by Nancy Natale

Years ago there was a furniture ad that bragged, “We stand behind every bed we sell!” That’s not an inviting thought, but the idea of the artist metaphorically standing behind each work that she or he creates is one that I do like thinking about.

As I make paintings, I frequently confront visual problems that I must solve by achieving a balance that feels right to me. That “right feeling” is what I think of as authenticity and what I hope the painting communicates to viewers. They may not interpret the work the same way I do, but I want to convince them of the rightness of what I have painted or constructed. Maybe viewers won’t understand it as new or beautiful or filled with rhythm, pattern, and intriguing marks, but I stand behind whatever I put on the front when I present it as mine.

In Back of the Panel, we’ll close each issue of ProWax Journal with a comment worth considering by an artist who understands that the metaphorical back of the panel is the support for our imagination, ideas, and hard work.