I've had the good fortune this week to meet with a collector and we had a wonderful dinner and exchanged our thoughts on many topics. By the end of the night she purchased a painting of mine. I'm very fortunate to truly enjoy the company of the collectors I've gotten to meet, they feel like friends who happen to like the work I do. Anyhow, I'm going to touch base upon one of the topics discussed which is the subject matter of what I enjoy painting and my current process.
I love painting my landscapes and still lives, however, those are not my forte so I don't publicize them much. The body of my work evolves people. My obsessions range from topic to topic and my fascination with key individuals in selected fields inspire me to create. One of my ongoing interests has been dancers. I've drawn them a good deal but I cannot create a body of work based solely on observation. I'm big on knowing and experiencing the world someone comes from, I love my research and I think the production of a work of art is a lot richer for it. It's fun for me. You get to know your subject beyond presentation and get to feel for their story; battles, wins, loses, psychological and physical quirks. It's an appreciation for the human experience. Also, the more I gain the acquaintance of and respect an individual the harder I work at making the work better and pushing myself to the max. You feel as though you have to do it justice and I can't do that unless I push myself to do the best job I'm capable of . In the end, the painting really takes on a life of its own.
In a world where our existence is based so much upon the fabricated, experiencing something genuine and capturing it in art is a slice of truth. I need that honesty in what I create.
I'll now attempt to tackle the tornado which took place this week.
I still have not received my Russian visa. I've stopped studying the language for the most part because of my partial loss in faith that I'll actually have the opportunity to study abroad and because of the enormous amount of stuff I have to I get done.
This weeks task was finishing 4 paintings for an upcoming gallery show. This was a hard for many reasons; i've moved twice, i've modeled, and i've been dealing with a myriad of injuries, my leg, so I couldn't run and let out stress/energy for over a week, and mid week my right arm went partially numb... And stayed that way. Meaning... Mobility was not easy as it became swollen and felt like I was lifting a horse every time I moved it. While this sounds impressive the fact that it was an empty tea cup takes my gold medal away. I had to paint with my left hand. The emotional arm is regaining strength but is not yet at 100. Big lazy.
My computer also called it quits on life. I guess this means that humans may outlive machines... But we all know that's not gonna happen. When machines manufacture machines I doubt they are going to make it out of jello (unless it's synthesized jello). Bugs eat that stuff.
'Do Brasil' -portuguese
20"x16"
oil on panel
