Every artist especially those early in their careers desperately try and often fail to develop their own unique style. Every artist is influenced by those that went before them. Even the most prolific artists emulate, adopt technique, homogenize and plain-0ld steal from the works they see in galleries & museums or more commonly today on the Internet. Often hiding behind the word “inspiration” or “inspired-by”. Personally I think this is unfortunate. But I know from my own experience that originality doesn’t just show up one day. It’s always a process of taking away, not adding outside influences.
After some experimentation with interpretive art and then moving more towards abstraction, I desperately wanted to eliminate all of the traditional and non-traditional forms of inspiration. Historically I have been immersed into three influences that are difficult to throw off when you’re trying to focus your mind in a new and auspicious creative direction. They are and certainly in this order… the number one nemesis in influencing creativity is nature, followed by society and then visual impressions one receives from observing other art.
Nature…although probably responsible for more divine inspiration in the world of art, nature can be a trickster. It’s almost impossible to create a color, shape, pattern, sequence or line that hasn’t existed in nature for eons. Just try and avoid nature it’s just about impossible, and some would argue…why even try?
Society…the problem here is we for the most part have to reside in a world loaded with people and their profound influences. If you create a piece of art you are going to get an opinion as to what it means or represents. Some are reasonable, and quite edifying. But most opinions are developed through associations. Leave it to a loved one or relative to quickly point out, “Oh…that painting looks like a Picasso.” or worse yet, “That painting reminds me of the bedspread we have in our vacation cabin.” There’s no end to these influences. Woe is the artist that gets suckered into trying to please anyone but themselves.
Other people’s art...a principal reason why people start to create art to begin with. From an early age if you see an painting, a drawing, a sculpture, etc they can hit a deep spiritual chord and trigger the artistic muse, that I believe resides in all of us. In the beginning this is a wonderful thing, but it can be a most treacherous mine field that one often has trouble escaping. And even if you do, some art critic or writer will be compelled to figure out a way to define you by influences, and they have a most formidable vocabulary for this type of compartmentalization of your precious artwork. My attitude is…”How in the hell do you know what I was thinking?? Especially if I have been dead for a 100 years or more??!”
So my style…With the help of those within my camp, sometimes I refer to them as “my posse”, we came up with the definition: Receptive Abstract Patternism© This most clearly defines my style of artwork. The precept of my art is distinguished by receiving signals and stimuli to create an image independent of common form, yet held together by the continuity and comfort of pattern. Yes…nature, society and other art has managed to sneak in here and there. But for the most part if you have an opportunity to view a; collection of my work, you will quickly determine that it has a special uniqueness. Virtually all pieces are entirely different but yet there is a common enough theme that you know this was painted by the same artist.
Genesis…Receptive Abstract Patternism© is not necessarily the beginning of my style and certainly is not the end. It will evolve and at times become more complex and at times there will be the pureness of simplicity. There is one thing for sure, for those that take the time to understand it, they will embrace and immerse, and with a little luck, these images will unlock or release emotions that may not be defined verbally but certainly will be defined by an inner expressions feeling triggered in the soul.
To view a collection of my work it’s best just to go here: