B E H I N D T H E V E I L
My early years were spent in Belgium and Spain until the age of ten when we came back to the UK. I took a Media and Design degree at Portsmouth as a mature student, a PGCE in Art and Design and an MA in Cultural and Critical Theory at Brighton. I enjoy the history of art and architecture and draw inspiration from images, text, nature and the built environment.
My own belief about art is that it is a shared experience and that an artist should be interested in the emotional integrity of his work. Art should awaken the senses and give something to the viewer whether it is aesthetic or experiential. Art, I feel, should have a human face and a warm heart awakening the innate creativity in others.
P H I L O S O P H Y
Nature, Humanity and the Earth
I am interested in nature, from the smallest pebble to the largest mountain, and our interconnectedness with it. Our oldest cultures point to the notion that there is more to our lives than mere appearances, with a deep wellspring of 'oneness, unity, connection and love' that bind us all together, which we have for the most part forgotten.
Early on in my career I worked in advertising, producing graphics and illustration for a number of agencies and companies in London and the South East. My interest in graphics and typography, as artforms, have only increased since encountering sacred geometry, the divine proportion and cymatics, which seem validate the former.
My artistic approach involves a never-ending process of unearthing the "real" and creating a visual language that communicates harmony and spiritual depth. I am interested in producing works of power, that enrich the lives of others through the intense use of colour. My aim is to take the viewer on a multi-spacial journey, revolving around the earth and natural environment, which lie at the heart of my work.
Through my work I wish to give the viewer a sense of peace and joy, countering artists that seek to subvert and shock. This, I feel is a revolutionary ideal, in the face of artifice, commercialization and labelling.
The 'Rock and Ore' works have evolved from my understanding that there is no separation between us, the air we breathe and the ground we walk on. These works are metaphorical excavations into the psyche and through our socially-constructed layers of being. Walking the earth can bring us closer to ourselves and increase our natural wisdom.
Landscapes have always been a natural refuge for me. The acrylic and watercolour landscapes are an attempt to bring the viewer away from the built environment and closer to nature. I have a passion for intense colour and a wish to communicate the sacredness of "mother earth" and "father sky" in my work.
At the subtlest level my work is a progression towards the journeyed aspect of being. Perhaps one day these works will hang in space with nothing left to do, from my side.
Richard K. Potter BA Hons PGCE MA