Poetry or Journalism
Nicole Palmer
My painting journey has been just over 10 years now, yet I recall the words of wisdom from another artist who saw me struggling in my second year of trying to become an artist. She said to me, “Rick, do you want journalism or poetry?”.
You see, I was struggling because I was trying to replicate what I saw in front of me, be it a still life in the studio or a field with trees and a stream in plein air mode. Just those few words made an incredible difference in how I approached a subject to be painted. I now look at a scene and will literally say to myself, ‘what can I do with that?’
There little 6x6 canvases are from my imagination. No sketches. No photos. Just what existed between my ears at that time. I love the simple shapes of rowboats, the ability to show light and shadow, and the ability to render water as you see it here. You have never seen water like that before but you immediately know that its water……or rather poetry!
Enjoy
Rick
