Sacred time
hell bent on reflection
a crescendo of wind brings the welcomed distraction of leaves
darting like birds throughout the yard

From my plateau the horizons
both real and imagined
secure in their corridor, fade in the distance
flash paper nuance attached to my every thought

renewal
artifice
conditions
reproach
reclamation
perseverance…

All swept up in the wind’s history

I don’t separate myself from my art. It is a revolving summation and continuance of what I am, what I was, and what I hope to be.

The uniqueness of how we see the world and how we express that through our art is what gives weight and substance to our voice. Maintaining and developing that voice is an arduous task and involves commitment to the process of discovery along with a disciplined regimen of learning the subject (which involves trial and error), and ultimately, once you have the tools in place, the art of simply letting go.

Art is the ultimate embrace of our being human, with all its repercussions. But it also allows us to transcend the familiar terrain and investigate worlds, relationships, experiences, we can only dream of, and live, though fleetingly, as the gods of our own realm.

.. the resources of intuition, a vivid imagination amidst a platform of study.

The road was there all along and will be there long after all of us are gone, dust and ashes to the wind, the dream taken to the next level, past the partitions of this world and our understanding.

The arts are invaluable to our sense of humanity and our compass to tolerance and understanding.

Without them we are lost.

My foundation as an artist is the belief in:
… the nobleness of the arts and our effort as artists…writers…teachers…conveyors of thought, is to be mindful of the challenge and the importance of what we do. The essence of our efforts, I believe, is to illuminate the path of a measured truth, and to reflect and mirror that truth through the veil of our craft, taking aim at ourselves, our society, our world, with utmost respect to the awe and mystery of life, and with the essential focus on what was, what is, and perhaps most importantly, what might be.

Bill Payne