“The very first “buzz” I got from art was when I was a kid looking at a painting by Laszlo Maholy-Nagy. I was struck by the precision, the muted colors, and the sense of order and peacefulness it exuded. I think there was an element of the spiritual in it (or in me) that magnified its impact.
Much later, as an adult, I was again struck by art in the playfulness of Alexander Calder’s mobiles….what sheer joy and delight !
Then came Richard Diebenkorn. At first I was angered and frustrated by his mysterious veils of color. Over time I came to deeply love his understated richness and inventiveness.
More recently Robert Motherwell and his “Elegy for the Spanish Republic” series has begun to resonate. His monumental structuring of space moves me in yet another way.
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And so it goes… this varied mix of influences (along with others of course) are still with me… taking turns moving me, inspiring and challenging me.
I recently began to re-visit these primary influences in my studio, something I have resisted for some time. It’s a kind of re-integration, a necessary part of growth I suspect.
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A common visual language these artists share is the primacy of elemental geometric shapes, however loosely rendered. I think of the geometric planes of Diebenkorn’s “Ocean Park” series; of the ovals and circles of Calder and Motherwell; or of Nagy’s clean straight lines and triangles.
An element I bring to all of this is rhythm. I am a drummer, and rhythm is the elemental role I play. Clearly, rhythm has found it’s way into my art as well.
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What you see in this show is the evidence of my reconnecting to early influences. I’m working towards/through something. Not certain where this will lead, but I do feel the path is true.”
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