couple of times until it is ready . The coating of clear medium adds depth , and sometimes I even draw upon this . This process is stabilized , so I can concentrate on the subject matter I ’ m working on for now .
What kind of subject matter are you working on now ? ( Back downstairs , in a spare bedroom , are stacks of drawings , each at least a foot high . You can ’ t even step around the room .) My brother asked for a single landscape [ gestures , somewhat helplessly , to the stacks of drawings ]. It was to be a tribute to his son , my nephew , a soldier lost in Afghanistan in 2010 . I ’ ve entitled this series The Promised Land . I explored the archetype of the young soldier . Into this fi gure I ’ ve created the essence of him — here are the boots as a reference to the soldier ’ s profession . Poppy fi elds , or the chaos of war-
Laughing Woman , ceramic
fare , surround him . When snakes — or in this one , a shark — appear , they are counterpoints to the lone fi gure . These compositions explore my feelings around my nephew ’ s service , and the meaning of his sacrifi ce .
What would you say to a student , or a reader , about art ? Well ! No matter what you think you are doing , keep your process fresh . Don ’ t get bogged down . If nothing has pulled the rug out from under you in a while , pull the rug out from under yourself ! In the print studio , I call it the “ print gods ”— they introduce surprises into the work that you cannot control . It ’ s OK , but your work must have enough strength to integrate the accident and get better because of it . Don ’ t let your skill level inhibit your creativity . We ’ re working here in Central Florida without a lot of eyes upon us , so that is your freedom ! Nothing is holding you back from diving deeply ; you must satisfy yourself fi rst . As a teacher , I have to make that as diffi cult as possible — there are no easy roads for an artist .
The Promised Land - Your Arms Full , mixed media on paper
Later , during dinner on a lovely , warm evening at the Enzian , Rivers and his beautiful , elegant wife sat with his colleagues . We talked about horses and art . The question was posed to the table : Who is more important , the artist or the teacher ? Teachers , students , and artists at the table all started talking at once . Since everyone at the table both taught and made art , disagreements ran strongly . Answers were decisive : the artist creates the work . But the teacher creates the artist ; every artist owes something to a teacher . But everyone ultimately must stand on his own .
Rivers offered his thoughts , “ I give my students the classical foundation and training that is needed , so when they go forth in creating in their own chosen medium , their process is informed by the history of that medium . But ultimately , one must act without premeditation .”
Characteristically , perhaps , Rivers avoided choosing one over the other . Like many of his drawings and paintings , the classical fi gure dominates the fi eld , but a hairy little soul — that unpremeditated act — lurks in the corner with a ferocity that complements the static main fi gure . Which one is the teacher and which is the artist ? The enigma was not answered by Rivers that night , and may be the research of future historians who contemplate his quest to defi ne the identity of man and nature .
Pride Joy , ceramic
You can see more at : RobertRivers . com
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