Lines in Motion
Through January 3, 2020
paintings by Rick Mittelstadt
Artist Statement
Having taught high school art with a Masters degree, I have a diverse background in art materials and processes. As I worked on my college degrees in art education and studio art, I focused on drawing, printmaking and jewelry making. While teaching high school art, I concentrated on landscape watercolor painting. After retiring, I turned my attention to photography and acrylic painting.
I enjoy acrylic painting. The easy of painting with large brushes is offset by the challenge of its rapid drying time. I am a fan of instant gratification and thus I avoid using a paint retarder in the paint. To keep the paint from drying out, I spray it with water. To speed up the drying process, I use a hair dryer.
My ambition has always been to abstract my painting subjects. However, as an observational and mechanical artist, that has always been a challenge. With acrylic paints, I can enthusiastically play with abstractionism – creating more colorful, expressive, and whimsical forms of landscapes as well as non-objective compositions.
I totally enjoy the magic that takes place during the painting process. As I immerse myself into each creative adventure, I often times find myself feeling transported into another dimension as if time no longer exists and my imagination and hands work to materialize a new image with color, line, texture, a sense of movement, balance, expression, and mood.
Having painted with acrylic paints for the past seven years, I am content with most of my final results. Every painting goes through a probation period during which I react to its visual impact. If the painting passes the visual test and achieved my personal goal, I sign it, seal it, and prepare it for public display. I think of my artwork as a theatrical production in which the viewer is allowed to temporarily suspend disbelief. For the viewer, my artwork becomes a momentary distraction – a gift of enchantment, amusement and emotional connection.
Besides earning several awards for my intaglio prints, drawings, and watercolor paintings over the past several decades, in the past several years I have been honored with several one-person exhibitions in galleries and public and private venues as well as numerous awards in juried exhibitions for my acrylic paintings. In 2016 two of my acrylic paintings were awarded Honorable Mention and Best of Show in the Robbin Gallery Exhibition, ‘March Madness.’ In addition, two paintings were juried into the 2016 Juried Art Competition & Show with one painting taking an Honorable Mention and the other a Second Place in two different theme categories. Two of my paintings were in both the February 2017 and 2018 International Art Juried Competition and Show, ‘Arts in Harmony.’ The 2016 painting received a Robbin Gallery award. In March 2017 an acrylic painting received an Award of Merit in the Juried Robbin Gallery Membership Exhibition. In October 2017 an acrylic painting received 2nd Place in the St. Cloud State University Juried Alumni Art Exhibition and during that same month the same painting took 2nd Place in Show Case Artists, Heaven Art Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona in their electronic showcase, ‘Places.’ In April 2018, two of my acrylic paintings received Award of Excellence in the MN Artists Assoc. Spring Juried Exhibition and the juried Plymouth, MN 22nd Annual Primavera Show. Also in April another acrylic painting was accepted into the Lincoln Gallery 2018 National Fine Art Show in Loveland, CO.
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To see more of Rick Mittelstadt’s work, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/mittelstadtartworks/
Address 6500 Casey Pkwy, Prior Lake, MN 55372 Phone (952) 440-5167
Tandem | 317 Division Street S. | Northfield, MN 55057
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