ARTIST'S STATEMENT

I believe that a strong abstract composition is the key to great painting.  Once that is achieved, a painting also has to communicate the personal connection I feel with my subject brought to life with spontaneous expression.  I use color, movement, drama, and light to enhance my message. I want the viewer to see and feel the painted essence, and not an attempt at illustrating a particular image.  When I paint in oil, I apply soft oil color with a painting knife to produce a highly textured surface, which will create the illusions I desire when seen from various distances.  When I paint in watercolor, I use the fresh spontaneous nature of the medium and the white of the paper to create the illusions my subject requires.

Robert Regis Dvorák is an artist painting in watercolor, oil and acrylic, with a studio at the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica , California .  He has been teaching drawing, watercolor and oil painting workshops for the last 27 years.  The inspiration for this painting comes from his love of the ocean and his admiration of the surfing culture. 
 
Inspirations for Dvorák’s work come from the California coast, Hawaii , the ocean and, Europe—particularly Italy and Greece —and the human figure. He has had 23 one-man exhibitions of paintings, drawings and prints.  His work is shown at the Garden Gallery in Half Moon Bay , California .  Some of his works can be viewed on his web site at www.youcreate.com.  His paintings are in many private and museum collections. 
 
Mr. Dvorák has been teaching drawing and watercolor classes for the University of California Extensions , Santa Cruz and Davis , San Francisco State University ’s College of Extended Learning , the University of Hawaii and at community colleges in northern California .  He taught architectural design and drawing and watercolor painting at the University of Oregon for seven years and at the University of California at Berkeley for two years.  Mr. Dvorák received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois and his Master of Architecture Degree from the University of California , Berkeley .  He was a recipient of an American Academy in Rome Fellowship (two years), two grants from the University of Oregon , and a grant from the California Arts Council to promote art in California Schools.
 
Mr. Dvorák has written and illustrated a number of books including:  Drawing Without Fear, The Magic of Drawing and Experiential Drawing.  He and his work were featured in two articles published by American Artist Magazine, “Sketching While Traveling in Greece ” and “Twenty Minutes to a Beautiful Figure” in Watercolor magazine.
 
Mr. Dvorák is often invited to be a keynote speaker, drawing on his many experiences to illustrate his message that every person has the power to see and create his or her vision.

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