Art for me, is like breathing, I cant do without it. It's my air, oxygen, and life force. I couldn't imagine not being in front of a canvas and recreating something that first originated in my mind.
One of my favourite movie scenes comes from a movie called 'Escape from Alcatraz' starring Clint Eastwood. To me the scene is very disturbing because it resonates with my feelings about art. In this particular scene an elderly inmate who is the prison's artist is suddenly refused painting privileges by the obnoxious warden brilliantly played by Patrick McGoohan, as they come into his cell to remove all his art materials the old man just goes into shock as this medium is all that's keeping him sane in this world of insanity. He naturally goes into meltdown and rushes from his cell to the woodwork shop where he takes a cleaver in one hand , places his left hand on the bench, raises the cleaver and chops off all four fingers. A horrifying scene. The thought of never being 'allowed to paint again pushed him over the edge. So he removes the very digits that do the creating. It's one of my favourite scenes of any movie because it connects with me on a deep and emotional level, my creative level. Watching that scene I really believed I was the old man being deprived of his art materials and his ability to create art. I could feel my stomach turn over in empathy for him, a very emotional scene for me to watch, and still is to this day. Thats how much my ability to create art means to me. That scene sums it up beautifully. Movies can do this, as well as a piece of music, a song, a dance, all these art forms can stir these emotions.
ART, THE ONLY WAY TO RUN AWAY WITHOUT LEAVING HOME
Time does not exist when you are totally immersed and engaged in creating art. All your concentrative and creative powers are brought to such a peak to totally exclude the outside world. You haven't went anywhere, you're still where you where, but not mentally. Mentally you are somewhere else, where time simply does not exist. It's bliss. People often say I go into my own wee world, but the thing is they're right I literally do. A mental place where time has no meaning or relevance or restrictions, or constraints. It's the epitome of total escape.