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