In living colour artist statement | Rudy Kistler

“After all, the goal is not making art. It is living a life. Those who live their lives will leave the stuff that is really art. Art is a result.” Robert Henri

Art for me is a means of communication (of visual information, not ideology), through expression. Using direct observation of my surroundings as my focus, my work is a visual critique of the city I live in. My art helps connect me with my locale and its population, with my body of work standing as a record of my investigations. My paintings suggest possibilities, rather than presenting answers. For me, painting is a never-ending process of exploration in an attempt to visually understand the world. In this way, I hope my work has the subsidiary effect of promoting art as a meaningful activity, rather than simply decoration or a productive skill.

The majority of my work is started and finished in-situ, referring directly to the subject in front of me. Sydney, like most metropolises around the world, is a city in rapid change. By working en plein-air I have the opportunity to literally watch it change before my eyes, hopefully capturing some of its essence in the process.
The highly saturated palette I have used to paint this current body of work, and hence the title “living colour”, reflects my appreciation of the few bright sunny days we enjoyed during the summer of ‘07/’08 and the anticipation of a hopefully warmer, brighter summer ‘08/’09.

Rudy Kistler
2008