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The challenges of both Realistic and Abstract art have exited me throughout my career. I feel that one genre feeds the other. I enjoy working with realistic subjects for the discipline it demands, and the restrictions it imposes to the development of the form. The challenge is of course to make body parts on figures come together in such perfection that when looked at, one forgets that the object is actually wood. But because realism is so specific in its finite parameters, it can at many times, result in work that looks rigid and lacks the breath of life. To loosen or soften up the structure of these forms, I like to turn to the abstract. One should first notice that the majority of my abstract work is devoid of straight lines. The second characteristic is the use of contours. These features are used to keep the eye moving around and through the piece so that the form itself is never at rest. The objective is to create a sense of motion, while at the same time, taken statically, the curves impart the sense of a relaxed environment. The intended response of the viewer should be a feeling similar to viewing water rippling through rocks in a stream or the flickering flame from a candle or a fireplace fire. What I learn working toward this singular goal in my
abstract work, is then applied to my realistic work. In short the two are complimentary forces in the development of my work. I derive discipline for my work from doing realistic, and emotion from the
abstract. Thus Both of these elements, discipline and emotion, end up becoming the underlying core of all the work I do whether realistic or abstract.
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