David Forks Visual Language Artist of Texas Studio Visit

Pursuit of My Dream

I have just started to learn this process of painting and it is abundantly clear to me that it will take a lifetime to figure out. There is nothing I can think of that is more rewarding and simultaneously puzzling. Rewarding for every stroke of paint I smack down with bold deliberate intent and puzzling for every one tentatively, hesitantly and unconvincingly smeared to the surface. Painting is my vocation and has become an integral part of my being, which I aspire to one day make my career. Oh the thought, what a blessed life it will be. My passion is landscape, and I am truly inspired by the rugged profound beauty of nature.

Though I will occasionally paint something different, it is the landscape that moves me and ignites the spark at the end of my brush. I am learning to see the landscape as a painting and not as a literal translation to canvas. I will add, delete or rearrange elements in order to create a better work of art. I think we all try to keep design, drawing, value and edges in mind while painting but my best work has been achieved while my intuition took reign of the brush, letting the vision steer the results. Once the knowledge is in place, It is the power of the subconscious to control the action. The more I can tap into this realm, the more spontaneous and proficient my painting process becomes.

© Dusk by David Forks

 I have recently become much more critical of my own work and rarely am I satisfied with the initial completion of a painting. I look at the work in progress and ask myself what I could do to make it better. When I started painting five years ago, I read Hawthorne and Carlson as well as books by other artists/authors and the message for the beginner was clear; I needed to cover acres of canvas and not worry so much of the results but learn from the process. For a few years it was quantity over quality. I did small, fast paintings almost everyday before work and wow, some were really bad. In spite of myself, I was determined to learn and get better and eventually there were those groundbreaking pieces when I just knew I took a step up that ladder to the next level! That was then, and at the time moving on from one to another was a must.  I have moved beyond that. Now it’s a more methodical and deliberate process of nurturing my paintings to completion. Being honest with myself is innately important in my self critique and growth as an artist. If you can’t look at your work and admit it is bad, there is no way to make yourself better.

© Moonlit Meadow by David Forks

As a painting progresses beyond the block in stage I constantly test notes by stepping back and seeing if they work from a distance. If not. I will remove or alter the passage until it is to my liking. Some works become wrestling matches but I am pretty stubborn, so I generally work them until I get what I want. On occasion I set them aside for another day or let them stew in the back of my mind until I have a clear vision for it. I have ruined many paintings by attempting to make them better, but I have also created some of my best works after risking them to the trash pile.

© Twilight by David Forks

Plain and simple, I love to paint. It satisfies my desire to create and I can enter a peaceful world of my own imagination away from the harsh realities of life as we know it. It comes from my heart and my soul which pours out of me every time I pick up a brush. I enjoy the challenge of problem solving and molding paint into form. I know I have a lot to learn and a long way to go but I feel like I am making strides in the right direction. I just want to be the best artist I can be and if by chance one day I am able to be self supportive doing so, well.... nothing would make me happier.

                                                                                               David Forks