John Rizzotto, Your Happiness Lies Before You, Not Behind You, 2018, Oil on Canvas
John Rizzotto
Good Fortune
June 9 - July 7, 2019
Artist Statement
As has happened on more than one occasion, the idea for the first painting started at my friend Patricia's house, vortex of imagination that it is. "May I borrow these as still life props?" I asked. In this case it was a kitsch plaster lamp of a Japanese woman and some chalkware figurines. That became Your Happiness Lies Before You, Not Behind You. Then the loan of a Kwan Yin statue followed, which became You Are Compassionate And Sensitive To Others. The theme sorted itself out quickly: Orientalism, miles of drapery, unbridled color, and benedictions in the form of messages from fortune cookies.
About the Artist
John Rizzotto is a contemporary American realist painter working in the still-life tradition. His carefully composed arrangements of natural and everyday objects recall the Spanish and Northern European masters, while keeping a contemporary sensibility.
Always painting from life, Rizzotto's primary concerns are capturing light and form, and exploring the endless possibilities of composition.
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