Artist's Statement
Bruce Skillicorn
I believe that art is more than mere decoration. For me it is an interactive catalyst for thought. This is true not only for my “conceptualist work” but also for my landscapes and portraits. We can learn a great deal from landscape and “real world” images. I find inspiration in things and people reflecting the character marks of life in an often harsh world. It is the difficulties and trials of life that have the capacity to mold and sculpt us into beautiful people. Even those who are less than perfect in nature add the dynamism to history that eventually leads to progress and growth.
Light is of vital importance in my work. The beauty of an object is shaped by the light that falls upon it and is refracted through it. Interest and focus come through the juxtaposition of light within shade, and clear foreground against distant atmospheric haze. We are reflections of the light within which we bathe. A weed is often reviled, but when it is bathed in light, it can become a thing of unusual beauty. The great lessons of life are to be found in the real world, in the things we see and feel around us everyday. These greatly influence the way I paint, and, I hope the way in which the viewer is quietly spoken to through my paintings.
We are constantly surrounded with beauty that we frequently walk straight by. I choose to focus on beauty. I want my works to inspire and uplift. I have suffered my share of troubles but have become aware that there is an overwhelming amount of good, beauty, inspiration, and uplifting and positive things in this universe. For all of the above reasons, I am currently exploring beauty in the realism of the real world we live in.
