H. vanWolf Artist statement

Creating is a natural response to my environment. I seek a direct and truthful communication between the world and my experience of it so I paint, and draw and try to reproduce what I see. Every line holds some memory. Some thought. Every line, every stroke is a moment in time.

My work is directly inspired by what I see. In drawing the world around me, I am drawn into it completely. The art that is produced is in effect, secondary to my experience of really seeing something. Taking it into me. Letting the world effect me.

On Painting

My early paintings are passionate movements in oil. Working with oils is a rich experience. Their translucence, depth and natural rich tones are sumptuous.

My paintings are built in layers upon layers. Each a different painting; an act of creation and destruction always as I paint. Loading on color and taking away. Working in the details and pulling it back.

The Japanese have a way of painting called the Sumi-e technique, where the artist begins to create a work of art and stops. They surrender the painting early on in the process as complete. This in essense preserves the initial intention of the artist. Like the brilliant under-paintings of the 17th century masters left unfinished, they signify a moment in time and can often be more powerful than the polished works. My later collection of works in oil are in this spirit.

On Pen & Ink Drawing

The ink drawings are extemporaneous works on location with no under-drawing. Each and every detail is in honor of my environment.

Against much of my education, I don't draw to make a fantastic product. I draw in order to record what I see truthful to my hand. All my drawings are rendered by hand without ruler. I commence the drawing from the foreground and work my way back into the distance. Objects in the far distance are also rendered with considerable detail. Unlike a selcted focus, the entirety of the view is sharp, as is my experience of my view as I study it. Atmosphere does not interferring with what actually is, thus I do not record that.

Cities are alive, just as forests are alive. They have an energy and movement to them. Each structure holds it's own history. Drawing what I see is an effort to come closer to my surroundings and to deconstruct their nature. Drawing is also an act of appreciation, to see and feel a place that has its own story. The act of drawing is accompanied by an inner dialogue which guides the line.

On the reverse side of my ink sketches, and sometimes within the drawing itself I have recorded my thoughts during, before or directly after the piece is created. So my interior dialogue is captured while I make the creation. The writing initially became very small so that people near to me couldn't read what I'd write. It was my way of expressing private thoughts on paper in public spaces.

Thoughts on Art

I seek purity in art. A work of art is only eternally valuable if it has been created with honorable intentions. If it is created out of a kind of desperation to record a moment in time.

I was always fascinated to know the true motivation behind a work of art. I grappled with the duality of my own sense of appreciation of a piece of art while divining the true intentions of its maker.

I am disappointed with work that is created out of a desire to create something wonderful. It is not interesting to me when someone is trying to create something interesting.

I visited an exhibit at a famous museum in New York that quoted the artist as saying "I don't want to be remembered as a man. I want to be remembered as an artist". The work of that artist, therefore is nothing more than a crying out to be something that they are not. First and foremost, the artist must be a man or a woman. The artist must create out of a place of honesty to have honest work that is worthy to society. Otherwise what is created is a mirage. Affect. Artifice.

I hold reverence for and appreciate the artist who creates work with honorable intentions. Work that comes almost effortlessly out of his or her reality is the most powerful.

The artist must also be trained in the classic techniquest so that their tool is ready and able to express what is seen. When the artist reaches a mastery over the materials, it is their honor and their duty to approcah their work with honest and pure motivations.

Art is an effort to understand the nature of nature itself. What is produced will be unique and important, just as every human being is unique and important.

The Artist should realize any negative motivators before releasing that work into the world. Each creation has a kind of power to it. an energy. And energy can move people to feel and ask questions which can change their lives. Art is a means of sharing a deeper experience.

Art as a vehicle for communication which words are never fully capable of expressing. Art produces a visceral response which only the eyes and mind can fully grasp. And the most powerful art survives civilizations to tell our story.

Art as Science

I am naturally drawn to try to understand the truth behind what I see when I really look at something. Life is rich and full of all manner of things.

Science, technology, Social Systems, Political subsystems, ecology. I want to somehow record more than what I see. I want to record what it means to me. I want to look deeply at the world and my place in it.

When I see a structure in the early morning light, I am naturally drawn to the simple beauty of it. The colors of this structure are fantastic and they change with the light. I could paint something beautiful just out of that. I could react to the beauty of the soft yellow and pale orange. And I could see the composition as being pleasing to the eye. But WHY? Why record that? I want to record the full sum of what I see. I want my eyes to be fully open.

Along with the visual feast of colors, I also see neglect. decades of peeling layers of paint. I see the magnificance of it. The influences of Greek, and Venecian architecture. This building was somebody's dream. I see the compromises too, at work 125 years after. How the facad is peeling away from the brickwork. I see movement and growth of a culture of people in the black soot that colors the windows and walls and roof. I see the workers trying in vain to roof the building bathed in soft light for the last 14 months.

There is much to see. So much to record of the world. So much to appreciate and understand. The artist has a unique place in the world today, not unlike times past.

There is so much information avilable to us. yet the artist distills the flow of thoughts snd communicates on a viscereal level.

The artist provides the true glimpse into the heart of our society.

