“What is it?” The question is commonly asked when people look at abstract art. Funny that the question most commonly asked is actually of least importance. It is not the viewer’s job to access the art intellectually; it is the job of any piece of art to access the viewer. Art is a form of communication. Since a piece of art cannot really listen, its role in communication is to speak to you. I notice when I look at any piece of art, whether it is abstract or representational, that it either touches me on some level or it doesn’t. That is not to say that if a piece doesn’t effect you, it is to blame or it is not of high quality; sometimes I recognize a work’s inherent quality and still don’t feel an emotional connection even when someone next to me is overwhelmingly drawn to it. I can compare it to meeting a new person. You have an instant connection or you don’t. It isn’t anyone’s fault, that’s just the way it goes. You can’t access a person you don’t click with by analyzing them to death until you do connect (Those of you who know me will call me the pot calling the kettle black here! For the record, I only do it with people, not art!). The piece will prove its ability to be accessed by a viewer with nothing more than just being what it is. The art doesn’t have to try to move you, and you don’t have to try to be moved by it. It will happen naturally. You’ll look at work and be moved by color, form and texture. The piece doesn’t have to be anything or mean anything although sometimes a certain color, form or texture means everything in a viewer’s interpretation of the piece. As a viewer, you don’t even have to wonder why a piece does or doesn’t move you…unless for some reason the piece keeps asking you to wonder. If that happens, you need to pay particular attention because something is happening. You just may not realize it until later. Anyone out there ever think that you just hated someone instantly and a while later you found yourself dating or marrying them?

Personal taste and viewer mood can account for many differences in reaction to art. Sometimes lack of openness and timing on the part of the viewer can effect his or her ability to appreciate a piece of art in the moment but overall, no matter what the mood of the viewer is, there is a piece of art out there that will successfully access a person regardless of their mood. In terms of viewing, you should go with what you are feeling in the moment. However, you shouldn’t always buy a piece just because you feel something in the moment. Sometimes there are pieces of art that are like the person with whom you don’t click right away, but when you are in a more open mood or the timing is better, you realize you misjudged them and you really can connect. In fact, in my collection, those pieces for which I gained a patient affinity tend to be my lasting favorites. You’ll know when it is going to happen because after you walk away, you can’t stop thinking about them. It’s analogous to that person that you didn’t think much about initially but you couldn’t get them out of your mind later. These tend to be my enduring connections. To roughly quote Blade Runner, “a flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.” Before buying, take the time to determine whether a piece is just a passing fancy. The work should get under your skin, stay there and sometimes even make you do battle with it.

While some work is successful and simply doesn’t strike you, a piece’s lack of accessibility can be due its lack of success. As an artist, I notice that those pieces that I produce during a particularly open time in my life tend to be more accessible to a larger number of viewers. Not everything an artist produces is even worth looking at. Trust yourself. If it is almost what you want but something about it just bothers you in terms of form, color or texture and you find yourself wanting to look away or change parts of it then you might be recognizing that it is just not a successful piece.

The thing to remember is that if you are looking at or buying art for the sheer enjoyment of it, any piece that moves you on a level that you can’t seem to forget, in other words, you experience resonance, is worth looking at and even purchasing. The art you surround yourself with should be something that sticks with you for some reason. I recently bought a piece of artwork that stuck with me like a sliver under my skin. I couldn’t stop having emotions about it and it stirred up a lot of stimulating and controversial conversation when I expressed my connection to the piece. That piece has staying power in my life. That piece moved me in a way that I still don’t quite understand and that is the beauty of it. The painting holds a certain amount of mystery for me that I never want to lose by analyzing it to death. If I ever let myself believe I had it all figured out, my connection to the piece would be lost. Kind of like people, I guess.