swimming, flying

Here are two images from a series of paintings by Carrie Geraci  about our desires to fly and to swim. Geraci said she was inspired  by watching students at the Community School play with materials to make great art, and took that experience as a cue to “get back to something authentic in my art-making.”

“The series is about our innate struggle with what we know is right and what we know is not.”

I am always curious to learn the artist’s intent behind a piece, what he or she was thinking about when making a particular image. I am not sure I would look at these paintings and see the struggle between wrong and right action, but abstract images like this invite multiple interpretations and reactions. I do see the motion, especially a sense of swimming. And because of the recent wind storms in Jackson, I can’t help but think about flurries of flowers, leaves, and branches flying through the air. Also, perhaps, there are faces here, eyes, and an inward gaze?

What are your thoughts about how important it is – or isn’t – to see the artist’s intent in a piece of work?