I believe to appreciate art one must appreciate the vision and will to create something beautiful from an innate spirit to inspire all who encounter it. Not only do I hope the viewer acknowledges the form and action of the painting, I want them to focus on their own reaction – my hope is that they will experience the overwhelming sense of being consumed by what they are viewing.
Using scrapers and putty knives as well as a brush, I aim to make connections with virtual strangers by transforming the emotional documentary of life into candid events on canvas. Using scale, texture, color and expressive compositions made with unconventional tools, my goal is to connect with the viewer emotionally. If they are moved, they have felt what I have felt during the painting’s creation.
Born in 1981 in La Mirada, California, Kevin Smola is an abstract artist that views painting as a way of connecting with the viewer. He was awarded the Stutz Artists Association’s Artist in Residence Grant in 2005 and since then his work has gone into numerous corporate and private collections. In addition to showing work locally, Kevin has been represented by Agora Gallery in New York and exhibited abroad in Paris as well as Bologna. Agora Gallery had this to say of Smola’s work:
“…Smola creates amorphous shapes of unfathomable depth and feathery softness that recall the brushwork of late Monet. The colors define undulating patterns, which come together in what the artist calls ‘expressive compositions.’” -Agora Gallery, NYC