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| "Honesty," by Ted Fullerton. |
Artist's Note
To be honest in how we engage the world and others was emphasized as I was growing up, as an essential and important way of “how you should be and conduct yourself” in a personal and societal way of being. However, human values are always in a state of contradiction. Being dishonest, in most cases, is in a person’s own concern of “self-interest” and appears to be ubiquitous in recent times. Words and narratives referred to as “little white lies” as being innocuous are expressed frequently in public when confronted by an “untruth”. Disney’s Pinocchio is an iconic North American image/example of being dishonest where a deceitful action results in “how we are seen” yet forgiven by appearing charming, engaging or “appealing”.
Within my painting, "Honesty," I wanted to express an “open handed” expression of honest engagement with others as I/we have been taught to be. The colour green, that can be interpreted and symbolic of new beginnings and “virtue” is abstracted, but appears as a punctuation - a question mark. And Pinocchio - the puppet - sits beneath the honest and genuine hand gesture - one to another - as a reminder of “our” dishonest action and words. However, its gesture implies the expression “oh well” - lets forgive and forget - a repugnant gesture within the context of a dishonest action. The wood insert with the red X applied as a "sleeve” to the left-hand gesture could imply a dishonest intent by an action of perceived honesty by “the puppet master”. The red X could be interpreted as a sign of the roman numeral 10 - a high score - a “correct/honest” action or as a negation - a wrong. The words, “white lie” are scrawled in the white negative space in the upper left side of the painting and in this case has a double entendre. The words imply that a particular dishonest moment is of little relevance or consequence - also displayed in Pinocchio’s gesture. However, these words, subtly/cleverly hidden in the painting, and within “public understanding,” are also intended to imply colonial deceit.
To be honest in how we engage the world and others was emphasized as I was growing up, as an essential and important way of “how you should be and conduct yourself” in a personal and societal way of being. However, human values are always in a state of contradiction. Being dishonest, in most cases, is in a person’s own concern of “self-interest” and appears to be ubiquitous in recent times. Words and narratives referred to as “little white lies” as being innocuous are expressed frequently in public when confronted by an “untruth”. Disney’s Pinocchio is an iconic North American image/example of being dishonest where a deceitful action results in “how we are seen” yet forgiven by appearing charming, engaging or “appealing”.
Within my painting, "Honesty," I wanted to express an “open handed” expression of honest engagement with others as I/we have been taught to be. The colour green, that can be interpreted and symbolic of new beginnings and “virtue” is abstracted, but appears as a punctuation - a question mark. And Pinocchio - the puppet - sits beneath the honest and genuine hand gesture - one to another - as a reminder of “our” dishonest action and words. However, its gesture implies the expression “oh well” - lets forgive and forget - a repugnant gesture within the context of a dishonest action. The wood insert with the red X applied as a "sleeve” to the left-hand gesture could imply a dishonest intent by an action of perceived honesty by “the puppet master”. The red X could be interpreted as a sign of the roman numeral 10 - a high score - a “correct/honest” action or as a negation - a wrong. The words, “white lie” are scrawled in the white negative space in the upper left side of the painting and in this case has a double entendre. The words imply that a particular dishonest moment is of little relevance or consequence - also displayed in Pinocchio’s gesture. However, these words, subtly/cleverly hidden in the painting, and within “public understanding,” are also intended to imply colonial deceit.