In 1997 I visited the home of painter and inventor John Pitre to interview him for an article for the Honolulu Weekly.  The article never ran, but I recently came across my notes, which include this quote from the artist:

Art can be an emotional thing, or it can be just a pretty picture hanging over a couch.  I don’t do those.  It can tell a story, it can represent significant feelings, it can pluck heartstrings, it can be very romantic, it can be an emotional experience, just the same way music can.  Music can be very simple, having very little meaning, yet be very pretty.  Or music can tell very deep, personal stories.  And that is also a portrait, a reflection of the society that the art comes from.

Above: “Explorers,” by John Pitre