Narrowness or being narrow minded is certainly not an attribute that is celebrated in society today. It is also common to think that being open minded is a required ingredient for creativity or using one’s imagination. After making art and engaging in countless compositional investigations the past 30 years, I have noted a fascinating paradox. Namely, that narrowness is a key to productively exploring and appreciating the infinite, endless possibilities that exist in this world. When we narrow our focus on a particular material, process or idea we are then able to focus on its expressive possibilities or manifestations. For example, once Pollock chose to disperse paint with a stick, endless possibilities emerged. Think of all the songs that have been written using the same notes and chords. How a guitar with six strings can produce such varied sounds and moods. It is as if limiting or narrowing our focus unleashes expressive exploration.
The image above captures a monotype print in a series entitled the same ten strings. In this exploration I took ten strings, inked them, placed them on a plate and ran a single print. I then removed the strings, re-inked them, placed them on a plate and ran another print, and so on. I was and still am mesmerized by the endless compositional possibilities and the feeling that emerges from each print. I display these prints in sets so the observer can delight in the variation as well — making their own critical observations and discoveries. This frame of mind and process is at the heart of most of my work. Surprisingly, after 30 years I am still captivated and excited every day by these explorations. Although I could literally make prints every day with those same 10 strings, there is a point of diminishing returns. When I get to that point in my compositional interrogation, the search is on for the next set of elements, processes or ideas that will sufficiently limit my focus. Narrow is the way …