Artist’s Statement
Creating art has been a great pleasure for me. I’ve met wonderful people, taken great classes, and simply enjoy being in my studio or outdoors and painting. When people say “I can’t paint” or “I can’t draw”, I simply don’t believe them. I think everyone can start at the beginning and learn. Why do it? Because there’s something ineffable about translating what you see into artwork, be it representational, or abstract. And the difference between the reality and the rendering of it is what art is, as well as the struggle to make the art do at least some of what you envision. And some of the result is totally unexpected; the part that’s left to chance, too, creates beauty, meaning and excitement in art.
Self portrait
Art has helped me see the beauty of the world outside. When I look now, I sometimes “frame” a picture at several vantage points. Somehow, looking at it and thinking about how to render it in paint heightens the beauty of the natural world. Painting has really transformed my world for the better, and has enlivened my mood and my outlook on life.
I have been doing art for 20 years. I started out by drawing, a lot. First with pencils and charcoals, then with a paint brush. Then I started using colors, first acrylics, then oils. Oils are lush and wonderful to work with. In the beginning (before I identified a room to paint in) I ruined my dining room table and chairs, but it was worth it! About 13 years ago, I started creating artworks with digital programs on the iPod and then the iPad. I now use the digital Photoshop application on my computer to work with images. Usually I start with my own paintings and change them through the digital process. I have created many works in this medium, some of which are posted on this website under the “digital” category. You can also draw and paint in color on the iPad screen using your finger as a “paint brush.” This tremendously enjoyable, and people respond to the immediacy of the resulting artwork.
Street Scene Jerusalem
I do both representational and abstract art. Much of what I do is somewhere in between the two. I’ve had many muses during the years. Sometimes I find a photo in the newspaper or a magazine that engages me, and I paint it over and over again. Or a photograph of someone I love or care for. I’ve done a painting of my sister sitting at a table in a restaurant many times. Each rendering is different and transmuted, because I am not the same person at a different times. My late dog, Tessa, was a great muse to me for the eight and a half years I had her. I did many portraits of her. I often paint my son’s image, and express love to him that way. I’ve done portraits of friends, animals, and many self-portraits. These latter are not out of vanity, but because I am a willing model. I also have had the pleasure of friends volunteering. For some time, I’ve been engaged with painting Jewish gravestones and synagogues (interior and exterior) from a disappeared Europe. There’s a section of these paintings on my website.
I am a risk-taker, but not with my clients in my profession. I try not to get too fussy and afraid to make mistakes. Sometimes my worst art becomes my best. (You can paint over oil paint, so it’s very forgiving.) This quality of risk-taking and exploration are manifested in my art. I tend to work quickly. Visual corrections are part of my style. I am deeply influenced by Chinese brush painting, and I tend to draw with brushes rather than with graphite or charcoal. I often paint on an old painting, the new painting being informed and more complex for the history underneath, that may barely show through, a palimpsest of sorts.
Self Portrait with Covid Mask
Doing art makes me appreciate more intensely the physical world around me. I see things more clearly and everything seems more beautiful. Art has greatly enriched my life. Creating art has been great fun. I never get tired of it. Each year brings me new topics, adventures and interests, as well as new friends. I appreciate your interest in my art.
California Fire