Don Warner
Artist Statement:
After a hiatus of over 40 years, I started painting again in 2020. I primarily do portraits, and figurative drawings and paintings. My work is not intended to record life like a photograph, but to express a sitter’s thoughts as I see them.
I paint in an expressionistic style, that gives me the freedom to not copy nature, but instead to use it as a starting point to convey my vision, that can sometimes be at odds with natural appearances. My tendency is to work fast that can lead to "mistakes", but also to new discoveries.
The artists that have influenced me the most are Van Gogh for his revolutionary use of color, and ability to reflect mood and emotion; Modigliani for his simplification of shapes, removal of extraneous details, and uneven application of paint; and Schiele for his boldness, and expressive lines and marks.
After a hiatus of over 40 years, I started painting again in 2020. I primarily do portraits, and figurative drawings and paintings. My work is not intended to record life like a photograph, but to express a sitter’s thoughts as I see them.
I paint in an expressionistic style, that gives me the freedom to not copy nature, but instead to use it as a starting point to convey my vision, that can sometimes be at odds with natural appearances. My tendency is to work fast that can lead to "mistakes", but also to new discoveries.
The artists that have influenced me the most are Van Gogh for his revolutionary use of color, and ability to reflect mood and emotion; Modigliani for his simplification of shapes, removal of extraneous details, and uneven application of paint; and Schiele for his boldness, and expressive lines and marks.
