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Robert Urban
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I am a painter of landscapes. However, I am not a traditional landscape painter.
My inspiration in nature comes from observation of the environment around me,
as well as the landscapes of my mind- both literal and figurative.
Simply put, my artwork is about polar opposites. It hovers somewhere between
being abstract and representational, and it primarily reflects the ongoing struggle
to coexist between nature and humankind. This is achieved through the development
of my own personal symbology, representing this ongoing saga and my perception
of it.
My connection to various images as symbols is my personal effort to create a
sense of meaning from the world: order from chaos and chaos from order. Both
are found in the natural world. For instance, my use of leaves symbolizes nature.
However, by in effect “stenciling” them, my approach represents the desire of
humans to control both their personal environment and the biological environment
we inhabit. My use of chairs as symbols represents the intervention of humankind
upon nature. Other repeated motifs have similar meanings.
My paintings are created through numerous layers that build up over time, much
like the layers that create our lives. During the art-making process, these layers
are added through glazing and stenciling; the layers are also removed through
sanding. Thus, my theme of opposition is represented in the artistic process
itself- creation and destruction. Often, much of what I depict is hidden and
buried within the painting. Life is much the same. Quite often the most obvious
observation lies obscured from our view, yet in plain sight. It is my desire
to create paintings in which viewers will see something different each time they
return to them.
My artworks “reveal” themselves to me over time. The layering process is evolutionary;
I never quite know where it’ll take me visually or conceptually. Sometimes I
start with an idea and then create an image around the initial concept; oftentimes,
I simply paint, and the image, and it’s meaning, find me. This way of working
creates mystery and an element of surprise within each artwork. Often, this way
of working can be frustrating and difficult, but it is always challenging and
exciting. And that is good.
My primary medium is acrylic paint, which I dilute with gel and gloss to create
glazes and layers. I create many layers this way, usually embedding “hidden”
images within, barely discernible to the observer. Other media I use include:
enamel paint, ink, colored pencil, charcoal, collage, and occasionally actual
found objects. My most recent artworks have been on wood panels and my final
step in the process includes a topcoat of resin, which gives a glass-like coating,
thereby “fossilizing” the work. Although I use a synthetic resin, it is interesting
to note that resins originally came from hardened exudations of certain trees.
Most of my inspiration comes from my daily life and routine and as I observe
our interaction within the natural world. As I work, one idea begets another
and so on… much like the “ordered randomness of life”… or is it the “randomness
of ordered life”?
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