Continued . . .

Nick is one of the most generous spirits I have ever met. People might assume he has little to offer; with what can he be generous? His very being exudes inspiration. Being in his presence one can't help but feel his other-worldly power. Just the struggle to speak, the concentration, the effort to communicate, the patience he conjures as we struggle to understand, not just the words, but the deep emotional pathos in his voice. Because if we wait and allow him to express himself, in his way, we are always rewarded with a new way of seeing any problem. He speaks from a place of great power and wisdom, a power far greater than any of us normies will ever know. I wanted to depict that power in a form we can understand. This is who Nick is inside. An unstoppable force. He has left his wheelchair, far in the distance, upper right, half submerged underwater. He has taken control of the elements. The darkness runs in fear. Indeed, the force is strong with this one.

The combination of abstract expressionism with narrative elements is at the core of what Nick and I are doing together. The combination is proving to reveal more than the sum of our parts. I am so grateful Nick has come into my life. He is good natured and very patient with me as I strive to listen to and understand his brilliant artistic impulses and ideas. His painting is teaching me, if I listen. I sit with his marks a long time before I begin my part in the process. Sometimes I do very little. I am becoming a much better listener because of Nick. Not just with my ears, but with my eyes. We invite the viewer to listen with your eyes and your hearts. Spend some time exploring Pushing Back; I promise the magic of our collaboration will bring you to a new level of consciousness.

Do you know of an Exhibition Venue that might be interested in our collaboration? We are planning a regional tour of our work together.

What is our process? With only the scantest idea of a plan, a simple sketch, Pushing Back was launched with the initial throwing down of the paint, mostly assisted by Robert, but executed solely by Nick. The goal here is to harness Nick's magnificent gift, which is his freedom and spontaneity. These brilliant sweeps of paint and Nick's expressive mark making is how the painting begins. I always feel a higher power has taken control of the process at this point. It is exhilarating. Nick's ability to get out of his own way is off the charts, partly because he has Cerebral Palsy and can only make spontaneous, impulsive marks; unselfconscious marks most abstract expressionists would die to be able to make. But whether you believe in God or not, something powerful is at work here. The other thing you need to know about Nick is he has an artist's eye and an artist's soul. There is no room for the slightest contrivance or fakery. His job is to strike, then get out of the way. We know all artists are two people: the one who paints and the other to tell him when to stop. Nick is an abstract expressionist, in the purest sense of the word. Robert's role in this stage is to furnish paint and direct the general contours of the map they have in mind, and otherwise to simply allow Nick to do his magic. There is a general consensus between the two as to when enough is enough at this stage.

After this stage they let the thing dry. Even with acrylics, it takes a week or two to fully cure. The surface texture is now very sculptural; it's almost a bas relief. Robert's goal in the next stage is to work around and enhance Nicks initial marks, without altering or negating them in any way. Robert describes it as "putting on a glove, without moving the glove in the process," or like putting together a puzzle. Robert uses Trompe l’œil techniques to enhance the magnificent topography of Nick's marks. Now channeling NETI, Robert sees multitudes of imaginary forms and characters begging to be released from the "stone," now fixed in the initial layer.

If you look closely at Pushing Back, you will see many figures going to battle against this unstoppable force. This is the moment of truth. I invite you to experience the micro and the macro levels in the work, both in the abstract marks and in the narrative, embedded in between and throughout.

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