"More Than Most Require To Form An Opinion"

While a member of a local artist group (something all artists ought to consider very carefully, from all points of view, before doing) I attended a monthly meeting.  The topic of conversation quickly turned to a recently failed exhibition. One member declared that after having extensive conversations with the host of the exhibit the failure was without doubt due to me.  To paraphrase this member I, and I alone, was to be held accountable for the collapse of this particular exhibition.

Are you #@$^&%* kidding me? 

In spite of dozens of artists being involved in this exhibition, in spite of three members having several meetings with the host --which I was not invited to--, in spite of extensive conversations with the host and never having a single conversation with me about this exhibition..... in other words....with only half the information at best....this member was able to resolutely draw this conclusion.  And the scary part was, how comfortable and confident this member was in this conviction.

 Meanwhile back in the studio, I had just finished a portrait --no one in particular-- of a female nude.  I remember thinking of the typical grief I was soon to get from most gallery owners.

"I don't object at all to nudity, but, my customers might.  Especially if they bring their children into the gallery with them".

Yeah, right!  Like if they had "David" or the "Birth of Venus" there, they would throw a fawcan sheet over it....."because of the kids".  What degree of cowardice does one descend to by blaming their hang-ups on children or fail to be proactive based on things that "might" happen.

It was time to bring these two irrationally logical concepts together.  Exactly half of the surface of this painting was painted out.  I choose the random placements of blocks to illustrate the randomness of thoughtless thoughts.  And now as a viewer, you are left with only fifty percent of the nude from which to make up your mind.  If you are having difficulty arriving at a conclusion, remember most require less and make up their minds just fine.

By the way, this painting was meant to be a protest on censorship of nudity.  It was banned from the first exhibition I submitted it to.  There has to be a success story in that, twisted as it may be.