The famous American photographer Dorothea Lange said, “I’ve tried to photograph not what a place looks like but what a place feels like.” As an artist and photographer my art has evolved over the years. I find myself reaching for Dorothea’s goal, the goal of significant communication.
Re-entering the world of art after having been a business owner, Montessori teacher, author and illustrator, required a return to traditional oil painting and learning new skills in technology. My images are conceived in photography and then digitally painted and embellished with oils. As I apply the principals of light, color and composition to a work of art the concept of my art is revealed. This creative approach is truly a transformative process for the image and for the artist. In the process of transforming art I find myself also being transformed. An art teacher once said to me. “Rita, there is no way on the planet that you are drawing what you are looking at.” Discouraged at the time, I am now encouraged by these words. Now, I can focus my creative efforts to accomplish the goal of describing through art, “not what a place looks like but what a place feels like.”
There is more to learn as an artist than one lifetime can possibly accomplish. So, I will be content for now to live out my artist statement, “Always, always I must communicate and create.”
Click here to visit Rita's website.
|
