Randy McDermit
I am a local Columbia artist who has spent the majority of my life in or around Columbia. Most of my work has been with acrylic paint; however, I’ve also worked with charcoal, pastel, and pen and ink. I began college as an art major at Columbia College, but after two years I changed my major to psychology and transferred to MIZZOU. I didn’t pick it up again until after I graduated, moved to St. Louis, and started working for the state of Missouri. In St. Louis I moved into a studio apartment and started doing charcoal drawings, posting them all over my walls. At that time I wasn’t concerned with a finished product. I just attacked the paper with aggression and vigor and then set it aside to start another one. I didn’t show them to anyone for months, but steadily I felt I was making progress. Eventually I started working in bits of color using pastels until I developed a love of color.
My early work was almost exclusively charcoal and pastel and greatly shaped the development of my style. I always enjoyed the feel and expressiveness of charcoal and pastel. My application was loose, physical and cathartic. Whether it was the medium that drew me to my subject matter or the other way around, I found satisfaction in depicting simple, dramatic gestures, figures and faces. It was more about capturing the intensity of a single moment rather than complex narratives or concepts. When I made the gradual transition from pastel to acrylic, I brought with me the same approach. The translation has produced some interesting results, and those early days continue to influence my direction. When I get off track, I always go back and do a few charcoals to reconnect.
I have always found the task in every artwork is to bridge the elements of connection and conflict. I feel like if I am authentically connected and present everything else will fall into place. The older I get, the more I trust my intuition. I trust that if I am fully engaged in the process of self expression, a truth will reveal itself. Not every truth, but a truth nevertheless.
contact:
W:artaccidental.blogspot.com
Tel: 573-424-0216
