Identity Crisis

Okay, gotta get something off my creative chest.  I mean, it's an innocent enough question, but it's a bit of a thorn in the side of someone like me who is trying to use her work to relate to various subjects and hopes to prompt thought, imagination, and creativity on the part of whomever her audience may be.  It is, I think, a result of societal conditioning, which demands we look for ways to define, understand, and relate to other people.  But I will admit to some teeth gritting when folks look at those of my paintings which happen to feature people and ask, "so who is that?".  I guess it gives me the impression that they are focusing more on insignificant aspects than on the emotion or idea I'm trying to express.  I feel like an artistic ogre because I expect folks to understand that, with

the prayer - work in progress   

the exception of special portraits, most of the faces in my paintings are just faces I created from my own imagination to express something in the painting.  I should remind myself that people who do not create and may

muses: #'s 1, 2, & 3, work in progress

not relate to my motivation to do so, may also have a very "black and white" approach to understanding the work.

Sister's Selah - work in progress

 Anyway, for anyone who ever wonders, most of the people in my work are, yes, figments of my imagination, sometimes influenced by features and mannerisms of real people I meet or know, but mostly made up to suit the sentiment in the painting or the conversation I'm attempting to start with audiences through my work.
Okay, now that that's off my chest, it's back to the dungeon for this ogre (or orgrette, whatever) - more figments to paint...