So much energy, thought and passion goes into each painting. It gets stared at, poked, prodded even dream't about until all the pieces fall into place. This means having to pass the “ooh ah” test. This is done very scientifically, the "art critic" - commonly known as my wife, is brought into the studio blindfolded, not really but the effect is the same. She averts her eyes and walks over to the designated spot in the studio where the best first impact will be made. Before she can bring herself to look she does a crazy thing, something I’m yet to understand, she gets beside herself with anxiety, whether this is because she knows our income relies on each painting being ‘genius’ or the fact that she knows she is incapable of faking the “ooh ah” that is needed to liberate the painting from the studio and onto the gallery wall.
This is probably a little foolish as; not only is my wife a great art critic, but I am a firm believer in giving my best at everything I do. Sometimes, this is very frustrating as it means that even paintings that are working well (but not perfectly) get painted over or reworked as many times as necessary to make it through the “ooh ah” test. This being done; the paintings are hung in our gallery on the banks of Wilderness lagoon in the Garden Route and if my wife has done her job well enough; the painting sells too quickly.
Yes, the contradiction is intentional, although the money is always nice; I do miss them and would like more people to see them before they are sold, which is why I have decided to create a book as a retrospective – an opportunity to revisit some of my old favourites, paintings that are now living in other parts of the world. The book provides me with an opportunity to allow others to experience my creations. I have chosen from a list of many hundreds, the ones that I would most like to see live again... I'm looking forward to sharing them with you.
If you would like to know more about the book or our print collection, please send an email to:
info@fine-art.co.za
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