What is Art?
A question that is as broad and wide ranging as art itself.
Andrew Clegg
I believe that art is ultimately a form of communication, communicating something to others but also something internal with ourselves, the artist. What is communicated may be something deliberate, a meaning with complete intention, this could be romantic, political or historical to name a few. However, what drives someone to express themselves creatively often comes from within the creator, wanting or needing to release a feeling. This is where art works at its purest level, away from art galleries and exhibitions, from the ground up.
The problems or happiness that occur in our lives leave everyone with a backdrop of emotions that shape our characters. I believe that this backdrop is largely unconscious to ourselves, yet seeps its way into our conscious mind to affect our behaviour and mindset. Art is born in the dark and lives in the light. As a composer of largely instrumental music, I find that the melodies and music that I create resonate with me on a deeper level, rather than being purely a pleasing set of notes.
To use an example, 'Skeleton' from my album 'Tiger and the Lily', is a dark and sombre track. During a cold January in 2010, I felt the need to create an intimate and melancholy piece of music. 'Skeleton' is a largely solo guitar piece with dark broken arpeggiated chords that are intended to draw the listener into a small, intimate environment. Further on, layers of guitar textures are added, and importantly a strange sound of long, reverberated ambient guitar noise that sounds almost like a human voice. 'Skeleton' did get recorded and included on an album release, but the act of writing the track helped to express feelings of darkness, through a medium that could carry the emotional weight.
Whether art comes in the form of a painting, a piece of music or a pebble sculpture on an anonymous beach, it leads me to answer the question, 'What is art?' - art is a vehicle of expression.
'Skeleton' from the album 'Tiger and the Lily'
'Vesper Rumba' live performance
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