Barb RydzRoss – Circle Foundation for the Arts

What themes does your work involve?

Abstract shapes and colors, interconnecting to create balance and order in a chaotic world

Describe your creative process.

I start by researching for ideas...I am usually inspired by artists from Abstract Expressionism. I then select a challenge: either color combination, size or pattern idea. My first step is to paint loosely and freely, Then I play.... with shapes, color, texture and allow the painting to evolve. ...allowing my unconscious to create. This then becomes a very ugly stage until I pull it together by eliminating things and simplifying the overall design. I check for contrast: lights against darks, soft against hard edges, large shapes and small shapes, etc. until I feel that the painting is successful...it needs to be as interesting from a distance as it is from close up. If I paint large scale it will be a single painting, if I paint smaller I will paint a series.

What influences your work? What inspires you? Why do you make art?

I am inspired by visiting museums, seeing other artists' work, I make art because I have to. It is an adrenaline rush for me and it is what gives my life purpose. It was a gift bestowed upon me that I feel cannot be wasted or abused and needs to be nourished.

What are your goals and plans as an artist in 2023?

I would like to have more gallery representation and ultimately have my work shown in a museum.

How do recent advancements in technology affect your art practice? How may recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (image generator software) affect the definition of fine art?

Yes, digital art affects the art world. and changes how we view art. At one time, photography changed the art world too. We adapt to new technology, incorporate it in our practice...consciously or unconsciously and right now, it is just a different form of art. I think it changes the pricing in art because of the ability to mass-produce but I am "wowed" by some of the art I see that has been generated by computers. I am only talking about the uniqueness of digital art not the reproduction of what artists have already created.

What is the role of the artist today?

An artist today has something to say and feel and expresses it in a unique way. It is individual yet it relates to others in very personal ways. I did not choose art,..it chose me and I am very fortunate to have this passion. Art is just another form of expression...it is a visual way to speak to people.

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

If i look at a work of art and have "wonder" about the process then it is good art. If a painting has great skill...in representational art, then it is good art. If there is a message, humor, vulnerability or emotion, then it is good art. If I am amazed by it it is good art.