At this point in my life I am seeing things differently… perhaps in a more detached way. There is retrospect and past involved, while that was not in the equation of a younger person. I think of the purpose of a painting and its place in the world. I think about what used to drive me; that has changed. I think of my approach, my needs from the result; that has changed. I think of the importance of the message; that, however, has not changed, for if I am to be an artist, spending time in front of a canvas, or a piece of wood with tools in my hand, the developing work better damn well mean something to me or it won’t mean anything to anyone. I have never been good at just choosing a topic or cause; everything must come from a need inside. This causes me to reflect on what it was that I needed when I was younger. Those things, spiritual quests, the purpose of life, beauty, God, preservation of nature: they are still there. They are still the “sought after,” just in a different way, with the constrictions of youth now loosened up. I’m a little easier on myself than I used to be. My parameters have broadened, and this makes the possibilities richer and greater. Through the depths of my inquiries I’m still seeking beauty of spirit and of life through the use of figure and landscape. I find it and lose it on a regular basis, but how lucky I am to have this life’s work.

Holly Branstner