		ARTIST STATEMENT
	Creating is a natural response to my environment. I seek a direct and truthful communication between the world and my experience of it so I paint, and draw and try to reproduce what I see. Every line holds some memory. Some thought. Every line, every stroke is a moment in time. My work is directly inspired by what I see. In drawing the world around me, I am drawn into it completely. The art that is produced is in effect, secondary to my experience of really seeing something. Taking it into me. Letting the world effect me. On Painting My early paintings are passionate movements in oil. Working with oils is a rich experience. Their translucence, depth and natural rich tones are sumptuous. My paintings are built in layers upon layers. Each a different painting; an act of creation and destruction always as I paint. Loading on color and taking away. Working in the details and pulling it back. The Japanese have a way of painting called the Sumi-e technique, where the artist begins to create a work of art and stops. They surrender the painting early on in the process as complete. This in essense preserves the initial intention of the artist. Like the brilliant under-paintings of the 17th century masters left unfinished, they signify a moment in time and can often be more powerful than the polished works. My later collection of works in oil are in this spirit. On Pen & Ink Drawing The ink drawings are extemporaneous works on location with no under-drawing. Each and every detail is in honor of my environment. Against much of my education, I don't draw to make a fantastic product. I draw in order to record what I see truthful to my hand. All my drawings are rendered by hand without ruler. I commence the drawing from the foreground and work my way back into the distance. Objects in the far distance are also rendered with considerable detail. Unlike a selcted focus, the entirety of the view is sharp, as is my experience of my view as I study it. Atmosphere does not interferring with what actually is, thus I do not record that. Cities are alive, just as forests are alive. They have an energy and movement to them. Each structure holds it's own history. Drawing what I see is an effort to come closer to my surroundings and to deconstruct their nature. Drawing is also an act of appreciation, to see and feel a place that has its own story. The act of drawing is accompanied by an inner dialogue which guides the line. On the reverse side of my ink sketches, and sometimes within the drawing itself I have recorded my thoughts during, before or directly after the piece is created. So my interior dialogue is captured while I make the creation. The writing initially became very small so that people near to me couldn't read what I'd write. It was my way of expressing private thoughts on paper in public spaces. Thoughts on Art I seek purity in art. A work of art is only eternally valuable if it has been created with honorable intentions. If it is created out of a kind of desperation to record a moment in time. I was always fascinated to know the true motivation behind a work of art. I grappled with the duality of my own sense of appreciation of a piece of art while divining the true intentions of its maker. I am disappointed with work that is created out of a desire to create something wonderful. It is not interesting to me when someone is trying to create something interesting. I visited an exhibit at a famous museum in New York that quoted the artist as saying "I don't want to be remembered as a man. I want to be remembered as an artist". The work of that artist, therefore is nothing more than a crying out to be something that they are not. First and foremost, the artist must be a man or a woman. The artist must create out of a place of honesty to have honest work that is worthy to society. Otherwise what is created is a mirage. Affect. Artifice. I hold reverence for and appreciate the artist who creates work with honorable intentions. Work that comes almost effortlessly out of his or her reality is the most powerful. The artist must also be trained in the classic techniquest so that their tool is ready and able to express what is seen. When the artist reaches a mastery over the materials, it is their honor and their duty to approcah their work with honest and pure motivations. Art is an effort to understand the nature of nature itself. What is produced will be unique and important, just as every human being is unique and important. The Artist should realize any negative motivators before releasing that work into the world. Each creation has a kind of power to it. an energy. And energy can move people to feel and ask questions which can change their lives. Art is a means of sharing a deeper experience. Art as a vehicle for communication which words are never fully capable of expressing. Art produces a visceral response which only the eyes and mind can fully grasp. And the most powerful art survives civilizations to tell our story. Art as Science I am naturally drawn to try to understand the truth behind what I see when I really look at something. Life is rich and full of all manner of things. Science, technology, Social Systems, Political subsystems, ecology. I want to somehow record more than what I see. I want to record what it means to me. I want to look deeply at the world and my place in it. When I see a structure in the early morning light, I am naturally drawn to the simple beauty of it. The colors of this structure are fantastic and they change with the light. I could paint something beautiful just out of that. I could react to the beauty of the soft yellow and pale orange. And I could see the composition as being pleasing to the eye. But WHY? Why record that? I want to record the full sum of what I see. I want my eyes to be fully open. Along with the visual feast of colors, I also see neglect. decades of peeling layers of paint. I see the magnificance of it. The influences of Greek, and Venecian architecture. This building was somebody's dream. I see the compromises too, at work 125 years after. How the facad is peeling away from the brickwork. I see movement and growth of a culture of people in the black soot that colors the windows and walls and roof. I see the workers trying in vain to roof the building bathed in soft light for the last 14 months. There is much to see. So much to record of the world. So much to appreciate and understand. The artist has a unique place in the world today, not unlike times past. There is so much information avilable to us. yet the artist distills the flow of thoughts snd communicates on a viscereal level. The artist provides the true glimpse into the heart of our society.

ARTIST STATEMENT