Skip to main content

Website Changes & New Focus Part 1


Bahamian Twilight




This is the first part of a short 2 part post. I thought I should explain a few things about my recent websites updates. My Website ( www.EdwardMcCarthy.com ) has taken on a new look and focus as an artist. The direction I'm focusing on as an artist is all about my Romantic Realism work.



This is not something I just happened to come up with. It's actually something I been struggling with for a long time. I've been painting in the pointillist style since before 1980 (over 35 years). I've been painting using the romantic style since 1997 (nearly 20 years). The problem is that painting in two distinct styles is actually difficult and confusing, for my self, for galleries and for collectors. I felt that with the recent move and other changes, this was an appropriate time to make a break and focus on just one style. If you're an artist reading this, and you're working in 2 or more styles, my suggestion is to focus on one. You'll will simplify your life greatly. Just go with the one that reflects your life philosophy the best.

As noted in the subtitle under my name above, I refer to myself as a Romantic Realist meaning my painting style is Romantic Realism. Philosophically, there's a real distinctions between this approach and my Pointillist art.

Someone once asked me what Romantic Realism was and I quickly responded, the Romantic part meant, how I wished things could be, and realism portion was how I depicted them! Actually, I think this is still a pretty good description.



Writer and philosopher, Ayn Rand, once wrote of Romantic Realism, “The method of romantic realism is to make life more beautiful and interesting than it actually is, yet give it all the reality, and even more convincing reality than our everyday existence.” While I'm not a big fan of Ayn Rand, I do think she nailed it when describing Romantic Realism.



With the Romantic Realist, the subject matter matters deeply. With my paintings I always tried to emphasize the dramatic and emotional qualities, usually within a natural setting (and occasionally, I add a human element of some form or another to the painting, that end's up being a bit surrealistic). With Romanticism, there is a strong focus on elevating the positive qualities of emotion, of the individual, and on nature. With Realism, the desire is to present the subject in a believable fashion, to make it “real.”

For myself, my primary goal when I paint is to focus on beauty, form, and redemption. Bring beauty into the world; create so that others can relate and understand what they are looking at; and leave people with a sense of hope, of lifting the human spirit. Everyday matters; every life matters; and hope and joy are still with us! For myself, this is what Romantic Realism is about.


Eddie Mac

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Website Changes & New Focus Part 2

Beach Romance, 16x20 Pointillist Painting This is the second part of a short 2 part post. As noted in my last post, I explained what Romantic Realism was and why I was moving forward as a Romantic Realist painter. I thought I should also explain why I no longer planned on painting as a Pointillist painter. As a result, my Pointillist art will no longer be a focus on my website at, https://edmccarthyart.com.   For many years, prior to painting as a Romantic Realist, I painted using a post-impressionist style called, Pointillism. I still have many Pointillist works available, and so I felt readers would appreciate a short brief concerning this style I worked with for so long. Pointillism, was the first style to come about after Impressionist. It is a technique whereby paint is applied closely together using tiny dots, daubs and/or dashes. Mixing dots of specific colors can create a new color. These new colors are not produced physically on th
Post a Comment
Read more

What's In A Name?

Paradise Near Purgatoire, 12x16, Acrylic on Canvas   Didn't have a whole lot of time to work up a real in depth post this week, but did want to share a recently completed painting and some insights that went into painting it. This painting is entitled, Paradise Near Purgatoire . Pun intended. It's a 12"x16" acrylic painting on a gallery wrapped canvas. Yes, this is a real place. I have the photos to prove it. I came upon this place in the spring of 1999, in southeastern Colorado. It was spring break, and we were not in any financial position to take a no-holds-barred trip to a beach or Mexico, or Florida, so I decided to go on a few day trips. One such place was to a remote place called to Picketwire Canyonlands. The Purgatoire River runs through Picketwire Canyon, which is located in the Comanche National Grasslands. Along the Purgatoire River there are several sets of dinosaur tracks. That was the main attraction.
Post a Comment
Read more

Village On A Dune

Village on a Dune This is my latest painting. It's a fairly large canvas by my standards, measuring 36"x36". Works like this and 30"x40" and the 24"x48" sizes are about as large as I can paint in my studio. I just don't have the time or space to work much larger. And works that sit on my easel for very long periods begin to loose their appeal for me. Anyway, this painting is what I would call a painted parable, a contemporary scene with an inspirational foundation.  This is my ETSY writeup: This painting depicts a small coastal village set on a dune, at night, under a crescent moon. The surf rolls in and out as soft fluffy clouds drift by. Th e inspiration for this painting comes from the Bible, the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 14. The passage is a quote by Jesus that states we are to be light unto the world, just like a city on a hill which can't be hidden, we are to let our light shine. I just extended the analogy all the
Post a Comment
Read more