Monday, October 31, 2005
Artist's Manifesto
Starting position
With my background as an architect, I tend to ‘cut to the chase’ and try to capture the essential elements of a visual experience, hence my leaning towards minimalism and abstraction. All superfluous detail is minimised or eliminated, only the lasting and significant is emphasized and captured.
Never competing with the camera
Technical perfection of reproducing what the eye sees is like a composer only re-creating the natural sounds heard in Nature. I am only interested in creating images which express my subjective response to places, feelings and try to capture of ‘being there’.
Venturing beyond the comfort zone
Many artists settle on a commercially successful style and never move beyond this safe comfort zone. All their output is much the same with slight variations. I am keen to search for variety, revel in the excitement of discovery and love experimenting with future possibilities.
The seduction of abstraction
Good abstract artists use the same basic principles as composers of music -- compositional integrity, colour, tone, texture, rhythm, harmony, contrast, balance, tension, counterpoint and so on. The objective is the same: create a mood, arouse a feeling, stir the emotions.
Focus on happiness not the dreary side of life
I like to use bright, cheerful ‘Aussie’ colours which express the thrill of being alive. I focus on creating happy and optimistic images that evoke pleasant experiences in life.
For me as an artist the real achievement is when people tell my artworks speak to them, when my creations touch their heart and spirit and when my paintings wash away the sweat and dust of their stressful working days.
With my background as an architect, I tend to ‘cut to the chase’ and try to capture the essential elements of a visual experience, hence my leaning towards minimalism and abstraction. All superfluous detail is minimised or eliminated, only the lasting and significant is emphasized and captured.
Never competing with the camera
Technical perfection of reproducing what the eye sees is like a composer only re-creating the natural sounds heard in Nature. I am only interested in creating images which express my subjective response to places, feelings and try to capture of ‘being there’.
Venturing beyond the comfort zone
Many artists settle on a commercially successful style and never move beyond this safe comfort zone. All their output is much the same with slight variations. I am keen to search for variety, revel in the excitement of discovery and love experimenting with future possibilities.
The seduction of abstraction
Good abstract artists use the same basic principles as composers of music -- compositional integrity, colour, tone, texture, rhythm, harmony, contrast, balance, tension, counterpoint and so on. The objective is the same: create a mood, arouse a feeling, stir the emotions.
Focus on happiness not the dreary side of life
I like to use bright, cheerful ‘Aussie’ colours which express the thrill of being alive. I focus on creating happy and optimistic images that evoke pleasant experiences in life.
For me as an artist the real achievement is when people tell my artworks speak to them, when my creations touch their heart and spirit and when my paintings wash away the sweat and dust of their stressful working days.
