ARTIST STATEMENT : JB BOYD

I don’t know if you have ever observed this strange thing, the self. Often the more you look the more it doesn’t seem to be like it, and the more you look the more it isn’t it. It’s just like when one is lying on the grass and staring at a cloud- at first it is like a camel, then like a woman, and when you look again it becomes an old man with a long beard, but this doesn’t last because clouds are transforming every instant.

I love that instant. That perfect point where a shadow that has been scratching its way across the ground completes the composition, where the wind drops like a feather to leave the surface of the water perfectly reflective, the moment where the grass is golden, reflecting the glow of the setting sun. Or perhaps it is that brief moment where a cloud stands up to show itself against the fading light of day, right before it will be torn apart by a merciless wind, dying into the cold night.

It is the instants that make the mosaic of life a reality, and it is the gift of the artist to be able to pick that apart, mull it over, slow it down, and refine it into an image that can translate that moment (or any moment) back to the viewer. This is why I take so much time in creating my paintings, even to the point where I spend hours simply staring at what I have or have not accomplished, making sure that it is “right.”

The moment exists, but it is my sincere hope that through no lack of effort, will, and technique I can refine it to the point where it translates into a reality for you, the viewer. And make no mistake, it is truly your reality, your moment, and I hope it is beautiful. Because in the end life is beautiful, and the harder you look the more perfect and complete it may be.