Artist Statement ::
“All great art is the work of the whole living creature, body and soul, and chiefly the soul,” John Ruskin says in The Stones of Venice. It is the inspiration of the artist’s knowledge and emotion that breathes life into ink, paper and other media. Without it, art ceases to be anything more than pure decoration.
Aesthetic, emotional or spiritual value derived from art results from self-discovery. This is the true nature of art; Rick Simpson’s art embodies the essence of this philosophy.
Rick’s work is primarily intuitive, characterized by innovation and experimentation. He “invents” and portrays imaginary objects and figures not seen in reality. To give life to his creations, he draws from both representational and nonobjective genre. The resulting works contrast images of fantasy and beauty, darkness and humor.
The individual viewer’s vision, imagination, and experiences shape the interpretation of each image. Rick’s themes involve deeply personal and current social issues, but also include whimsical and interpretive elements from nature, both real and imagined. Each image is also a metaphor that takes on different meanings for each viewer.
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