Arts & Culture Magazine - March/April 2008 - (Page 62) Jef f rey Schwartz Paintings and Drawings Sizzling with Sensual Notes Jeffrey Schwartz writes on his MySpace page, “Will work for good food and wine.” When asked about that, this accomplished artist and Ringling College of Art and Design professor says, “I love to eat and I love wine, and it’s sort of a metaphor for my life. And in terms of the difficulty of selling artwork, I would definitely trade. I frequently go to the Wine Warehouse, down behind Philippi Mansion, and if he [the owner] ever offered to trade wine for paintings of mine I would take it in a heartbeat.” This Sarasota resident’s love of food shows in his paintings, and not just because many of them feature fresh fruits or vegetables. Whatever its subject matter, his art has a sensual quality that makes experiencing it the visual equivalent of eating delicious food. In fact, he was surprised that someone called a painting he did of two tomatoes, “sensually violent.” “To me,” Schwartz says, “the urgency of the painting, the boldness of the colors and brushwork are similar to eating a good meal.” His search for transcendence in time is what drives his desire to make art, an art in which each piece of paint or drawing gesture tells of a past moment, a specific point in time. He works to create art that moves beyond representation by using light and space and other elements to invent a dramatic point of view that springboards the viewer to a new place. While he is comfortable explaining the philosophy behind his work, Schwartz also notes that his audience has no need to be informed in order to experience it. He stresses how important it is for people to support the arts by buying the work that they love. His luscious work ranges from $450 for small paintings (8 by 10 inches) to $3,000 for large drawings from his last show (38 by 50 inches). www.jeffreyhschwartz.com 62 : : arts and culture magazine www.artsandculturemag.com http://www.jeffreyhschwartz.com http://www.artsandculturemag.com
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