Artist’s Statement Ted F. Remington

While I have always been inspired by the formations, colors, and haunting formations of the Southwest, I have also been motivated to paint what I have envisioned from within silent but moving spaces emanating from meditation; each place and space is, for me, an honored place, having almost a ceremonial presence. My style is best described as a distilled Realism, at times moderately abstract. Interpretively, my purpose is to evoke a sense of wonder and to heighten awareness. I'm always seeking more to express than to detail. Sometimes I experience a shift from painting what I see to seeing what I've painted. That's always a moment of transcendence. For me, remembrances and visualizations are natural from having played and crawled over and between an ocean of crevices, mesas and mounts throughout the Colorado Plateau. It has been a labyrinth journey through earth and Consciousness; and while technique is imperative, more importantly yet is that an artist must have something to say — and with conviction. My primary medium is soft pastel, with fewer works of art with oil on canvas. For pastels, I have cultivated a technique utilizing a black paper surface, where I press a flat pastel surface across the paper or textured illustration board to achieve a more textured, more three-dimensional effect. This process allows me to build up textures, hues and vibrancy similar to oil paints. I view pastel art as a true "painting" experience as opposed to simply drawing or stroking delicately like some artists who utilize pastels. With oils, I enjoy working with the Palette knife for a sense of "sculpting" on canvas.