Moonlight Painting

Colin Staples (1959) For me, art has always been my vital spark, a journey of discovery into not only techniques and visuals, but of mind and letting go to watch the work create itself. The creation of art has been my driving force since early childhood with the past 15 years seeing continued growth. The concepts behind my art have been largely influenced through many years of studying martial arts and it's philosophies of no mind; shedding the ego. I feel my best work is expressed through this approach and have developed a feeling I am now intimate with, and trust. I...like most artists, don't enjoy talking about myself...I guess that's why we paint. My work is primarily portrait and figure in acrylics, which to me retains a feeling of freshness through the continuous mixing of new colours. I have no formal art degrees, just a very real passion to express what I see in the soul of another being. After serving many years in painting I now feel a calling toward abstraction with the focus on maintaining the essence of the soul before me. Much of my work is completed within the one sitting to capture the life and soul of the subject, with a sense of freedom being created because of the time limit. There is much pre-planning of the work I am to undertake so when I get to the canvas...most of it goes out the window. I observe my ego move out of the way and let the image create itself. These I feel are my best works so my journey in art is getting out of the way and allowing my soul freedom to paint another's.