When an
artist creates something he is, in essence, telling us more about
him—both his beliefs and experience—than what may have stimulated the
original idea. A landscape, then, becomes a reflection of the
passion and awe for nature rather than just the recording of trees, sky
and field. The painting may begin with the intricacies around us
but gradually evolves into an intimate visual experience on canvas. With
this belief my work is born, becoming transcendent interpretations of
the world around me. A simple thought gained from a stroll through
a field or an idealized memory from the past may someday become a
painting. What is important to me is that the emotion gained from
those experiences be realized in that work.
I actually
do not have any formula for creating a work of art. Instead, I let
the painting carry me to its eventual finish. Because of this, I
often work on many images at the same time, and often find that what
started out one way ended quite differently. It should not be
surprising, then, that I feel there are no “absolutes” in art. As
Wassily Kandinsky once said, “…art must be free” while the artist need
not exercise the need for rules. If a work is successful, that
which the artist set down in pigment will be felt by those individuals
who see it, creating a shared experience.
I also believe that an artist and
his work must evolve with his experiences and time. If this does
not happen, his best work will always be behind him. Painting is
an education that never ends. As long as the artist remains
sensitive to all that is around him and to what is within him, something
wonderful may grow from it.
