about the artist

Home About the Artist Gallery Critters  Banana People Angels Shows Contact		RESUME: PRIZES/AWARDS Fellowship, NY State Council on the Arts Purchase Award, SUNY Potsdam Purchase Award, North Carolina Museum of Art (Print and Drawing Society) Stern du Woche” awarded by writers and critics of der Abenzeitung, Munich REVIEWS AND COMMENTARY “Spotlight” Gallery Guide Sept. 1999 Art in America The New York Times The Village Voice The Soho Weekly News Arts Magazine The New Yorker EDUCATION School of Art, East Carolina University MA,BA Art Students League of NY Pratt Graphic Art Center, NY Mercy College	STATEMENT: "There is a particular aspect of drawing that I find especially gratifying – it’s the capacity to produce an image that seems to be spontaneously executed . While a painting is a summing up, an accumulation of many small steps resulting in a conclusion, a drawing gives the impression of the artist’s thoughts, manifesting themselves moment by moment. Thus the drawing becomes a kind of intimate conversation between two "friends" (the artist and the viewer), while painting achieves the status of a formal address. In creating my art, I have always been drawn to the form known as "narrative art. While this seems to run counter to contemporary trends, which seems to favor shock subject matter and novelty of technique, it has been for me, a deeply satisfying direction. Also, contrary to the popular slick finish offered by digital media, I prefer simple drawing tools, which result in a hand-made look that for me conveys a sense of life. My subject matter comes from my experience of the world around me. To express my feelings, I employ stand-ins for humans. In one series of pieces for example, bananas represent people in "human" settings. Another series employs "mischievous" angels. My current work involves using "critters" in everyday situations, inspired by my observation of small creatures struggling to survive in an increasingly urbanized environment." - Larry Blizard