Richard Amos – Painter. Magically realistic and hauntingly just out of reach, the work of Richard Amos reflects his journey of over 13 years of artistic productions, and the exploration and acceptance of African American/African spirits which imbue his art with multiple layers of perceptions, understanding and sight. Utilizing the mask theme, Amos chooses colors which themselves inspire spirituality. At the same time, he adopts a rather unusual technique of blue jean material gessoed onto the surface of the canvas, making the painting simultaneously flat and 3-dimensional. At turns bright and unapproachable, at others darker and more primordial, these African American/African Hip Hop-flavored works stop the viewer and ask him or to read.
Artist Statement
“My artistic journey has taken me to new heights as far as my growth with the ability to critique my art. In addition, I adjust my art to reflect my vision in the placement of light, shadows themes and colors. By applying this concept I am able to create an illusion for viewers to create their themes, and colors to envision the images/masks as their own. The colors I choose, and masks themes I use are many times mood/spirit inspired. I use acrylics and blue jeans gessoed to canvas, which create an optical illusion of a one-dimensional surface. But once the viewer is close enough to see the actual art work, the viewer will notice the 3-dimensional salient blue jean materials protruding from the canvas. Symbolically, this is art-reflecting life.
Therefore, nothing is truly as we perceive it to be. It all depends on many levels of perceptions, understanding and sight. Far away the canvas appears flat (one-dimensional), and does not represent what’s behind each mask, but once the viewer is close enough to experience or touch the salient (3-dimensional) mask of my art, their misconception disappears.
Over time my artistic designs have grown to reflect the 13 years I have spent doing art and the African American/African spirits that journey through me onto my canvasses to document my artistic talents. The ancestral voices haunt my spirit to remember the artistic primordial rituals of (Masks) instead of modern rituals that leave us separate, but equal, wanting, and uneasy. The journey I have made without internalizing spiritual hate of why for long. As a result I lose track of time/space as I do art. I feel like a man frozen in a time zone where I feel knowledge, art and spirit coming together to produce my African/American/African Hip Hop flavored creations.
