BIO

Richard Brooks was born in Rochester, Michigan in 1956. He received his MFA in painting from Wayne State University in 1986. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts and Wayne State University. Since moving to New York in 1990 Brooks has worked at the Smithsonian Institution, the School of Visual Arts, where he curated many exhibitions, and has held senior positions in several New York galleries.

Following the birth of his son in 2002 family became his priority and Brooks put his painting on hold until his son went to college. During this period his artwork focused solely on photography. His work is in multiple private collections. He lives and works in Nyack, New York.

STATEMENT

My painting is intuitive and derives from actual painting and the infinite opportunities it offers. When I begin, I don’t know what the result will be, one action leads to another and another; there is no plan or preconception, rather an ongoing exploration of possibilities. At some point a visual idea reveals itself and the process becomes more focused on specific elements . At the same time I remain open to fortuitous results that may occur. Ultimately, I strive for harmonious balance of all pictorial elements that encourages contemplation and rewards open-minded viewing.

A foundational idea for me is the fact that the two-dimensional picture plane is the only artform that presents the entire visual experience in a moment. My painting explores this potential. As far as I know, every other art medium requires time to experience the whole artwork. While there is no substitute for the rewards of prolonged viewing, the idea of perceiving the whole in a moment is a thrilling arena to investigate.

Initially inspired by post WWII American abstraction, I currently draw on many sources spanning all historical periods. These include ancient Daoist thought, Emily Dickinson, theoretical physics, Sufism, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Zen Buddhism, Agnes Martin, Robert Ryman, Ad Reinhart and many more. All these sources have marvelous ideas, yet none fulfill my visual quest. If they did, I wouldn’t need to do what I do.

I paint to make things I want to see, that in some mysterious manner reflect my experience of being alive. While no painter can control what viewers perceive, my paintings offer a luxurious opportunity for reflection and joy.