With my art I try to bring hope where there is none, to bring happiness when there is only darkness, to replace nihilism with faith in humanity. As we plead for democratic ideals all over the world, we need to remember that the most convincing proof of the fruit of democracy can be found in our own museums, concert halls, and arts curriculum... Great evil can only be defeated with education not by war and genocide in the name of a God! Art is a journey, not a destination.
SITE NEWS
I have added a new gallery, New Plein Aire Gallery
This site is PicLens enabled, which is a useful browser plugin for viewing photo and video walls. I have one enabled wall, my art paintings. To view you will need the plugin for your browser which you can download by clicking on the badge. The plugin is available for IE, Firefox and Safari. Enjoy if you have it!
If you don't want the PicLens plugin or you are using a slower connection then my iGallery is the place to visit to discover lots of interesting stuff and effects.
This Art Web
On this art web you can discover my visual art, mostly paintings, which are presented in the form of photo galleries using both lightbox and flash. Video's of my paintings which can be best enjoyed on my iGallery where you can also enjoy photo galleries using the full software of Apple. You can read various pages giving info about myself, like CV, activities, or just what I may think about something. There are links to my Blogger and my Art Book publishing site at Issuu. You can enjoy my paintings in book form if you visit my Issuu Library.
There is a RSS Feed for this art web but unlike a Blog I have to update it manually, but there are many active feeds for my Blogger, iGallery, and others. You can find the links in the left sidebar.
You can leave a comment at the bottom of this page, or contact me via the form also at the bottom. I will do my best to give you a speedy reply.
There is also a Japanese version of this art web, and recently I have started a Japanese Blog, but its still early days.
Introduction
I still believe in humanity. With my art I try to bring hope where there is none, to bring happiness when there is only darkness, to replace nihilism with faith in humanity. As we plead for democratic ideals all over the world, we need to remember that the most convincing proof of the fruit of democracy can be found in our own museums, concert halls, and arts curriculum...
Great evil can only be defeated with education not by war and genocide in the name of a God!
My portfolio offer art lovers a rich experience of carefully selected paintings, in a range of genres and styles. From landscapes to still life, from traditional to contemporary styles.
Although I believe in exceptional art, I also believe that art should be obtainable - which is why works are keenly, rather than extravagantly priced.
I take pride in my high standard of customer care, I am happy to provide further details about any of the works. Paintings are acrylic on canvas, silk, paper, silk paper or wood.
I can be contacted by email, phone or fax.
The Life of an Artist
Not one long party
To those who do not practice the noble art of painting, it may seem the life of the artist is one long pleasure. While this may be true in Hollywood movies it is far from the truth of the real artist. The inner life and struggles of the artist are rarely revealed except to those who are close to one.
Each time the artist stands before a blank white canvas, the deep emotions bubble up to the surface, releasing fear and doubt about one's capabilities and whether one will succeed to materialize the dream that is locked in the head waiting to be released. Like a child waiting to be born.
To distinguish a painting the artist must imbue his emotions into the work otherwise the artist is simply reproducing what nature is already better at. In the initial stages of a painting, the artist is concerned about his own limitations and not whether the public will take to the painting.
The true artist paints the subject matter that pleases him and in a way that pleases him, and not what he thinks will please his public. If the public is able to connect with the finished work then that is an additional benefit to creating a successful work.
For the artist, there are many stages, from the initial fear of the blank canvas to successfully exhibiting and selling the final painting. The artist is committed to design and building up the painting layer by layer, which in my case usually involves about fifty. The artist needs to analyse what is before his eyes and make decisions of design and technique on what will be omitted rather than what will be painted.
The daily challenge is to develop artistic style and technique which is achieved by letting loose of ingrained habits that have served well. To give up something so deep in exchange for something with no guarantee of success is a risk every artist must take to prevent the work from becoming stale.
Unfortunately, creative energy is not like a vast ocean which flows and ebbs several times a day. There will be periods of creative dry spells and artistic blocks which are best left to their own devices while the artist uses this time to attend to the many other matters involving the life of the artist.
When the creativity returns it will be at the next level of accomplishment.
Being an artist means never having enough time to paint as much as you would like. Most artists are one-man shows responsible for marketing, advertising, framing, crating, and shipping their work. Then, there is the paperwork involved in any business, bookkeeping, paying bills, and taxes, all of which require the artist to use the other half of his brain.
Then, there are the humorous moments of Plein-Air painting best described by Vincent Van Gogh,
"Just try going outside and painting things on the spot! All sorts of things happen then. I had to pick off a good hundred or more flies from my canvases ... not to mention dust and sand [nor]the fact that if one carries them through heath and hedgerows for a couple of hours, a branch or two is likely to scratch them ... and that the effects one wants to capture change as the day wears on."
Many times I have loaded my mountain bike with my painting equipment, cycled 50km to reach a painting spot which otherwise can't be reached by car. I have spent two days climbing alpine mountains, loaded with my painting equipment just to reach a painting spot were I only have an afternoon before descending again.
From 1994-2002 I lived and worked in the Japan Alpine and it was always a struggle to reach the best painting spots but always worth the effort.
Is the life of an artist worth the struggle? Absolutely! Nothing surpasses the gratification of knowing your contribution to society.
"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget that errand." -Woodrow Wilson
This post was inspired by the artist Todd Reifers
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