about AVA
I don't want to be the flavor of water. I want to have a distinct taste, not bitter or sweet but an adjective yet defined. The flavor would satiate desires yet leave you wanting more. It would stimulate your focus on something you cannot quite sense, reaching an inner thought you never had but must keep thinking. You would like the flavor but question why. That would be the flavor of ME.
I strive always to embolden my artwork with a little more color, contrast,and sometimes distortion of the REAL that might exist in the normal mind's eye. There is something that is always real even in my abstract renditions. A feeling and emotion should evolve from any creation which I hope I achieve in each and every piece. And that is where it goes down a spiritual path for me. I look at our world and stand in awe of creation. From the spines on a porcupine to the massive canyons etched on our earth, as many as the grains of sands, the amazing splendors of each and every created thing tells me there is a Creator. This divine being must take great pleasure in drawing the whiskers on my cat or the wrinkles on my face, much like I do in the details of my paintings.
I started my art career many years ago diligently working for hundreds of hours on one piece, trying to capture and imitate literally what I saw. Many people are impressed by these renditions, but as hard as I worked, and no matter how closely a piece might replicate the subject matter visually, I was never satisfied. To me, this tedious replication was futile. My works would likely never sell for the price I paid in labor and they would never truly express my thoughts in the process. One of my spiritual truths is that while an artist may very eloquently capture an image of nature, even the likes of Da Vinci cannot match the beauty created by a divine artist.
So you will see in the items I have on this website, that I have loosened up and tend to create more impressionistic and/or abstract paintings. My favorite pieces usually intertwine the real with the abstract, thus my "Not So real" gallery enjoys more content. I enjoy the process most, when I begin with no preconception of what is to come and I simply let it happen. I have to think that the Divine Creator was also spontaneous. Perhaps His process deviated from His initial intentions. This leads to another spiritual truth for me in my artwork, that there are no mistakes and I work with and integrate what ever happens. I'm open to change and evolution which allow my paintings to progress and improve. I don't strive for perfection because my creations are only a derivative of me, an imperfect creation that my Creator works with.
I love my Creator. I believe I owe Him everything as I would not exist were it not for his paint brush. I pray I communicate His intention, His purpose for me, and exhibit what He wishes for people to see in me. I hope that in my artwork, you see my intention, my expression and hopefully see a little bit of me. Thank you again for your kind observation of my work and appreciation of my creative spirit.