The Midwest is close to my heart; after all, it’s the place where I’ve lived all my life. The heartland possesses such uncomplicated and straightforward beauty. The simplicity of these ever changing vistas resonates with me the way music does.
Beginning a painting from the initial inspiration is one thing, but to carry that inspiration through an evolution of risk and change is quite another. The painting process continues until the painting stands alone and I feel it has something to say.
Taking “cues” from nature, my color choices have become intuitive, a subconscious response to what I see. This is true too for my studio work, where there is more latitude for experimentation and invention. The intention is to relate to the time and place, color relationships, abstraction, and brush work, and see this as the largest statement possible, contributing to the ongoing discourse of contemporary painting. I paint with an awareness of form and color that blurs the distinction between representation and abstraction.
Caught up in an ever-hyper-busy-world, we seem to be drifting away from something very precious, a bond with the land that’s ages old. My hope is that my painting might somehow rekindle an interest in what wonder surrounds us every day and yet goes unnoticed.
www.rodgerbechtold.com
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