Introspective, Armed with Paintbrush.

“To enter one's own self, it is necessary to go armed to the teeth.” –Paul Valery

Artist, Dan Keplinger arrived in Flagstaff last week for a brief visit. Last April, Dan's film was shown at the NAU/TASH film festival at the Cline Library. We decided to show the film again and this time, Dan was coming to Flagstaff to speak about his life, his art and the film: King Gimp, which chronicles 14 years of his life.

Following the film, Dan spoke to a group of students, fans and fellow artists. He answered questions and took comments. After the event, I stood in line to introduce myself to Dan and let him know that I would be stopping by the hotel the next morning to escort him and his wife to the Hozhoni Day Program for a visit. I was looking forward to being there when Dan met my friends and fellow artists at Hozhoni. I once worked for Hozhoni as an art instructor. I found it easy to be myself in a non-judgmental and creative environment and this gave me permission to create in a completely uninhibited way. Within the first two months, I found myself painting each day before and after work, often waking up early, brush in hand within 10 minutes of waking, painting with half opened eyes.

I met Dan in the lobby of the hotel, his wife seated next to him. She giggled as she told me how much she loved my hair. I told her I couldn’t afford a decent hair cut so I chopped at it whenever it became necessary. I also told her that I felt as if I could get away with it in my line of work. Dan started to laugh and said that his favorite excuse is: “I’m an artist.”

During our conversation, Dan’s wife asked if they could reschedule the visit to later that afternoon? Although they were extremely apologetic, I assured them, they had in no way wasted my time. I would not have traded the chance to chat with them for an extra hour of sleep. I headed off to work, feeling inspired and looking forward to seeing Dan speak again that evening at the City’s Disability Awareness Commission’s Awards Dinner. This year the Commission highlighted artists. The tickets were only $20 and included dinner and lots of cool raffle items, donated by local businesses and artists. There were speeches from the winning artists, slideshows of their work, endless laughter and even a few tears.

Dan was the guest speaker. While he spoke, slide images of his paintings flashed on the screen. I don’t feel as if I have the right words to describe the paintings of Dan Keplinger. I find myself staring at his work, absorbing the emotions of each composition. I asked Dan if he ever feels nervous about what people think about his art and if he does, how does he deal with it? He answered that sometimes he feels nervous but that in his words his paintings “are not for decoration, they are for discussion.” I may be able to go as far as listing my feelings when I see one of his paintings but I’m not sure it qualifies as discussion. When interviewed by the magazine Ability, Dan reflected on his “visual diary” of self-portraits, “I do about two portraits a year and you can really tell how I was feeling during that time by the painting. People that know me are troubled by my self-portraits, because they do not relate how happy I am in real life. I think my self-portraits are the only way I can say what I feel inside.”

I’m guessing that I’m not the only artist who can relate to Dan’s words and the way he utilizes art as a tool for self-expression. I also believe I’m not alone in understanding the contrast between the public persona and a work of art involving emotions below the surface. This is not a new concept by any means and yet the way Dan Keplinger has mastered the ability to convey raw emotion through his own creative process is what sets him apart from many other talented artists. It is also what I admire most about Dan's work.

For Dan, creating is a journey of self-discovery, “I know I am reaching down very deep within myself to get these paintings. I still have a long way to go before I can say that I know myself.”

Dan is represented by the Phyllis Kind Gallery in Soho, New York and his work can be viewed on his website: www.kinggimp.com