The American sculptor, Richard Lippold, once said that the Three Ps of art were patience, persistence and play. I’ve never had a problem with patience and persistence, but sometimes I must remind myself to play – to work, in Robert Henri’s words, “like a man walking over a hill whistling.” It is easier for me to “play” in media other than oil paint; i.e., to be out of the shadow of Rembrandt or Poussin. I’m of a less goal oriented mind with a pair of scissors, some sheets of museum board, and a wide assortment of water soluble paint. All the works in Flip Side were done earlier in this century while in such a mood. I could put together an exhibition of works I’ve done back to student days in the 1950’s that show a similar distrust of “all work and no play.” While the works in this exhibition retain a formal sense gained from many decades of painting as well as studying the art of others, I always return to the challenges and complexities of Side A.

Roger Winter January, 2017