Bear with me, and please, contribute clarification as necessary. I am not an academic semiotician, though I’ve recently found the field fascinating as it pertains to art creation. And let’s be honest, how it pertains to my art creation. With that…

So agreeably, abstraction is considering a known form/object/actual thing and rendering a derivative version of it. The abstraction should retain some recognizable elements of the object in the final version. It still resembles the referenced form.

Semiotically, abstraction in art can be classified as an ICON in my opinion. If this abstraction fails to exhibit recognizable attributes, yet is still declared to be representative, the image enters the classification of SYMBOL. This representation is key to the image being a SYMBOL, and it is extremely challenging to create a symbolic image without a marketing campaign. If the image cannot be agreed upon by viewers to be symbolic of something, then the image moves to a classification as INDEX.

As INDEX, this image is now indicative of the creator’s moment of executing the image. The artist’s process becomes the subject. Presented to the viewer is evidence that the artist spent a period of time creating the image, though the intent of the artist is not recognizable. Nothing within the work of art is communicated explicitly by the creator, disqualifying the artwork as SYMBOL or ICON. Yet, the work may be SYMBOL if it adequately represents the process, which goes back to intention being evident. Whether there is intent or not, INDEX is an inevitable result of any process.

These musings are most relevant as I reflect on the progression of my own artwork over the years. My apprehension to establish and vocalize an intention, for fear of being held to it and judged accordingly, led me down predominately comfortable roads and excused a lack of connection with viewers. I fell short of communicating my intent, as hopeful as I had been in being able to do so. Motivation is an intriguing aspect of art. It serves as the measure of the creator’s intent to determine the success of having achieved that or not. It can help to frame the experience of or for the viewer. Without knowing the intent of the artist, the work is left to stand on its own. My work had to stand on its own and had a wobbly stance.

In retrospect, the constant for me has been a searching and compulsion to make marks. This does not speak well to my intent at the time, though it encompasses the result of my endeavors. The art I created serves as timestamps; an index of sorts. Intentionality is finally a more impactful part of the process.

I am currently playing with SIGN. Some of these signs have a root in a subject, others have what I consider an inherent beauty; some are the result of determined optimization, others are the result of doodling. I am seeking to create images which allude to a variety of forms without being pinned down to one particular item. I want to have images which are simultaneously novel and familiar. This is especially of interest to me in the way people experience the work. The venue for that is still yet to be seen, so stay tuned.