Muto's Sober Splatter Painting

This painting has been gaining my affection slowly but surely ever since I completed it late last year. I made it at one of the first meetings I attended of the UAA, UNC's art club. The goal of the meeting was for everyone to have fun making a splatter painting i.e. a Jackson Pollock inspired work.



I don't think I had ever done a whole painting with splatters before and my initial reaction was a fear of the background surface showing through. I used a paint mixer to scrape the paint, covering the entire surface area. Then I was able to proceed with my work, until I was upset once again by the idea of the work having no meaning, message, or purpose. I am usually okay with art for beauty's sake, or just visual interest, but I could sense it was not my goal with this painting. To give it meaning, I wrote the word "sober" right on top. I have a philosophy on sobriety which I hold dear. The inclusion of the word is a direct message to counter any thoughts of drug use having influenced the artwork. It has sat in my room every day since then. Seeing it from the corner of my eye for months on end has led me to appreciate the wacky colors, odd texture, and imperfect patterns.