Passing the Baton-marker Drawing

Art for art’s sake. So many artists use their art to make a political statement or to add another voice to a cause. I am all for bringing the public to face their moral and social responsibility. I did that for many years as an illustrator. But I have embraced a new perspective since I left illustration and returned to fine art. I now make art for the sake of art. Beauty for beauty. Curiosity for the curious. You will see it in my subjects. In my lighting. Even in my brushstrokes. I want to create beauty. Oh, on a rare occasion I will be ironic, even sarcastic—like my three- part “Instagram series.” But I know that art for art’s sake will endure. In one hundred years people will forget today’s issues, and most of the art that protests against it. But they will forever marvel at the beauty that a brush full of paint can reveal on a pure-white canvas. If you agree, you will love my art. My first art memory is from preschool. I was sitting on the floor copying the Sunday comics. My sister said, "that looks just like him." I thought, "shouldn't it?" From then until I went to college I spent much of my free time drawing and painting. Sometimes my mother would hand food through my door because I was "too busy" painting to come to the table. But, unlike many kids, I didn’t devote my time to drawing comics. I wanted to discover how to paint. And my major goal was how to paint a face. Since then, I have, of course, realized that fine art is not about making a faithful copy. It is about many things. But mostly it is about drawing the viewer in and keeping them there as long as possible so they can share your emotions and share your idea of beauty. I do this by presenting an interesting subject, but in a way that causes the viewer to ask questions like, “What is that person looking at?” “What are they about to say to me?” Why would he paint the dolphins orange when the sea and sky are painted in “normal” colors?” I rarely fully blend my colors. I use lots of heavy strokes and highlights reminiscent of the Impressionists (my favorite style. But I am not an impressionist.) In fact, I use heavy body paint more than soft—even in faces. Enlarge the thumbnails to see that. I have a great deal of fun painting. And I put a lot of energy into my brushwork. Sometimes I paint very fast. At times my brush has flown across the room, or dropped to the floor, because I was so caught up in my painting.