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Anybody can just create by experimenting or expressing one’s emotions on canvas.

But, what is truly necessary in life in order to create masterpieces?

It seems to me, that some kind of drama is necessary in an artist’s life, whether it be suffering, inspiration, emotional swings, changes in location, or some kind of new experience. There’s no point just sitting back and waiting for one’s emotions to be transcribed on blank canvas. The wait and see attitude only works for certain kinds of artists, ones that are used to their routine lifestyles.

Van Gogh once said that great art comes from forcing oneself to paint. Is this really true?

Maybe the artist should seek inspiration by listening to great music, engaging in world travel, or seek inspiration through poetry or literature. After all, many artists rely on the “Standing on the shoulders of giants” principle. If you truly immerse yourself in culture, in experiencing what other great minds had experienced, you might just absorb their great thinking and become a great artist yourself.

I find that visiting museums and galleries or simply socializing with other visual artists is encouraging my drive to create more art. When your art sells, be wary of concluding that you’ve accomplished your purpose as an artist. There should be an inner drive in every successful artist that pushes the artist to create more and more art. The more different kinds of artworks you create, the more chances you get for somebody to support you as an artist by purchasing your artwork. Why limit yourself to one kind of style or one kind of genre, when you could appeal to a broader audience by diversifying your style and subject matter? Personally, the more art I sell, the more I’m convinced that you simply cannot predict what will sell and when. I’ve sold some art that I couldn’t have imagined would sell. Different people see and experience art very differently; taste in art is very very subjective.

A portrait shouldn’t aim at a realistic impression of the subject matter, but rather an interpretation of how the artist paints the subject. To paint truthfully and with dedication to one’s art is to interpret the subject matter, the model, the nature, whatever is in the painting.

When painting a portrait, I see myself as the camera lens that imprints my emotions, feelings, and thoughts about the subject, but in a subtle kind of way. The photo from which a portrait is produced is not the highest ideal; rather, it is the painter’s view and understanding of the person that he decides to “capture”.

In the “Sandcastle” (a novel by Iris Murdoch), Bledyard, the school’s art instructor, mentions in a conversation with Mor (the protagonist) that to give form to a human being, employing any medium, is to act as god and to attempt to capture the “divine”. He reasons that, because god created mankind, to depict a human being is akin to “playing god” in reference to his creation. Perhaps he is right, although it sounds like a parochial point of view.

We artists never strive to “correct god” or to mock the divine creation of all beings. To us, the artwork is meant to shine and bring out the best qualities of the subject on canvas, paper, or any other media.

So what is a portrait, in essence? Is it an interpretation, and expression of one’s emotions, a “re-creation”, or simply a realistic depiction of the model? Again, because art is so subjective, it could act as a multitude of functions, once it is complete. And every good artwork that stands the test of time is not intended to “recreate the wheel”, but to give rise to a particular voice in depicting a model in accordance with the artist’s desire to amaze mankind and posterity.

Because fine art is such a subjective discipline, it is very hard to predict which paintings will sell and which ones will be stuck in the basement for years to come. Every artist has a unique style of his or her own, which might and might not attract potential customers, because their views of art are also very subjective or unique. Perhaps this is the reason why some artists attempt to appeal to the masses by rendering their artistic styles in the forms of many different styles, in order to attract more of the target audience. In so doing, these artist risk sacrificing their own inner voice or style that is unique to them solely.

I must admit that, during my years as an artist, I’ve attempted to appeal to a broad audience, both by adjusting my styles, and by selecting my object matter from a very broad range: still-life, paysages, cityscapes, seascapes, religion, fantasy, copies from other popular artists of the past, animals, flowers, and other subject matter. However, I see my unique “inner voice” as a collage of my varied subject matter and its styles. Perhaps to specialize in one or few subject matters like most artists do might not lead to a broad consumer base that is loyal and respectful of the artist in question.

In sum, I believe that art is a very subjective discipline, and sometimes it is important to concentrate on one’s inner voice in order to find oneself among a myriad of other styles and subject matter of other competing artists out there.

 

“Imperfect Competition” (2006)

I believe that framing an artwork is akin to dressing up. Nobody should tell you how to dress up nor order you to wear a certain clothing item. Dressing up is a personal choice; so is framing an artwork.

The artist may suggest an appropriate frame’s color scheme by painting the sides a particular color. The buyer of the artwork should decide on his or her own how to frame a painting and what color to pick.

There are many styles of art and for every style there is a niche/target audience. Some people might disagree on the kind of frame that fits a particular artwork and that is absolutely fine, because every person is unique.

That’s my case of why an artist, having completed a painting he intends to sell, should never frame his artwork. The artist should leave it to the buyer to decide on the kind of frame that buyer believes suits his purchased artwork.

Today I want to share with you one of my greatest inspirations: the music and song of Yehuda Poliker, a famous Israeli singer with Greek roots. His music is rich and uplifting the spirits, which helps with my inspiration and the creation of my art.

No matter what culture and what background you are from, you may all listen to his music and get inspired, like I have. He is a master of the Mandolin (a Greek music instrument, similar to the guitar) and a great singer. Some of his songs are uploaded on YouTube. I think his greatest achievement was his live performance with his band in Ceasaria, Israel, in 1997.

Attached is his portrait from his famous Album Cover – Live in Ceasaria (1997)

It gives me such joy to paint animals, especially birds and butterflies. I just finished this Great Blue Heron painting yesterday, and I hope all my fans will like it. His serious gaze and long beak add some mystery to the painting. Check out my “Animals|Fauna” section to take a look at all the other animals I’ve painted over the years.

I plan to exhibit this painting at my next show with the Community Arts Council of Richmond in 2019.

I’ve recently completed a painting of the Jordan River in Israel. The Jordan River runs through the heart of Israel north through south. The beauty of the subject matter captured my attention and I wanted deeply to relate that beauty to my viewers and to my fans.

The trees are breathing life into the atmosphere, as the river runs its course. There is so much poetry in this landscape, it is difficult to put it into words. So, I’ve expressed it in the best way I know how to express my feelings – though art.

The reason I focus on Israel and on Jerusalem in particular, is because I had lived there for 7 years, long ago before coming to Canada. Israel is a magical place: a testimony to the thousands of years of Jewish culture present in this region.

What makes an art a masterpiece? This is a difficult question to answer, because there are so many different tastes and preferences out there.

When I decide on what to paint, I usually think what people would demand in the location that I currently live in. That is why I completed many local artworks, such as the North Vancouver cabin and pond scenery and the Steveston Village series. I enjoy satisfying people’s demands and the popularity that making art gives me, but it turns out that demand often drives the art market.

To me, an artwork is not just a piece of decoration, but also a statement of the times we live in and the nature that surrounds us all. Because we live in a dynamic world, where things and conditions change on a daily basis, it is important for the art to be relevant and de notre temps. Making copies is good practice, but copies rarely sell because they lack originality. A good artwork must attract attention and breathe new life into the viewer, so that he or she will feel inspired almost to a state of exaltation (hopefully). Therefore, it may be concluded that the purpose of art is enlightenment and inspiration.

Pictured below is a forest scene from North Vancouver that I had completed at the end of last year. It is for sale and you may see it in the Paysages gallery of my website.

Lately, I’ve been working on a series of paintings. I pick a theme: Steveston or animals and I produce several paintings on those themes.

My latest series was animals, and I post here the giant turtle that I’ve recently painted. Comments are welcome.

 

White Rock no. 1, BC