NOTHING MORE, EVERYTHING LESS
COMMENTARY BY JOHN SEED
“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” – C. S. Lewis
When Rod Penner began his career as a painter, there was a question he often pondered: “How can I make my art original?” It seemed like a relevant question at first, especially for a young artist preparing himself to enter the art world at a time when breaking rules was expected even though there were none left. As it turned out Penner didn’t need to find an answer, but simply to set the question aside. He just kept painting and the works he produced proved that the answer was already there, embedded in each finished painting. To be objective and to paint what he wanted to paint—small town Texas—was in itself original. And to do so with real skill and intensity resulted in paintings that were fresh beyond his, or anyone else’s expectations. What could be more original than that?