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I begin with a quote from Mark Rothko whom I admire. He said “It is a widely accepted notion among painters that it does not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. This is the essence of academicism. There is no such thing as a good painting about nothing.” Though my work has little stylistically in common with Mr. Rothko’s I very much believe that the success of a work is dependent on how well the artist communicated his intent to the observer.
A work of art has nothing to do with being representational, abstract or otherwise but ultimately its success is only defined by the interaction between the observer and the artwork. For my part, I paint representational and am primarily attempting a narrative, to tell the intimacies of some past experience within a single pictorial moment. I endeavor to reveal what lies under the surface and ask: “are we certain of what we perceive?” I am drawn to the shadows, the silhouettes and the darkness that conceals.
Using shadow, color and light I am often crossing the lines between real and surreal hoping to remind the viewer that the scene is unreal, any reality they bring is theirs. When the observer becomes aware of this, they become a more active participant with the painting. It is this interaction between the artist, work-of-art and observer that gives art its power.
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