Jim Kamprath

Artist Statement

Artist statement2011

 

I create art from a longing within myself to have others visualize and share my vision. To share what I see and how I see it. This process usually involves combining deconstructed images, or fragments of images I have gathered into my conscience memory from sights and visions, abstracted and re-combined or constructed into this images. These are personal visualizations of my perception.

 

After all, art represents a private personal viewing of objects and images real or imagined. This makes up my visual environment. In my Artist statement for my MFA thesis I talked about how I had to sway back and forth to get into the mood to put paint down on a surface when I started my creative process. I now feel that these back and forth movements, to and fro will alter the view and thus my perception. So I have a constantly changing perception and I start where ever I am, in that vision. I take this visions and represent it in my creation with as much personal clarity as possible. God, it would seem, has entrusted me with a vision of what is, not what could be or should be but what is, before my mind's eyes. A glimmer of truth as represented by God to us his humble servants.

 

I do not take and use these broken fragments: fractals, as part of my personal interpretation of that environmental abstraction, nor do I necessarily reuse object that are visually recognizable to any but my personal vision. I like to think that these multiple layers of images when combined will all add up to a magnificent new whole. Abstraction is a part of all we see and perceive. The Landscape lends itself to my thought process. With fields, hills, mountains, plains, rivers and river basins. forest, trees, copse, cities, buildings, oceans and seas and any combination of these to choose from to use as the pieces in my abstracted puzzle. When we construct the final landscape, it is a generalization. While it can be recognizable as some scenic variation there often is no reference that can be picked out as real. Just as in my dreams objects are stitched together to create a new fabric. Combinations is what allows the artist to be the most creative. The design must make sense in the eyes of the beholder, It also must be complete as a thought as well as a creative expression. One can have all the pieces and in combination the do not work. Since so much of what I do in my expression is with multiple medias. I primarily use an abstraction of the pieces of the landscape, to construct the composition. To what end do I use combinations of materials. I have always been concerned about the total of the visual stimuli in a composition. The eye candy. I f the surface is complex the more interactions of material will take place. If collage can be incorporated into a composition, then I use it. Like wise, I use watercolor wash over acrylic for more depth and dimension. I also use ink for stark contrasts. All of the separate pieces go together to complete the composition.

 

How much of the composition needs to be recognizable to the observer? not much. Pleasing is pleasing and the confrontation of all aspects and material of the composition combine to be pleasing. Everything becomes abstracted as we step back and as we study a portion of the environ. It will become out of focus and altered in our personal view and perception. So as we move to and fro the venue alters in our perception. My use of acrylic is my vehicle of combination for all of these media, a matrix combined in polymer, combined as my means of expression.

 

James Kamprath 2011