2022 Artist Statement
2022, started with a move into a new home. As soon as we bought the place we started remodeling. I had my hands full with contractors. I made a series of art based on those tradesmen and my love of book- plates. They are like nothing I have ever created. The highlight of the year has to be our trip to Denmark for the mar- riage of our eldest son and our new daughter-in-law, Anna. The wed- ding took place on an ecological island in the north on the Jutland Penisula, called Livo. It takes a ferry to reach the island and there are no cars once you get there. We had the whole island for our guests with about 20 support people. The wedding itself took place in an old oak forest, outside, among the trees. I made two drawings of the sunset and the other of the dancers. Another highlight of the year was the dream realized with my wife. We promised each other to visit Italy together and we finally did. It was a magical experience. We saw Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence, a Tuscany farmhouse, the Uffizi museum, Cinque Terre, Sicily, and in Rome, saw the Vatican museum. It was like a walk through the soul of the Western world, an undeniably God-like experience, gallery after gallery of the most ornate art I have ever seen. In putting together this book I realize that the year 2022 was my most productive year by the sheer quantity of work completed. I am shocked to see this volume has 184 pages. My styles continue to evolve. I am constantly learning. My main drawing tool is now the iPad Pro. I am enamored with vector art. It has changed everything, including my paintings. I still like to work with a pen and ink for live music draw- ings but even those are later converted into sharp focus vectors. Towards the end of the year, I scheduled three art shows, including
speeches, and podcasts. I am not very comfortable in the role of show- ing, yet I know that to grow as both a person and an artist I need to reach a little outside my comfort zone. The more I do these shows the easier it should become. The process of making annual books of my art organizes my thoughts in a way that would be impossible later. They are a testament to my re- solve as an artist. I now have over 20 books to my name. I like scanning through the volumes and seeing the progression. Everyone changes, few create milestones. There is no playbook for becoming a successful artist. I believe taking the diligent step of documenting all of my work separates me from 99% of the artists I know. I do not know any other artists that exten- sively document their work. Most artists have very little organization if any. A catalog raisonne, for an artist, especially one that encompasses their entire collection is a magnificent achievement. As such I take great care in putting this book together. So what does success mean for an artist? I believe it is the journey of doing what you love. I believe that if I can get my head into the flow state and stay there all day, there is nowhere else I would rather be. Art is a discovery at its best. You discover styles, myths, and history, and you also discover what you are looking at by the act of drawing. In drawing, you uncover poetry and mistakes. Both are useful. And if you pay very close attention, you discover yourself.
SHOOSTY WOOD- BLOCK PRINT LIKE LOGO
5
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online