Painting artist statement
WHY
A big question is, why do I paint. My art introduction came as a sophomore at Harvard. I audited a fine arts (art history) course that showed and discussed the great works of Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. I loved it all! So, the next year I took 20th Century Painting. I got As on all the papers, but what I found was that they discussed almost no painters of color in their canon.
I wanted to be a painter that was discussed in 21st century painting courses. Also, I fell in love with the romantic idea of being an artist. So, I took my first studio course in art. I found it challenging, but I loved it and I was hooked.
I have painted enthusiastically ever since except I didn’t paint for the 25 years while I was a career counselor to support my wife and kids. Now retired, painting, along with photography, are my dream jobs.
I am of the opinion that all of one’s experiences, good and bad, are stored inside one and, in that, each person is unique. I want to share my unique experiences as a person of color with the wider world. My improvisational process as an abstract expressionist painter allows the inclusion of all of my life’s challenges and victories to come out in my paintings.
HOW
I paint with acrylic paint on a plastic sheet made by a company called Yupo. I have a ritualized process: I paint with the Yupo sheet flat on a painting table. I tape it to the table to get sharp, clear edges of white space. I wet the sheet in places, somewhat arbitrarily, with a brush holding plain water. When a paint laden brush comes in contact with the wet spots, interesting things happen. That is exciting.
As I add more brushstrokes, I am constructing forms and trying to keep them in balance. I work fairly rapidly, like a jazz musician’s solo improvisations. I continue until I feel there is enough happening to stop and let the paint dry. The paintings are done in one session.
Sometimes the paintings look busy or complex, almost chaotic, but out of the chaos I’m working to create order, and hopefully beauty. Each painting is to a degree an experiment. The paintings are not preconceived, but are created in the moment, and are unique.
A big question is, why do I paint. My art introduction came as a sophomore at Harvard. I audited a fine arts (art history) course that showed and discussed the great works of Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. I loved it all! So, the next year I took 20th Century Painting. I got As on all the papers, but what I found was that they discussed almost no painters of color in their canon.
I wanted to be a painter that was discussed in 21st century painting courses. Also, I fell in love with the romantic idea of being an artist. So, I took my first studio course in art. I found it challenging, but I loved it and I was hooked.
I have painted enthusiastically ever since except I didn’t paint for the 25 years while I was a career counselor to support my wife and kids. Now retired, painting, along with photography, are my dream jobs.
I am of the opinion that all of one’s experiences, good and bad, are stored inside one and, in that, each person is unique. I want to share my unique experiences as a person of color with the wider world. My improvisational process as an abstract expressionist painter allows the inclusion of all of my life’s challenges and victories to come out in my paintings.
HOW
I paint with acrylic paint on a plastic sheet made by a company called Yupo. I have a ritualized process: I paint with the Yupo sheet flat on a painting table. I tape it to the table to get sharp, clear edges of white space. I wet the sheet in places, somewhat arbitrarily, with a brush holding plain water. When a paint laden brush comes in contact with the wet spots, interesting things happen. That is exciting.
As I add more brushstrokes, I am constructing forms and trying to keep them in balance. I work fairly rapidly, like a jazz musician’s solo improvisations. I continue until I feel there is enough happening to stop and let the paint dry. The paintings are done in one session.
Sometimes the paintings look busy or complex, almost chaotic, but out of the chaos I’m working to create order, and hopefully beauty. Each painting is to a degree an experiment. The paintings are not preconceived, but are created in the moment, and are unique.