I paint because I need to do so, not just because I want to.
.
I am an “Americana” artist: I concentrate on the interconnected relationship between man and nature, and the strong bond between humans and animals. Simple images of everyday life, pets, animals, and historical themes dominate my canvases. In Addition, I have a prolific body of Fantasy and Science Fiction art. I focus on the bonds between man, nature and animals because I think God created all of us to be part of a whole, not just individuals. While our individuality is important, equally important is our connection to each other.
A painting should have an emotional impact on the viewer; it should speak up for itself. If a painting doesn’t evoke some type of emotion, I don’t care how technically perfect it is, to me, it is not art. Personally, I also prefer my art to say something positive. We owe it to ourselves not to spread gloom and despair all over everyone! There is enough of that out in the world without artists celebrating it! I love doing vintage scenes: If it is well done, you are transported back to the past. Pets and other animals have so much they can teach us about freedom, responsibility and unconditional love. I always strive to capture the personality of a pet or animal when I paint them. I do the Science Fiction and Fantasy paintings purely for fun. It exercises my mind as well as stretches my creative limits.
As artists, we shouldn’t get so wound up in the idea of making money on our artwork that we forget we also have a commitment to encourage culture and make it available to everyone, not just an elite few. I don’t think it should be necessary to be a millionaire to own original art. For the majority of Americans, spending $300 to $500 dollars on art for their home or business is a major investment and we should respect that. |
