Artist Statement                                                       

I was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville is a small city nestled in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains, in eastern Tennessee. Growing up in a world of woods, streams, and misty mountains had a profound effect on my art. I saw how Mother Nature used textures and color as sources of enjoyment for me. I was moved to concentrate on representing both actual and perceived textures though the study of simple shapes and forms in art. I now construct colorfully designed organic abstracts and/or fantasy fish that can be enjoyed for what they are…”feel good art”.  

My work also addresses the role of color oriented design as it pertains to creating no political or social statements, just delightful colors and textures. In a time when life is pure stress and most art is politically charged with social commentary, my art is “just colors and textures”… “I create art that is good for the soul and an enjoyment to view”. I feel that my strong background in graphic design, art history, painting and keen interest in organic textures, has resulted in a blending of styles and colors that create colorful surfaces that cry out to be touched and felt, as they are intended to be not only visual but tactile. Having people enjoy my larger than life colorful surfaces is what art should be about.  

I use acrylic paint because I enjoy the immediacy of the medium and the bright color palette that is available. I tend to work in fast bursts of inspiration and motivation and the acrylic medium is able to keep up with my pace, while not letting the colors get muddy. I also enjoy being able to thin acrylics to a watery wash which allows me to overlay colors using a watercolor effect to achieve spatial effects and unique textures.  

I choose to work mainly on large surfaces because of the immediate shock impact of my large scale colorful designs. The paintings evoke an emotional response when displayed as bigger than life size elements of design, color, and texture. I normally build a painting up by adding layers of color and textures, spending days and weeks building up multiple layers. When you look closely at one of my paintings, you can see a variety of texture rich surfaces that demand to be touched and colors that were indistinguishable from a distance, layered color on color.  

My fascination with textures began in college with experimentation in collage and assemblage fashioned after the works of such artists as Pablo Picasso, Kurt Schwitters and Louise Nevelson. My textured surface is also a reflection of my enjoyment of the works of Jackson Pollock. I have since dismissed the addition of foreign objects (paper, cloth, and other foreign materials) to the surface of the canvas, simply relying on the raised surfaces created by heavy impasto paint.  

A recent addition to my work is the glazing effect, creating a more dramatic separation between layers of color, both impasto and washes. Textures have now become a very prominent feature in most of my work, but I continue to move in and out of the abstractions of color and form.

When you encounter an exhibit with one of my textured paintings displayed, remember to caress the surface. If the curator, or arts patron is upset....tell them the artist said it was OK .....

Ron Floyd