Rob Saunders
Art is ultimately all about the response it evokes. For me, the handling of paint and color has as much do with forming our response to a painting as does the subject matter itself.
I aim to create basically representational works in a contemporary, bravura style that often leans toward abstraction. My paintings are sometimes a commentary on societal misery, sometimes just a whimsical celebration of life’s delights. Yes, I do think art may legitimately elicit pleasure for its own sake without necessarily having to preach a message. On the other hand, of course, art as a statement of outrage can have a powerful effect.
More often than not, a solitary human figure is prominent in what I paint. Figurative art allows me to convey whatever it is I want to express, in a way that is instinctively accessible to the viewer.
Having said all that, I have misgivings about being overly analytical. We create art and respond to it primarily at a visceral rather than cerebral level, which may be why it speaks so forcefully to us.
Website: www.saundersartwork.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/robert.saunders.560
“The works of art I connect to most strongly are those in which the hand of the artist is readily apparent.”