As a child, I was fascinated by a yard on the next block. This
yard was an incredible jungle of dented rusted metalsr old bricks, wood
and sheds of various sizes. I climbed upon roofs and woodpiles to
survey this fascinating place from different vantage points. From high
roofs, the objects appeared flat, From lower woodpiles, I saw
magnificent shadows and spaces. For many hours, I would be entranced by
this world that adults considered an eyesore. These objects didn't mean
anything to me, but they had a strange, inherent beauty that stimulated
my senses in a non-contextural way.
Like a child, I still like taking in the sights, sounds and
smells of places. At home, I marvel at the constant changes of nature:
the colors of the sky especially at dawn, the changing surface of the
river throughout the seasons, the changes in colors of foliage
throughout thr year -- the stark white snow contrasted to the black
trees and dark green water or chunks of ice.
It is a good thing, I believe, for art -- and for life -- to be
kept simple. But first there has to be much experience. I travel a
lot; travel allows me to observe and assimilate ideas and images from
different cultures. A sense of memory and layering of information from
past and present are ongoing elements in my work. I like encounters
that are highly mannered, idiosyncratic and strange, either by man's
impingement upon nature or by nature exerting its influences upon man's
work: ancient walls and engravings, weathered and peeling Faint, rusted
dented and stained metal and old graffiti. Being a foreigner enables me
to intensely experience a place while simultaneously taking the fresh,
unconditioned view of an outsider.
Incorporating writing into my paintings is nothing new. Many
years ago I used to write on my paintings. Throughout the ages, many
artists have included writing in their works. Only the forms have
changed. What I'm doing is making something to look at, thus these
legible designs must take their place as part of an esthetic entity.
But the letters are also part of a symbolic form, expressing in an
artist's way a desire to communicate and a universal hope that all
peoples can remain individual while working together in a world
community.
Formal qualities of art interest me: contrasts and tensions
between warm and cool, light and dark, subdued and intenser smooth and
rough. Soft edges are a foil for hard edges. Hard edges clarify and
separate while softness allows flow, warmth and human feeling. The old
masterpieces have richness, chiaroscuro and illusion. I prefer the
illusion underneath to the reality of the material. I like a sense or
the past within something that had to have been done now: timelessness,
'is-ness', presence, an emotional weather, intensified life, an inner
state of mind, both immersion and removal.
Terrific art can be made out of mediocre technique, but I'm more
interested in a fully developed art. However, if a painting breaks down
into technique before imagery, the painting is a failure.
I work on a painting for a long time in an effort to reach the
point when control and spontaneity merge. When that moment is located,
the arbitrary quality is lost and there is a natural give and take, an
easy rlow. Things fall into place in a natural way. This kind of
autonomous self-sufficiency can lead to a tough beauty that satisfies
the senses, exalts the mind, magnetizes and leads to higher levels of
consciousness and stands the test of time. Only the beautiful paintings
will be remembered.
(Artist's Statement)
Edward Evans is a native Minnesotan. He was born and reared in St. Cloud; he has MA and MFA degrees from the Universities of Minnesota. He now lives in Marshall where he is Professor of Art and Director of the William Whipple Art gallery at Southwest State University.
Recent Exhibitions
Art Gallery
Address
Edward Evans
415 South Fourth Street, #D-1
Marshall MN 56258 - USA
Tel. ++1-507-537-0611
Fax. ++1-507-537-6200
