| PETER RIPPON - FINE ART | ||
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ARTIST BIO I am an artist living in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. I have a Master’s Degree in Fine Art from the Durban University of Technology. I give private painting classes and have been lecturing at tertiary level for several years. My primary area of expertise is oil painting. You can read my general artist statement below, and some of the works displayed on this site have accompanying artist statements.
ARTIST STATEMENT I focus mostly on still life in my work, exploring ideas of collection, observation, and preservation. Although still life is primarily the study of inanimate objects, ultimately it is also a study of humanity. It deals with the traces we leave behind, capturing the silence and stillness that remain after we are gone. My still life works can be seen as an attempt to understand the world by exploring and examining its physical elements. However, I don't assemble the objects according to conventional ideas of how the world should be arranged. The results are strange and sometimes incongruous combinations of subject matter. The subtle discord created by my choice of subject matter is enhanced by the compositional use of recessed spaces. This creates the illusion that the pictorial space is situated directly in front of the viewer, as opposed to being a representation of a scene that exists at some other time and place. This heightens the immediacy and intimacy of the painting, stripping away the safety barrier between the viewer and the subject matter. The surface of the painting becomes a thin boundary that separates the space of our world from the space of the painted world. My technical approach to painting is also an important consideration. My painting style is time and labour intensive, and I combine sound traditional techniques with up-to-date research on materials. This approach to craftsmanship is intrinsic to the process of examination and preservation that I am engaged in with my subject matter.
EXHIBITIONS Solo Exhibitions:
Selected Group Exhibitions:
Awards: Merit Award (one of four) in the 1998 Volkskas Bank Atelier Competition
All material copyright © Peter Rippon - All Rights Reserved
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