Aug 18, 2012

AN ABUNDANCE OF NATURAL DESIRES: I love color and use it passionately in my real and in my imagined life too.



Today, at the foot of the volcano, in the late afternoon, my friend Juan Carlos took some photos of my most recent artwork.


I sometimes get so close to the actual ¨doing¨ and ¨executing¨ of the work that I feel sort of obsessed.  Not in the ¨must get it done¨ way but into the trying to ¨reach deeper into it¨ thinking and doing as I paint away.



I don´t know quite how to explain it but I think I have so much to ¨portray¨ with my innnermost sense of passion for life.  I have deep resources of rememberance for those people, places and things I´ve appreciated, loved and admired for many, many reasons but mostly they are simple or complex collectables.




I remember much. Even down to a tiny public display of love I once saw demonstrated between two teens when I was a teen decades ago.  They were waiting for an elevator and were beaming with the joy of being alive.  There are so many real life moments that have touched my heart, all the way down to flashing near my soul, I´m so glad to have been so keenly alive.



Summer nights sleeping in my sleeping bag in our back yard when I was a kid and then, suddenly, becoming aware of ¨infinity¨ and my own lack of understanding of what could be beyond the stars.  My lack of understanding the depth of God startled me.




The vastness of it all, as well as the closeness of everyone of you, with me, has always (mostly) been a spiritual and physical thing that I´ve admired and embraced.  Sometimes quietly and sometimes not so quietly as I´m often filled with glee, or pain, or amazement and go ¨on and on¨ (as my Mother would say).


Quite clearly, to me, my artwork represents me seeking beyond the structured life of my understanding.  I strive to go beyond myself by using color. I use color from a down to earth reality and then seek adventure by taking color as far as it, and I, can go. But, like some adventurers I sometimes take the safer way...sometimes I take it all back as I push toward the unknown.  However, each time I go further than I´ve been before as I trudge toward infinity.


Once upon a time, a true story, I was a child riding in the back of my parents car.  My Mom and Dad were in the front and I was standing behind my dad, the driver, looking out the window as we traveled up a very curvy city hill...I remember looking into the cars that were going by in the opposite direction and wondering about each and every person and their lives.  I wanted them to come to my birthday party, whenever that next birthday party might be.



Later we passed a cemetery and I felt sad because I didn´t, and wouldn´t, know all those people who had died...they couldn´t come to my next birthday party, whenever that next birthday party might be.


I was wrong, there are many influences from up close and afar that have been gifted to me...real lives of those living and dead have touched my vision of eternity.


Thank you for being here with me and sharing my life, I cherish your company.


All colors united, Lord hear my prayer

Leonardo Ricardo
Leonard Clark
Guatemala

11 comments:

JCF said...

Muy bonita! Excellente! Bellissima!

Thank you, Len, for letting us share in your work (verbal and graphic)

Padre Mickey said...

¡Feliz cumpleaños, hermano mio! Thanks for sharing your talent and love and your heart with us all.

Frank Remkiewicz aka “Tree” said...

Leonardo,

Your art work is exquisite! There is no doubt it comes from the soul.
Your support of the Episcopal Church is fantastic but clearly, it also comes from the soul.

Please keep up all your work -- I feel you are just getting started.

motheramelia said...

Birthday Blessings and peace. Len, I love to look at your work and I love to read what you write.

JCF said...

It's your birthday? Missed that! Hope it was happy!

Pet your sweet pooches for me.

Re your art: would it be fair to say, re your glazes, that you favor Pointilism?

Leonard said...

Hi Friends, Yes, JCF, it´s my version of Pointilism (it actually starts with layer upon layer of action painting, spraying and texturing and they I add more)...the points have full blown personalities of their own with three combinations of colors on each one dot (having two more on top, each smaller) and some dots stand on their own and some are space makers and are tiny...my experience has grown along with my technique and now, these days/daze, it´s hard for me not to be almost consumed by the depth while creating...meaning, I sometimes have to climb out and stand up straight again as I paint on ¨burros¨ and into my third decade of his I´m not only getting older but I´m getting HUNCHED OVER...I´m going to starting to look like one of the famous impressionists!

it's margaret said...

This is really, really beautiful Leonardo. Many blessings upon you and your work.

June Butler said...

Your art work is lovely, Len. The colors and their arrangement are gorgeous and exuberant. The pieces make me joyful when I look at them.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Uncle Len. The art is vibrant and beautiful, as always. Jenny

IT said...

Beautiful! Love how the color explodes and shimmers and is not one color but one of many, many to one.

happy day to you too,

I

Caminante said...

I love the bowls... wow... keep on using all that wonderful colour.