REACH BEYOND, my logo and general theme and goal, usually is the first painting on the left of the top row, or near there. Go ahead and click on it now to open it up for a much better look. And if you're interested, then just go on to more of the paintings. You can always come back and read what I wrote about me. But I seriously hope that these paintings present various facets of my perceptions of our world -- or wishes FOR it -- more vividly -- or at least differently -- than writing can. They mutely show what objects and situations I think merit attention and from what points of view I choose to present them and in what medium and style. I hope that perhaps some, or even a part of one, will touch and vibrate with some part of you, too.
I am a retired English Professor who began painting about 10 years ago. I'd like to moan that I started so late in life because when I was very young a teacher told me sternly that with my 'scribblings' it would be a favour to the world if I never so much as picked up a crayon again. I took that to heart for over 50 years, and only dared reading about art and going to all the museums and shows I could. Finally, after lots of persuasion I gathered all my courage to try -- with great trepidation -- some lessons. The first few times were dreadfully painful. Then suddenly I became so involved that I could hardly stop!
I worked at representational drawing and painting from about 1998 till shortly after 9/11. Suddenly I became obsessed with images of destruction, even in my dreams. Violent dreams such as I don't remember ever experiencing before. Then one night I just got up and painted a 20 X 28 inch canvas of one of those images. Just like that, it was all there, except for morning touch-ups. During 7 nights of the next 10 or so I painted 6 more that became the series of my 9/11 paintings. And so my paintings and much of their creation has moved continually further into 'abstrative' ever since: I think about painting, and what I see, and what I hear, and feel, most all the time, as well as dream; and then something feels ready and I just paint it.
I hope you enjoy the paintings or at least find something interesting. Please feel welcome to comment or ask questions in the spaces provided down at the bottom of a page, or email me at: bcombs@ecologyfund.net
Thank you, Peace, etc.,
Bruce Combs
Bruce Combs - REACH BEYOND joined Pixels.com Licensing on April 3rd, 2008.
