Life in the Abstract…

Photo credit: Janet Donovan

“Working again as an artist began out of my own personal need to have a creative process,” said Robert Shields at his exhibition presented by Boffi & Maxalto of Georgetown, “that is uninfluenced by others or a desire for commercial success and I would like to preserve that.” 

Selected works from Dark Rhapsody, Rhapsody and Dreamscape Fragments Series were on display in the showroom which is ‘situated in a historic building with brick walls, soaring ceilings, large windows and oversized skylights’ – a perfect setting.

“If in this process I achieve commercial success, and if I develop an audience for my work, that’s great.  There is always gratification in being validated, but I need to protect the wholeness of my approach. It’s important to me that commercial success doesn’t influence my creative process, which is my primary priority.  I’m grateful to have the opportunity to show my work and I’m delighted when it is received well or when someone wants to hang it in their own home, but this can’t be my reason for creating it.” 

“The compositions shown in this exhibition are not digitally created,” Shields pointed out. “They are what the camera sees.  I use a digital photography editing program to format the images proportions, remove imperfections, soften hot spots and adjust the gray tones, color balance and exposure in order to make the picture work.  I am planning several new series which will be multimedia including some photographic material.

Brian Fell, Maxalto Showroom Manager (center)

I can find inspiration in almost anything if I look close enough.  Currently, I’m using subjects from my everyday surrounds, usually so small they go unnoticed by everyone. I’m trying to show in a large format that something beautiful and/or interesting can be extracted from the infinite source of visual nuances we find in the everyday world around us. In creating each image, I purposely try to avoid secondary images that can be identified as something from our physical world.  

Sherry Moeller (right)

I deliberately don’t talk about the subjects I use because I don’t want the knowledge of the subject to prejudice or influence the viewers experience of the work.  I‘m hoping that people will bring their own experience in their interpretation of each picture. 

Andrew Riguzzi (left)

I am not interested in photography per se and I don’t really consider myself a photographer, but in this case I am creating work that happens to be created with the use of a camera. I have a BA with an emphasis in studio painting from GW so my focus here was to create abstract images.  

Shields began 3 years ago with the Rhapsody series “out of the need to be creating art after not painting for nearly 20 years. “I’ve lived my entire life in the arts, first as a musician, then as a painter and ultimately an interior designer,” he explained.”

“I began creating art again primarily to have a creative outlet that is purely mine, without the influences of teachers, clients, or personal insecurities acting on my need to please others.  This is the purest creative process I have, something that is completely my own.”

The exhibit from Robert Shields Interiors continues through April 17th.