Art of Don DeLeva

Where honesty in art is concerned, having a day time job gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in everyone else's daily life and offers a shelter from falling victim to following trends. Lastly, it gives you the oppertunity to say "no" to any deals you might make otherwise.

Naming a painting is a really hard thing to do especially if you don't know what or why you painted it. When I started, my titles were often as nonsensical as I could make them and then I started to make them try to have something to do with the work. Then they were just dates, then lyrics and poems, honestly I think maybe I have gotten 6 title right. LOL! I feel like titles can lead people in to what you want them to think about your work, but what if you don't want to lead them? Do you just leave everything untitled?

Remember that thoughts can be similar to a limp. Once you twist your ankle.  When most of the sharpest pain was gone your body made temporary adjustments to your balance so you could walk in less pain.  As the pain diminished your leg remembered these adjustments and kept walking that way.  Over a time you had little pain when walking so now you walk with a slight limp, because your leg is to lazy to retrain your walk to the balance before the twist. If you don't like a reoccurring thought, stretch out the twist to regain good balance.   

Ed Pashky In art there can be no direction or method with or without a result. In this way art history can be both limiting and freeing.  It can be limiting in the way that it can assume accepted definitions for mediums that are used. It can be freeing to know the breadth of possibilities within those mediums. Ed Pashky  Ed Pashky Ed Pashky  

It is hard to see the reality what it actually is. What make it really difficult is when you look a little deeper then the standard definition for things. DEVO, it there any more to say?

Since my hand can not physically or mechanically paint at the speed of thought. My mind seems to hold visual thoughts in place on the panel until I can paint them. In physicality and the material world this tends to leave areas of panel unfinished. Most of the time I don't realize I am doing this mental projection. This in turn leads me to believe I am further along the painting then I really am.   It isn't until days after that I realize the painting is unfinished. This result of semi-unfinished work usually brings me to revisiting a painting that I considered  complete. Usually it ends up better then it was  

As I paint my mind seems to work before my hand. Thus my hand is always trying to catch up to what I am thinking. So for example, after about an hour of painting my hand seems to be 3 or 4 hours behind what I have actually recorded from my thoughts into paint. My mind seems to see things and then project them on the panel for me to paint. It is almost like I am taking dictation from my thoughts. Painting in progress, 2018, 24"x30"

Very often, at least 8 times a painting session, my mind tells me what to paint or it dictates a direction to take the paining. Every time I listen to it I end up sanding out the result. The nice part about this process is that it leaves tiny bits of history behind for me to find the truth in.

There is a point in every work that seems the end is no where in sight. Is there a finish? Did the abstract expressionists teach us that over working can be a finished point? Mark Tobey: Six lines of the City. 1950s

Drawing is so immediate so expressive. I started with drawing, it just seemed so natural. I remember collecting pencils and erasers. Maybe I am obsessed with painting because I am still learning how to paint,

During the process of painting there might be times where you just stare at you work for hours on end. That's okay, because if you are not enchanted by the work then maybe the work is not enchanting. Master and Servant. Acrylic on panel,  35"x 45" 2010?