By the time you get this I will have moved on. A local periodical quoted me as saying “It’s OK to take two steps back as long as you put your best foot forward”. There is flaw in that logic to most – obviously you are going backward – fabulously backward. When you dance — which is what the quote is referring to — you move backwards, forwards, and around & around. Context and perspective — choosing to get out there and dance is in fact moving forward.
It is perspective and appropriate positive attitude that get us moving in the right direction. These paintings explore using whatever we have to go forward. Sometimes carrying on is as simple as acknowledging the heavens. Sometimes we are celebrating life and our spirits are light-footed. Other times we are overflowing with contemplation and seek solace amid whatever environment we can find. The elders may speak. We may not understand – but we hear and we acknowledge and we may apply their wisdom in the future. We just have to keep Looking Up.
Clarity Amid the Clouds, 2014
Les Caison III, Looking Up, Gallery B, Turchin Center ©Jaime Johnson
About the artist
Les Caison III graduated with a BFA in Studio Art from Appalachian State University in 1998. Born and raised in Greensboro, Caison’s work has been featured in more than 70 exhibits, from solo gallery shows to multi-artist installations.
He enjoyed a decade in Asheville before relocating to Asheboro, where he works as an artist, as well as serving the local community as the Randolph Arts Guild’s Program Director. You may also find Les III working with Guilford County art students amid the Green Hill Center’s Artist-In-Schools program, sharing creativity in Winston-Salem with his co-collaborators over at Delurk Gallery, and enjoying an occasional doughnut.
Additional resources
- Flickr – Installation images
- Les Caison III Blogspot
- Gallery Guide – On issuu