artist statement - I make art as a record of my time on earth. Much of what I paint or construct begins as a response to change - landscapes I thought would last forever, places I knew were already disappearing, and environments shaped by industry in ways difficult to undo.
Some works confront that reality directly, like the industrial scenes where pollution becomes the subject. Others, like the quieter landscapes, use beauty as a metaphor for the invisible experiences that shape a life. Or the action paintings that speak about my feelings on the matter. Either way, the image becomes a document of a world in motion.
My titles matter because they offer clues to the mindset I was in when I made the work. The media and mediums shift; 2-D, 3-D or digital - I use whatever the idea requires.
We live in an era of enormous transformation, not unlike the upheaval that came with the first factories and the move from rural life to industrial cities. Empires change, but the traces remain. My work is my way of leaving a trace of this moment.
I'm always exploring color theory and the mechanics of human perception - how we see, how we interpret, how an image changes as you stand in front of it.
Then there's the formal concerns: composition, color, media, title. After fifty-plus years, I trust the flow of the work more than any attempt to force meaning. I don't tell viewers what a piece should mean for them. I speak clearly about my own experience and trust that they'll find their own connection.
And, underneath it all is this simple intent: always do my best. Ganbatte.
Thanks for your time. Happy trails.
russ