ABOUT IRA KENNEDY
From my earliest years I have always known I was an artist. But, I now know what art looks like for me — through my eyes, my heart, my way of seeing the world. Artists of the past have had sudden shifts in their artistic style. Picasso’s revelation came once he saw African art and Van Gogh’s discovery of Japanese art was equally life-changing. Likewise, my exposure to Australian Aboriginal art, the native arts of Mexico and the ancient rock art of the Southwest Indians came together to evoke an artistic epiphany.
Although I can paint what I see, I have chosen to paint what can’t be seen. I now see my works as being mythological explorations immersed in a primal and eternal visual truth.
The process is to take a painting from a dull state to one of brilliance using dots to create visual shimmer, so the work is to be sensed more than viewed. The paintings are not an object for the eye alone, but an experience for the mind — intimating, not imitating, that which is indescribable.
Since my two solo exhibitions in New York City, to a group show, "The Art of Money", at the Chelsea Gallery which included many internationally known artists, including Andy Warhol, I have had my share of success. My art is held in private collections from Australia to South Korea and New York to Texas.
Visit Vision Quest Studio by appointment only.
