieces fit with our broken pieces and something whole immerges.” That is so very true with a portrait, if creating a painting from my broken pieces and I can merge with the pet or person I’m creating the essence of, maybe we can now become whole through that painting.
If you would like to watch the Bruce Springsteen interview here is the link talking about his new movie, “The Boss Goes West”, Click here for the link to watch the 60 Minutes interview.