We talk to artist Ric Conn from Stevensville, MD
Please describe your artwork style
My work is Expressionism
What’s your background?
I studied at the Corcoran College of Art, Georgetown, Washington D.C.; and the Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, Maryland, USA
How long have you been an artist?
I started freehand drawing and using light and shadow when I was 5 years old and it has been a steady progression ever since.
Who or what are your biggest influences?
Picasso, Matisse, Emil Nolde, Edvard Munch, Ernst Kirchner, Otto Dix
How have you developed your career?
The unrelenting knowledge that I was born an artist and will die an artist has enabled me to persevere and to understand myself, to create my own way.
Which current art world trends are you following?
None
Where do you create your work?
My Studio, which I had built behind my house.
What techniques / mediums do you use?
Oil on Canvas; Ink, charcoal, Gouache on paper
Which is more important to you, the subject of your painting, or the way it is executed?
The way it is executed, my paintings are part of me, my creations, my way.
How do you feel when you are letting your emotions loose on the canvas?
Happy, content, part of the painting, solace
What project are you working on now?
I am working on a series of nudes
Any current or up-coming exhibitions?
May 2019 exhibition at the Amsterdam Whitney gallery in New York;
Top 60 Masters for 2020 in Florence Italy
Where do you find your ideas for your work?
Mostly in my mind – from memories, observed behaviour, my emotions
Is there an artwork you are most proud of??
Stigmata
How do you know when a work is finished?
When it says what I want it to say and the way I want it to say it.
What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?
models
Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most? Why?
The models
I only paint figure paintings because that is what I enjoy doing the most. The models are an essential part of the process. They bring life and energy into the painting that could not exist by using photographs.
See more of Ric's work at: https://ricconn.com/
