Artist Statement

Some people see things in my paintings: “That’s Finding Nemo!” “Makes me think of a New Age Indian tribe.” Our brains love patterns. It was a survival skill for our ancestors: that squiggly thing in the trail could be a stick, but it might be a snake. They needed to know. By now, finding patterns is a human brain habit. What somebody sees in an ink blot says something about who they are.

If you see something in one of these paintings, what does that say about you?

I don’t see things in my paintings. To me, they’re just lines, shapes, and colors. But I do see designs. And here’s what I like best: I don’t see them ahead of time. I don’t have a plan. I might do a quick messy sketch of an idea, but usually I just see one line where I’m going to start.

Can you find the first line I drew in each of these paintings? After that first line, it’s up to the design to reveal itself to me, and up to me to see it. I saw a video in an art museum once of Juan Miro at work. He would sit and stare at the canvas, then finally pick up a pot of paint and a brush and draw… a line. Just one line. Then he’d put down the pot and the brush and lean back and look some more. I thought, “Hey! That’s the way I do it!” I’m ready with my brush and paint and ruler and tape -- lots of tape! – but nothing happens until the design reveals itself to me. One line, shape, color at a time. My job is to see it.
- Kevin Rhodes