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Art and Painting
Pete Hackett
Drawing and painting have always been a part of my life,
starting at a young age through my college years at the University
of Wisconsin. After receiving my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree,
my professional career was in visual merchandising and later
in retail store design and illustration. This left me with
very little time for serious painting. After many years of
commercial and corporate work, I have now turned my full attention
to my own art. This seems to be the time in my life for reflection,
particularly on experiences both at home and abroad that have
held special meaning for me.
I have always enjoyed nature
in intimate settings rather than large panoramic vistas. This
goes back to my childhood experiences of growing up in the
country where nature is a part of everyday life. My home was
located in the middle of a forest and as a young boy I spent
many hours playing among the trees. There, I would see constantly
changing images created by the play of sunlight and shadow
on the leaves and branches. At the far side of our property
was a pond surrounded by tall reeds and water plants where
I would sit on the bank, gazing at reflections in the water.
The inspiration for my current series of paintings comes from
the gardens that I have visited in Japan, China and Hawaii.
Although I have been a student of meditation through the practice
of tai chi chuan and yoga for 30 years, nowhere have I experienced
the depth of serenity that I've felt in these settings. They
create an atmosphere that neutralizes the chaotic world that
frequently surrounds us. As subject matter, gardens frequently
display unique juxtapositions of plants and flowers that do
not necessarily grow together in the wild. This provides me
with endless possibilities for the use of color, form and
light to express rhythm and emotion.
My technique is uncomplicated.
I begin with a pencil drawing on paper based on photographs
that I have taken during my travels. Even if I have done a
drawing on site, I will usually alter it when I'm back in
my studio. The drawing is reworked until it has the balance
and harmony that I'm looking for. Switching to charcoal, the
image is transferred to canvas. There, I continue to distill
it down to its most essential components.
With that outline
in place I begin to paint in oils, and on a good day the brush
seems to take on its own rhythm. The stylization that occurs
in my paintings is not planned but just happens spontaneously.
In the same way, my colors are chosen entirely for emotional
effect rather than any naturalistic realism. As the painting
progresses, I remove initial, gestural brushwork that would
interfere with the smoothness of my forms and make the image
feel too agitated. Instead, I try to energize my foliage with
defused or reflected light that may come from different directions
at the same time. I consider my paintings as nature "portraits"
and while they do not always represent specific locations,
they do capture the spirit of my memories. |
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