Man in a Room

Man in a Room, oil on masonite, 11" x 14", Steven Rhude

He is a man in a room. There is no room with a view for this man, unless one considers the view the man has of those that observe him at work, which is generally all day long. The room is also his studio, his work place, except unlike other artists, for this man there is no solitude, just the experience of being on display. Thus, the man in the room has learned to tune out the observers. The man in the room must lose himself in the room to endure the confines of the room. In his mind he develops the pursuit of a narrative, yet the observer knows not the unspecified interests of the man in the room; knows not what he is thinking. The observer can only observe.

The observer knows not the man in the room's dreams, desires, and longings. The observer doesn't know  that, alone, the man in the room secretly ponders an experience he knows will never be fulfilled. It is more desirable than any other thing he can contemplate. It removes the monotony of measured time from his routine. The man in the room is an alchemist - he uses his powers to transmute raw jade into a substance of value. There is a sense for the man in the room that everyone's journey will and must change... eventually, even his own. We end as we have begun. With a man in a room.

Steven Rhude, Wolfville, NS
www.stevenrhudefineart.com