Visual Dynamics
Lessons in the power of paint
Life
is a lesson in communication. We are what we think.
We express ourselves in terms of our thoughts. Painting is a
dialogue that allows me to express myself without
words. In a sense, my work is a silent witness of who
I am. I find freedom in expressing myself in this
manner, since I believe that often in life more is
said in silence than any word can say. Many things in
life just "are."
A good painting does not need to be
explained I was once told. If a painting does not
speak for itself, then no amount of explanation will
convince the viewer of its value or justify its
existence. A painting is a statement. There are good
statements and bad statements. Whether paintings or
spoken words, dialogue is consistent with the inner
person.
Painting is an opportunity for me to be
myself without explaining myself. I am what I am. My
creative experience is personally challenging in that
I seek excellence in all that I do. Achieving a high
level of artistic ability requires discipline and a
sense of principle. It also requires courage. My work
is therefore not mechanical. It is a personal
statement of who I am and how I feel about the world
around me. In viewing my paintings, it is obvious
that I am not a realist in the pure sense of the
word. However, I do think in terms of reality and
seek to convey real substance to the viewer by
translating that substance into visual form. I
believe a good painting has lasting substance, a
quality that allows a painting to transcend the
limits of time.
Practically speaking, I am a person who
perceives the world around me with vibrancy. I like
to engage life. I enjoy living. I take pleasure in
the simple act of observation, finding it both
relaxing and challenging. I see the world around me
in various nuances of light, shadow, texture, shape,
form, design, color, etc. My tools as an artist are
more than brushes and paints, for I believe painting
is based on understanding rather than mechanics. A
painting exists in the eye of one's understanding,
never in tools or technique. No amount of mechanics
or "going through the motions of being an
artist" can ever make a person be an artist. It
is the inner depth of one's understanding that makes
him or her an artist. Developing understanding takes
time. This is why most artists achieve success only
in their later years of life.
Someone once shared a saying with me
that I have never forgotten. The saying is this: A
laborer works with his hands, a craftsman works with
his head and his hands, but an artist works with his
head, his hands and his heart. In my case, this is
true. I paint from my heart. As I regard the world
around me, I am charged with inspiration. I see
paintings everywhere. If it were possible, I would
paint them all; but I have learned to live in this
overflow of crea tive energy by being selective in
what I paint. Not every painting needs to be painted.
Some paintings remain in the heart.
My work is known for its vibrancy of
color and form, often expressed on a large scale.
When I pick up a paint brush, nothing intimidates me.
I am in my element and I get down to business with
great abandon. I find pleasure in translating the
world around me in terms of how I feel rather than
conventional perception. I use the language of color
to interpret and convey a visual dialog that speaks
to the viewer's emotions. Many people do not
understand the role that color plays in life. Most
live in a colorless, dead world. Thus confronting my
paintings can be a shocking experience to some
people. However, the freedom I enjoy in utilizing
color expresses a world that lies beyond surface
reality. I like to think that my work causes people
to stop, think, and reassess their own perceptions of
life. My paintings can thus be considered
controversial or a catalyst in a healthy sense. I
enjoy challlenging myself and hence, my viewer.
Technically speaking, I like to explore the elements
of painting and sometimes push them to extremes. I
love color and form and I love edges. I love the
definition of form in space and the movement created
thereby. Though many objects in life are stationary,
I believe all matter is in a state of motion. As I
view forms, I perceive their edges in terms of
vibrations of color: energy that is in constant
movement. I like to emphasize these vibrations in
terms of color.
Those who view my paintings liken my
style to that of Van Gogh or some of the other more
flamboyant Impressionists. This comparison most
likely stems from the strength of my brush stroke and
use of color. My work is also reminiscent of the
Fauves, a school of post impressionist painters who
rarely mixed colors, preferring to use only pure
pigments straight from the tube- a simplicity that is
challenging to the artist as well as the viewer.
Apart from the Impressionists, my style has also been
compared to the German Expressionist school of
painters and the early works of Edward Munch whose
paintings reflect a strength of style that is both
passionate and intriguing. Personally, I relate to
the work of American Impressionists such as Childe
Hassam, Mary Cassatt, Benson , Frederick Frieseke,
and John Singer Sargeant. Were I to admire any
artist, Sargeant would be that person. His command of
the brush and medium gains my utmost respect. Not
many artists, I believe, have achieved the quality
and scale of painting that Sargeant experienced.
Like many artists, I believe I am my own
best critic. I create challenges in my work so as to
grow in my creative experience which, in essence, is
my life.
For my 2003 solo exhibit at the
Harlow Gallery, Hallowell, Maine
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