Artist's Statements
(and two very early works)
"Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to the artist's metaphysical value-judgments”. This quote from Ayn Rand is the best definition of art I have ever come across. It covers all art. Good and bad, from pop, to realism, to impressionism. People know what appeals to them. Art that touches their metaphysical value system will be in harmony with their soul. Every person is an individual, so is every painting, every style.
I am not a photo realist. Nor do I try to be. I sometimes use photos as a reference for my work. Sometimes I use life, and sometimes my imagination will suffice. As a ‘Romantic Realist’ painter, I try to improve on nature. I do not paint what I see, I paint instead, what I would LIKE to see. I always, (even if subconsciously), enhance the things that appeal to me in my subjects. I rearrange the world to be one of my vision. In this way, I create a world of my own making. A world that is not there, and therefore, can never be captured on film.
When I first started to explore with paint, I was more concerned with technique than with originality. Below, is an exercise in black and white that I call, 'Black and White', (ha ha) It is a surreal photo portrait copied from my grade 10 English book, that I later sold to another student for $25.00. My first sale! I cannot give credit to the photographer because I was just a kid at the time, and did not record his name. I apologize. There is another drawing below, 'Girl', that sold to a different friend that year. After coping photo’s, I moved on to copying paintings of the old masters, and then finally, I moved on to original work.
Black and White
I did not go to university or collage, but I have read all that I could find of interest to me about art. I studied by copying paintings of painters that I admired. Da Vinci, Rembrant, Dali, David, Stinsky, Boris, and many others. They were, and still are, my best teachers. I knew they could show me the way if only I could understand what they were telling me.
I have always painted solely for my own pleasure. I do not accept commissions unless the subject is of interest to me. Each painting has it’s own unique challenges and problems to solve. I never sign a painting untill I feel I have done the best that I can with it.
I want to bring a moment of quiet reflection to the viewer, a pause in time, a moment of peace, a bit of beauty.
Girl
On Color
(writted as a rebuttle to an argument on the use of tube black as a primary)
Black is not a primary. Black can be useful for darkening other colors if you choose to use it, but, it is not necessary. I can make many fine blacks/darks, from other color combinations. White is not a primary, but I find it necessary, and it is the only constant on my pallet. You cannot make white from mixing other color combinations. I do not use tube grey. I can mix my own. I no longer use brown. I can usually mix a good brown from the other colors I choose for the painting. I give each painting it's own unique, very limited, pallet. I usually use only 4 or 5 tube colors at most. The colors of this limited pallet depend on the subject and the mood of the painting.
I use to use tube black, and tube brown and gray as well, but find it more fun, and more interesting not to. I love color and light! Black for me is the absence of light, and the only time I would use it would be for special effects ... Perhaps, in an under painting with white. This achieves a nice effect and after all effect is what it’s all about. I have not tried this, nor would I care to, but others have with nice results and it could be useful for people having trouble with their tonal balance.
You can use what ever you want to! Use your fingers and toes if you like! Let loose! Create! Rise to the challenge! Painting is an art and each picture is a new adventure, or should be. I like mixing my own colors and I try to use as few tube colors as possible cause it is fun, You don’t have to!!! No one else has to!!! Paint, like there is no such thing as "time and money". Paint to satisfy your soul.
On Censorship
Art brings the artists concepts into focus, allowing the viewer to grasp the artists own selective view of reality. I will explore anything I feel the need to explore in my work. Not for shock value, but for consideration. The place of ethics in any work of art, depends on the views of the artist, not the viewer. First and foremost I paint for ME.
On the use of Projectors
I don't use slides and projectors and trace, the way so many artists do these days. I've been told that I should try it because "it's such a timesaver". *lol* Ya, I guess it would be... I have traced things before, but that was way back when I was about eight, so I say, "why step backward when you can go forward"? What I draw is not exactly what is there, because it is the way I want to portray the subject that is most important to me, not necessarily the way the subject is in reality.
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