Yet thanks to him, I feel vindicated in how I approach my work as an artist. I can give myself permission to learn from, and to follow in the artistic footprints of totally different artists. After all, if it was good enough for Picasso, then why not me.

PICASSO’S RANGE OF WORK IS AN GOING TUTORIAL

It shows you how he did it in an open-hearted attribution to everything he fell in love with along the way. He was fearless to change horses, or engines, or methods, to get where he needed to go, to be a man of many styles.

 This, for the most part, is a practice not too well accepted for most art gallery shows. The artist is supposed to find his niche and stick to it. And once he labels himself, he should be consistent and not confuse the issue.

 PICASSO BROKE ENTIRELY NEW GROUND.

And he did it over and over. I don’t feel obliged to follow suit. My duty is to myself, and how my particular art eventually speaks for itself. I’m not searching for some viable mammalian body part to pickle in a vitrine (although I am okay with that if it’s what the artist needs to do).

 Picasso’s ongoing legacy to artists is the granting of artistic permission to keep trying out new ideas––To allow one’s self to flop big in order to win big. To humbly copy present day or past Masters.

I love tracing the artistic footprints of Leonardo da Vinci. Many of my portraits are inspired by his techniques.     And   I feel equally comfortable painting my version of Edvard Munch’s “Scream”.

 PICASSO THE PERMISSION GIVER

At present I am working on a series of Paint Poems. But should I want to stop midstream and try something else, I have permission to break out in another direction. Picasso led the way.