Theory diary: Experience

Dewinian experience: art is a vehicle for ideological change, and artists are responsible to try to better society.

What do I want viewers to realize from the experience of viewing my work?

In my first painting, (Book One: The First Ending), I wanted my audience to think about religious ambiguity and strangeness; I was interested in deconstructing religious values. I don't feel as if my painting achieved this, although it was a good exercise in poetic and painterly techniques.

In my new painting, I want the viewer to experience the values of the narrative in the piece: the normalcy of gender "deviation" and the conventional nature of gender-normative ideology. We'll see what happens.