ALL THE PRETTY COLOURS
ALL THE PRETTY COLOURS - New Oil Paintings by Michael Epp
Show Dates: September 4 - September 23, 2024
Artist pARTy: Saturday, September 7, 6 - 8 pm. Facebook Event
Michael Epp Instagram
ARTIST STATEMENT:
“People won’t write the kind of books I want to read, so I have to write them for myself” – C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis wrote books for children, works of popular theology, and scholarly works about language and medieval literature, so I identify with this statement as my painterly interests are broad. This applies to both subject matter and style. My tastes are ecumenical, although I am a representational painter, mostly.
There isn’t a theme for this show in the conventional sense. You could say that that’s the case because I still haven’t found ‘that painting’, the one that I can paint over and over again, like Cezanne
with his apples, Renoir with his nudes, Monet with his water lilies, or Michael Klein with his roses. I still hope I do find it someday, but if I don’t, that’s okay too. If pushed, I’d say that this show is more like a pop music album – ballads, rockers, some introspection, and a song about an Octopus’ Garden for good measure. Each tune can be enjoyed for itself, and there can be profound changes of subject matter and mood from one to the next. This is not viewed as a problem in the context of a music album, and nor should it be here, in my view. At least that’s how I justify myself!
To put it as plainly as possible, ideas occur to me, and I realize them. I’m painting paintings that I would like to look at and I hope others will too. Sometimes ideas don’t come to fruition, because I wait too long, and what seemed like a great idea goes stale on me. It’s important to strike while the iron is hot; also, the surest way to kill a painting idea is to go around talking about it.
Pop music, or maybe poetry, is an inspiration when I go looking for titles for my works too. I like a highfalutin’ title as much as the next person. On rare occasions, I’ve even had a title first, and then painted a picture around it. ‘Infinite Jest’ is one of those. How about that?
This show is the result of about a year’s work. There are also other paintings back at my house that didn’t make the cut. (They’re the tracks that didn’t make it onto the album). I’m not sure what I’ll do with those. I might keep working on them, or I might paint new pictures on top. I consider it good luck to paint over a failed effort, which is why I paint pretty smooth – it’s precautionary! Cezanne signed comparatively few of his paintings, because he only signed the ones he was sure were finished. Knowing when you are finished can be a big dilemma for a painter!
2 years ago, I gifted myself a new set of oil paints, the first since high school, and resolved to paint every day (even if it’s only for a short period). It’s amazing how the production adds up over time.
As for the name ‘All The Pretty Colors’, some of you will recognize that it’s referencing a Cormac McCarthy title. In my own case, the title suggested itself because it hearkens back to my boyhood. I still remember being gifted a box of oil pastels, and the magic of opening the box and looking at all the colours neatly arrayed in the tray. That was over 50 years ago. I so love that boy, who still resides deep inside me somewhere. As John Lennon once said, “It’s all being Just William, really”. At root, I’m simply that kid who’s gobsmacked by all the colours and desperately wants to get his hands on them.
What happens after that? The evidence is all around you.
Enjoy the show!