Rod Whyte – Glowing Sun At Union Station

Description

I am an artist who paints, just not in the usual way. I paint using an iPad. This began after I experimented with and taught how to use the iPad to create art with my 5th grade Art Club at Fairview Elementary School in North Carolina. I start with either a picture or a sketch. I then use paint tools, such as brushes or pencils to draw, create texture, patterns, lines, and color. I usually begin by simplifying shapes, drawing lines of direction, and areas of focus much as a painter would. Then the next step is to use my brush or pencil tools to fill in areas – this can be with large strokes, lines of movement and areas of color. I continue this process, sometimes for many hours, days and even weeks, until the artwork feels completed. I love color and the expression of light, how color catches the eye, invokes excitement and feelings. Painting is for me a connection with my soul and the forces of nature all around me. It is the closest I come to my spirituality. I am inspired by what I see. This could be the glow of a cloud, the vibrant movements of a flower, the play of shadows in the forest. The look of a wild animal as it is passing by. The expression of a face enjoying the sun. The interplay and constant vibrations of nature around me. This feeling of awe I get just by going on a walk can spark an interest or image in my mind, which then becomes a visual idea of something I must create. I am obsessed with color, and the infinite ways in which I can depict my world. Every piece of artwork I do, becomes a new challenge, using my intuition towards completing an artwork that becomes a harmonious whole. Once my mind tells me that the painting is finished, I then move on.