Is Art Worth It

About ten years ago, I was recovering from a foot/ankle surgery due to an injury in Afghanistan that wasn’t healing the way it needed to. Going from moving 90 miles per minute to zero was super hard to do, and I was B.O.R.E.D! Remember, boredom is what always gets us in trouble. I slid (literally) down the basement stairs to retrieve some art supplies my daughter had left behind when she moved out a couple of years before. Then, with the supplies hanging around my neck, I crawled back up the stairs with my crutches. Exhausted and happy. I proceeded to paint two paintings.

Both of these were memories I loved. The tree is from my morning bicycle ride to work, and the other is how I remembered the Cliffs of Moher.

Two places where I felt peace, joy, calm, and serenity.

Recently, CNN ran a short piece titled “Why is art so expensive?” The piece listed five reasons. The one that leaped out at me was their first one, “Does it speak to you, and is it a great painting?” You can hear the entire article at: https://www.cnn.com/videos/arts/2018/08/29/steven-murphy-art-price-style-orig.cnn.

I don’t profess to be a great artist like my favorites, Rothko, Van Gogh, or Cezanne. But like them, I paint because it speaks to me. I paint to evoke these emotions:

Peace

Serenity

Strength

Many of my paintings are based on nature and often show a singular aspect of nature: a single tree standing strong, a beautiful bird living its best life, the ocean rolling towards you on sunny and cloudy days, or an octopus peeking out of the sea.

All to bring beauty and joy into my life and into the lives of others, a shift from the focus we so often see, which is doom and gloom.

So, is art worth it?

For me, that is a yes.

Artwork can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/ArtRenewStudio