Love Is Active, by Nik Ridley, Phoenix

Text: Statement:

I have been practicing art for 20 years. Poetry, theater, spoken-word, and even had music placed in a feature film. But nothing compares to the feeling and love I have for fine art. There is something so primally beautiful about it – so tactile and real. It is also so profoundly personal, yet relational, and allows the viewer(s) to experience it as they see fit. It offers choice. Reflection. Catharsis.

My approach to creating is to allow my subconscious to come to the fore – to “not think” and allow the creative process to appear. I don’t have an agenda when I paint – the agenda is bigger than me. It is already in motion. I’m merely archiving the flux, the energy, the flow. I’m plugging in. Life is a mystery and I believe it to be limiting to try to place it in a certain context or theme. Life will unfold itself.

Picture: “VERTICAL”

This piece was literally inspired by the energy and flow of people walking by as I was painting it live (in Scottsdale Fashion District). This was also the first time that I allowed a wood medium to be a part of the process. I was thinking about Clyfford Still and his approach to painting and the faces just…appeared. I tend to allow the different color swatches and strokes to dictate what the picture will be, so to speak, and to let the art create itself.