Beach Bums
Beach Bums
18" x 24" (46 cm x 61 cm) pastel on pastel paper
“While ‘long walks on the beach’ has become a cliché of old personal ads, its intent is meant to indicate an affinity for serene romantic moments. While the romance is up to you, being out in nature, touching and interacting with sea, soil, and air does relieve stress, lower blood pressure and improve ones health. So strip down to your bum and let the beach make you super chill. ”
Ah, the cliché. It’s a curse word to artists for it’s come to mean ‘over used and unoriginal’. Yet, art is about commonality too, the thread that connects the observer to the art (or artist). When art resonates with the viewer its because of some sort of familiarity and can something familiar be wholly original? Even what we might call ‘original’ can always be seen as recombined, rearranged bits and pieces born of inspiration of something that came before. I have often ditched an idea I was afraid would come off as too cliché, as I’m sure any creative person has. On the flip side, part of creativity is breaking rules, expressing yourself and not being confined by what others think. So if I’m feeling ‘holding hands, walking on a beach at sunset’, that’s what I’ll do!