Time

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It’s a story about love, loss, hopes, dreams, grief and despair. It’s a story about redemption. We are all individuals but we are together. United in our pain as well as in our triumphs. Our choices make us who we are.

Pieces in time is a study of perspective and state of mind. The paintings capture the emotion of events, using symbolism. My memories depicted in either the first or third person. 

To do an accurate portrait you need perspective in the first person, depicting what that person felt rather than just the physical. Reliving your own experiences by tracing your steps. “Time travel”.

Living another’s event/memory in the same fashion, through a first person experience. In order to portray the emotion. It’s based off the idea that in order to understand another, you must walk in their shoes. If we act based off of another’s perspective, we are not living in reality.

Throughout the project I recognized how much a trauma/trigger can distort an image/perception. Dealing with this in a creative manner allowed me to identify and resolve past triggers. The end goal is an understanding and acceptance. It also might allow an audience to share an experience and relate. It’s interesting to hear what another individual sees or feels when looking at a piece of my artwork. Do the feel the same emotion when looking or something else entirely?

The big picture and goal would be to understand  ourselves and one another. We are a network, when an individual is disconnected from us, it’s comparable to a stroke. A journey through self awareness to self love is a continuous process. But worth it, not just for ourselves but for everyone else.

- Derek Novak

*The paintings from the album "Pieces In Time" are based off of my memories as the template. And allow for interpretation. They are symbolic for emotion at that particular point in time. And allow the viewer to interpret using their own experiences. A study of perception and state of mind.

*The paintings from the album "Faces" does not represent multiple individuals or memories of such. The paperwork is soon to follow. 

To see the world with your heart. When information is manipulated and unreliable. It’s what we rely on. When others project we perceive with our own filters. We are walking in a house of mirrors. I depict an emotion through my art using first and third person. It is a light I’m reflecting. But not all lights are beautiful. a study of perception and state of mind. 

When a situation triggers an emotional response. It’s an opportunity to reflect and understand. Opportunities for redemption come to us as people and situations. The aftermath of our choices will eventually lead us to our own redemption. If we are receptive to it and welcome it. 

An animal that is scared and hurt is dangerous. But forgivable since it is acting out of instinct and self preservation. The human species hunts for sport and not always out of necessity. We are one of the only animals capable of inflicting pain on another for no other reason than pure enjoyment. Like a man eater these traits develop and blossom, like an infection. Whether it’s written in our biology or inherited along the way, even at our base. We are predator. But with these facts comes a light. We are self aware and we can choose. We are also one of the only animals that can defy our instincts, even self preservation, for another. 

We are not our thoughts. We are not our memories. We are not our scars. We are our choices. We react based on memory, and our memories help shape our perception. But they can be toxic, festering to the point where they manifest in new ways. Like an infected wound it has to be cleaned and drained. Working these triggers in a healthy and positive way, carving away what you don’t need. A mask can hide our nature, majority of people define themselves based on what others see. We project and they perceive. But in times of heat and trial our nature bleeds through. But regardless of our nature we will always have the freedom to choose. 

Through heat and trial we are pushed past our character. We inherit traits that a situation has given us. We are given a gift. Through building and carving we can design a human being.