I've been asked, "What were you thinking when you painted that picture?" I have to admit that this question has caught me off guard. Was I suppose to be thinking of something? Sometimes I've wondered how my art impacts others. Is it just a pretty picture? Do the colors dance in their eyes? Does the painting evoke emotion to the viewer?
Last weekend I experienced something that solidified in my mind how art impacts our emotions. I had a print on display of one of my favorite paintings. It's an abstract which is not my typical style. Maybe that's why I love it so much...it pushed me out of my comfort zone. A lady stopped and spent quite some time studying the print. I could tell she was really interested and intrigued by it. It was displayed lower than my original paintings and she got down at eye level and really took time studying it. She even brought her husband over to see it. She seemed to really like it. I could see her interest so I began telling her about it. I was sure I had a sale.
The name of the painting is "Unborn Souls." You can see it here on my blog and on my website http://www.beckydeed.com. As soon as she heard the name of the painting, she had a very visceral reaction. It was as if the title of the painting brought forth emotions that she didn't know how to handle. I'm not sure why she was so impacted when she heard the title, especially since she so obviously liked the work, but I became acutely aware that I had just lost the sale. Why the name of the painting could so completely change the feeling about it, is a mystery to me.
A short time later another lady came by and also studied the print. She absolutely fell in love with it. She said that while the colors did not "go with" anything in her house, she had to have the print and would paint a room to compliment the painting. I loved that my painting made such a positive impression on her. So much so, that she could not walk away.
This experience showed me how much art impacts our emotions. While the first Customer loved the painting, it was unfortunate that the title of the work affected her so deeply that no matter how much she loved the painting, she could not own the work. But the second Customer so loved the painting, that she had to have it even though she didn't immediately know where it would hang.
Knowing that what I create can make such a lasting impression on someone's emotions is very rewarding. Next time I'm asked what I was thinking when I created my work, I will put more thought into how to respond, and my own emotions during its creation knowing that I am affecting others' emotion through my work.
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