Featured Artist Richie Kessler

Artist Richie Kessler shares a bold and contemporary collection of art that is a vibrant testimony to Pop Art influences. See more of his portfolio on his website.

 

 

I’ve always been an artist… just not always so within the visual arts.

 

 

Born in New York City in the last century, I initially pursued careers in music. First as a trumpet player, then as an owner-operator of a recording studio, as well as being a record producer and more. It was a great ride, but I felt that it was time to move on. I sold my studio in 2000 to pursue a life of creative drift. Along the way, I created a new modern philosophy called 1-Oneness, and a self-transform8tion manual entitled transform8tion.

 

 

I became an artist when a local gallery owner asked if I had colored versions of the illustrations in transform8tion. He liked what he saw and gave me a show. Things went well. It felt good… it felt right. So I’ve continued onward with art. Being an artist allows you to drift between many ideas. Most of my creative drifting in art has led me to create HeartSuns, StarBeings, StarDogs, HandHearts and other Icons.

 

 

As an artist, one could say that Superflat Icons are my thing. Chief among my Icons is HeartSun, which I created to represent the ‘1Love-Energy’ (Heart=Love, Sun=Energy) that I believe is all that truly is. All the rest… the hate, evil, misery and mess that so dominates our world is all that falsely is. And unfortunately, we co-create it. But we can choose. And if enough humanity decides to be the better way, we will undo the mess and the ‘1Love-Energy’ fundamental will shine through.

 

 

I’m a big fan of Keith Haring and Takashi Murakami’s Superflat style. As such, so much of my art is Superflat (ie: more two-dimensional than three-dimensional). I’ve chosen aluminum panels as my substrate. My art is expressed as inkjet aluminum panels. Kind of different, but like Superflat; it’s cool.

 

 

My works feature a number of recurring motifs, such as StarBeings, HeartSuns, HandHearts, and StarDogs. I maintain a digital archive of these images to enable quick access to them for use in future artworks. In a way, I’m able to make new art using elements of my own digital clip art.

 

 

Just as many artists of the Pop Art movement recycled motifs from commercial art, comic books and other mass-produced imagery, I sometimes use commercial digital clip art images that I license and manipulate as well.

 

 

I live on a semi-remote tropical Island. Some of my art references the beautiful landscapes, landscapes from parallel universes and the free roaming horses here. I exhibit in two galleries here on the island. I endeavor to create art that brings a positive-energy-radiance -resonance to wherever it may hang. Peace-Love-Art…

 

 

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