ARTIST STATEMENT
“Look at light and admire its beauty. Close your eyes, and then look again; what you saw is no longer there, and what you see later is not yet.” Leonardo da Vinci

There once was a generation of American artists who completely revolutionized the essence and design of abstract painting. In my course of study I have decided to look to the past and see if something overlooked may be placed into a new context. My work seeks to make color the subject. I try to paint to that part in each of us that existed before the joy of birth, and will endure after the tribulation of death. I would like to think that I paint to the collective soul of all humanity. I believe that whatever ability that I have is a gift, and often feel that I am little more than a vessel through which a higher creative power expresses itself. I am also very thankful to the many accomplished painters who have steadfastly guided me along my journey. I prefer to paint in oil upon linen, canvas, or birch panels. I try to stay in the plane, striving for little to no texture. My desire is that the painting should exhibit resonance and float in space. John Stuart Robertson September 2010