why paint?

Why Paint? It is the same question as why read? Or why listen to music? Artists are hoping to be transported. I don't paint to record my surroundings (though I have said so in my "artists statements" before). And artists are not solely reflecting the society they live in, (though that is what we inevitably do). I show up each day in my studio hoping for a moment of transcendence, hoping for a visit from the Art Muse....where paint suddenly flows perfectly, laughter fills my throat, and the image I'm painting becomes a door to deeper understanding. Here are a couple examples when the Muse showed up. WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER was a make or break piece for me. It is both a portrait of my rooster and hen and my husband and I. I don't want to get too mushy- but I've been married 19 hilly years and with this painting I accept whatever destiny has in store for us. LOOKING BACK LOOKING FORWARD is a painting that turned into a record of my delivering my eldest son to boarding school. I painted the roadway and sky from memory. My son Kent is both the chick and the old rooster. Who is looking back? Who is looking forward? This painting marks a big change in my home world. PIG KISSES is a small painting made just before my son, Max's pig had to leave the farm. This is the third and last year Max is raising a pig, and he always gets a bit sad. He is also sometimes too awkward about kisses. PIG KISSES is a portrait of me and Max. So these pieces gave comfort to me beyond the act of painting them.