My impulse to paint
comes from a desire to experience the mysterious, sensuous, and powerful
emotional language of color. I would rather look at a Mark Rothko than the Mona
Lisa anytime. Painting well means being excited; if I'm not excited by
what I'm doing, no one else will be. The effort is ever directed towards
returning the energy experienced through nature in a work that suggests depth,
drama, mood and an intimation of always something more to be found.
I can't spend days and days on a painting. The best ones are completed in a
single session, sometimes lasting many hours. It's a matter of swiftly
pursuing a strong feeling in a mode of spontaneous vitality and tension that
allows little time for contemplation or refinement but accesses the subconscious
and intuitive, grounded in years of experience and education. Nor
is the intent to paint "scenery" or a literal transcription of
reality. The intent is to create a work of seemingly permanent changing energy
that seems to extend beyond the canvas through a tapestry of color and texture
that compels the viewer's contemplation and return to the viewing, always
seeing more.
Interview
with Brandon Long, Director of Community Arts Center, Danville, KY
Painting is an
adventure
with no end,
only more striving,
searching;
an appetite
never satisfied.
To contact the artist
Email: dc859fa@roadrunner.com
