When a viewer perceives that secret writing in my work is Paladian, Lemurian, and Atlantian, they are indeed projecting the true meaning of the work: that artists are symbol makers and viewers are meaning makers. The symbols could mean what the viewer wants them to mean OR/AND the symbols could mean what the artist intends them to mean.

 Art can be understood by a simple impression, a gut reaction. The viewer can go deeper and learn about the history of the artist, the arc of their work, the era in which the object was created, characteristics of that period and the prevailing philosophy of the times. Adding levels of understanding enriches the experience of the art object. A difference between the meaning of an artwork to the artist-originator and the meaning of that work to the viewer can be expected. Our unique filters color our perception and interpretation of an art object.

 In Munch's "The Scream," for example, a viewer might perceive that the painting portrays a man freaking out on a bridge. The red sky might signify his intense insanity or panic. Edvard Munch himself wrote that the painting responded to an experience in which he heard the "cry of nature."

 "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less." "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things." "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - - that's all."

 Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll