With a book haul in Savannah, Georgia, USA, 1994
At first glance, books and movies seem to be very different. Books are static type and images, whereas movies are motion pictures. But what binds them is the common thread—they’re about stories. They engage our imaginations for an extended period of time, and they can transport us into their narratives. Stories make us reflect on our lives or plunk us into a world that is nothing like our own. I love reading books and watching movies. They evoke emotions and kickstart the storytelling that is part of my artwork.
Next to creating art, reading novels is my most-loved activity. I rarely leave the house without a book—or two, or three. I now travel with an e-reader rather than a heavy stack in my luggage even though I love the smell and feel of paper. I read until late at night, and I’ve been known to laugh out loud and sometimes cry when a book touches me deeply.
Movies are such a visual feast. Movies about a particular era, captivating characters, a plot that won’t let go or thought-provoking subject matter can all be inspiring. I love it when I forget I’m in a movie theater; when I’m so caught up in the story that I jump when something scary happens. When the characters feel like real people, I hold my breath and am relieved when a crisis is resolved. In addition to the plot, the sets, camera angles, makeup and costumes add to the experience. It’s easy to see that blockbuster hits influence pop culture. The movie version of The Great Gatsby brought the Art Deco period to the forefront of fashion and home décor. The television series Mad Men sparked interest in mid-century modern furniture and more.
As in books and movies, narrative can become part of our artwork. In fact, human beings have told stories via art for thousands of years. They told stories by painting images on the walls of caves, carving them onto rocks, incorporating them into ritual and religious objects. Nineteenth-century Dutch artists began painting scenes from daily life, a form of narrative art called genre painting. Today, artists tell stories in multi-panel graphic novels or comic books.
Telling a story in your artwork does not require any particular structure. A lot can be told by using found objects, text and mixed media. I often want to tell a story in my art journals and paintings and do so with color, texture, lines and symbolism, or by depicting a scene that reflects the main element of the story.
With a book haul in Savannah, Georgia, USA, 1994
Reading in Winderswohlde, Germany, after a bicycle tour,1992
NATURAL SPRINGS
Shepard Fairey
Mural
47' × 147' (6m × 45m)
Jersey City, New Jersey
THE MILLINERS
Edgar Degas
Oil on Canvas
231⁄4" × 281⁄2" (59cm × 72cm)
The J. Paul Getty Museum
Newspaper Rock, Utah, USA; a petroglyph panel recording approximately 2,000 years of human’s activities. In Navajo, the rock is called Tse Hane, or rock that tells a story.