Richard Kattman

Richard Kattman is an award-winning artist, landscape architect, and photographer. You can see more of his work at crichardkattman.com

You can browse and purchase art from Richard on his Saatchi Art Storefront: https://www.saatchiart.com/kattman

“Notes on Painting and Drawing.”

Painting and drawing are my passion. Landscape architecture is my profession. I paint large abstract canvases in the open air by the ocean and in the studio.

My paintings and drawings are about nature, man’s relationship to nature, and the nature of painting and drawing. Through color, line, and the creation of form, I search for beauty and meaning in the universe. Drawing allows me to discipline my creative instincts.

Some of my works are inspired by natural elements – sea, wind, sand, sky, flower gardens, fields, woods, and night stars. Some canvases are my views of the Earth as it appears from space. Some are drawn from infinite places located within my subconscious. Others are explorations I take at the speed of light to places I imagine in deep outer space. These artworks portray the fragility of life and the known universe.

My abstract canvases contain movement, energy, slash, spatter, thrust, space, marks from figure drawing, explosive primary colors, handprints as signature and proof of existence, memories, hopes, ocean currents, the Milky Way, thoughts about life, churning expression, serenity, angst, the liquid coolness of water, maps, storms, moons, and geometry.

My works are about capturing the landscape, the workings of my conscious and subconscious mind and my physical body on canvas with paint. The palette determines color, gesture determines line and form, reflections on nature determine order and chaos. Creating something from nothing, with color and verve, wit and force, gravity and willpower helps me make a place in the world. Working in abstract opens the door to a rewarding journey to the unknown, and reflects investigations into the higher powers of spirit and art. These paintings are the various recordings of adventures into the realm of the abstract, where few have dared to go

My portfolio is diverse, yet certain patterns or series emerge upon reflection. The methods and materials employed are limited and similar from work to work. I draw with compressed charcoal or pastels. I paint oil or acrylic abstracts directly on primed canvas with large brushes.

My drawings and paintings are as solid as concrete. My colors are dense and impenetrable, rich, modeled and thick with texture. I draw with big sweeping lines and tones to initially define a general composition, then progress to specific definition of the subject. My thoughts and reactions are expressed with controlled and spontaneous marks. Through drawing, meditation, and comprehensive, I begin to see clearly.

I am obsessed with the works of Matisse, Picasso, and DaVinci. They help me gain an understanding of artists’ minds and artworks. The artists I study, the authors I read and the musicians I listen to influence my work. I read Tolstoy, Jane Austen, and John Updike. I listen to Beethoven, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones.