Robert Urban

Artist’s Statement

I am a painter of landscapes, but not in a traditional sense.  My art primarily reflects the ongoing struggle to coexist between nature and humankind.  This is achieved through the development of my own personal symbology, representing this ongoing saga and my perception of it.  This is my effort to create a sense of meaning from the world: order from chaos and chaos from order.  This is revealed through numerous layers that build up over time, much like the layers that create our lives.  These layers are added and then removed through various methods.  Thus, my theme of opposition is represented in the artistic process itself- creation and destruction. 

A landscape setting I have visited will usually be the initial inspiration for an artwork, or possibly a whole series of pieces.  Personal interactions within the environment- a bike ride, hike, trail run, park visit, or some other outing in nature- often serve as my muse.  The layering process I use when I paint is evolutionary; I never quite know exactly where it will take me visually or conceptually.  The idea and the artwork grow, sometimes over several weeks depending on the size I’m working on, as I create the image.  As I paint, more details emerge regarding the artwork’s meaning, thus finding me, so to speak.  This way of working creates an element of surprise, which I find exciting.   

Depicting the beauty of nature, even in a non-traditional way, reflects an obvious appreciation for what the natural world offers to us.  Environmental concerns for Earth affected by human interaction, remain just below the surface of each artwork I create.