Connection in Art

I have been thinking about the direction of my art.
At some point in the past, I’ve gotten out of the practice of working out struggles, questions, passions, etc. through my artwork. Now it seems that I have so much to work through and I’m not sure how to do so in my assemblage.
I have to relearn.
One thing I’ve come to realize is that it will be important to continue making my work interactive.
So much of what I’ve been learning about in the last few years has pointed to the human need for connection, ultimately with God and also with others.
I have the feeling that while there is opportunity for connection through simply interacting visually with art, that it may be more important/significant/poignant for people within the culture (American Post Post-modern. Whatever you want to call it) to have deeper level of connectivity by being more active participants in the art.
So I will continue to create work that involves physical involvement with rewards for those who continue to physical,and visually explore. I also want to explore work that would invite the participant to alter the work. I’ve been chewing on some ideas that would involve the participant adding their responses onto the artwork.
Participation in art by others is not new. It is integral to installation work as well as much performance art.
In fact, I think I want to expand to installation to create work that incorporates painting and drawing on structures that the participant enters and engages.
I’ve also been thinking of doing full sized portraits in my work, so these ideas may be related. I love painting people; I’d like to push it more and explore individual people with greater attentiveness than my previous subjects. The next one needs to look up!

I need images on this blog =) Hopefully soon!