Art Manifesto “till death, we do art”

This project began as a written poem, a manifesto about what it means to create with honesty, and grew into a visual extension of that reflection. The words came first, but the need to see them and feel them in material form followed naturally. Together, the poem and the painting exist as one piece, each echoing the other.

The poem explores my relationship to art, how it has changed, fractured, and redefined itself over time. It speaks to the bravery that creation requires: the act of facing uncomfortable truths, failing repeatedly, and still showing up. Writing it became a moment of pause, a way to reexamine why I make art and what it continues to ask of me. My practice has evolved through different mediums and ideas, but what remains constant is that art always brings me back to truth. This work was my way of reestablishing what it means to create, not from certainty but from openness.

The painting, an acrylic on wood that reads “till death, we do art”, extends that reflection into the physical. The phrase is both a vow and a declaration, a reminder of devotion to the act of making. The wood felt like the right surface because of its rawness and permanence; it absorbs touch and holds imperfections. The letters are imperfectly traced, intentionally human, revealing rather than concealing vulnerability.

This piece is also influenced by Ed Ruscha’s approach to painting words, his belief that language itself can hold emotion and presence, the way others paint objects or landscapes. For me, painting text is another form of feeling, a way to turn thought into matter.

Together, the poem and the painting form a single statement about process and persistence. They are both evidence of change, of how art continues to shape and reshape me. Till death, we do art is not only a phrase; it is a reflection of commitment, of growth, and of the ongoing conversation between life and creation.