“Art is born of the observation and investigation of nature”.
Those words were written a little over two thousand years ago by the Roman author, orator, & politician, Cicero. For me that short sentence speak volumes. By the time I was 14 years old I knew that art was the vehicle through which I would study the natural world.
Two interesting discoveries were made while undertaking that study. The act of focused observation gains one insight into the outer structure of things. Drawing and painting believable representations of objects then becomes possible.
Second, with the mastery of craft comes freedom, the freedom to explore ones inner world, the world of imagination. When these come together the result is a melding of ones personal impression and our shared visual view of the outer world. It is my goal to avoid making art that leaves the observer visually clueless or doubting of their own inherent ability to see the artistry in what they observe and investigate.
Robert Isler Wanka |
