Quiet Conversations

• Main Author: Bruce, Wendy
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2002
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities
• Online Access: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4383; http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5444&context=etd

Several years ago, a professor suggested to me that my work was like a series of conversations. At the time, I was reading everything I could find about spirituality in art including the writings of Wassily Kandinsky. He asserted that the vital element in a work of art is the emotion in the soul of the artist, which has the capacity to evoke a similar emotional response in the observer. He believed that painting is in no way different from a song; each is communication. As I reflected on everything I had read and on my instructor's comment, I began to think of my work as a quiet soulful conversation with myself, with other artists, and with my surroundings. In a conversation, as in an artwork, it is important not to say too much or monopolize the conversation.