Lawrence Short
I started to learn how to see 50 years ago. In the years since then, I have watched and practiced and trained, developing my ability to see. I work at noticing, being aware of, thinking about, the countless things I come in contact with everyday. The objects I most enjoy are those of the creation. I notice the elements of design among various creatures; the similarities between a butterfly wing and a whale fluke, an apple and a moon, a nebula and a cloud. So I paint to bring attention to these things and how they all fit together, work together, to bring about this awe-inspiring universe we live in. My paintings are intended to be a record of what I have seen in my life. I’m happy to share what I’ve seen and maybe my paintings can help others learn to see for themselves the design that’s all around us. In my paintings, I am primarily working with color, shape and movement to communicate feeling that is difficult to express verbally. Initially, I use wind and gravity to move the various colors around. I finish by adding more realistic images to produce a dichotomy which catches one’s attention and moves the viewer to examine the painting more closely. The overall purpose of which is to instill a mood and elicit certain emotions in the viewer. Ultimately, each painting contains a piece of who I am and each piece of me will bring out a variety of responses from those who view it. Thus, each painting becomes the expression of the one viewing it as well as the one who painted it.
