Alabaster Vessels

Artist Statement

I have always had an interest in art; however, like most people, I felt that I was not born with the ability to paint, draw or sculpt. At age 18 I pursued photography and it wasn’t until 1990 when Louisiana artist Henry Neubig convinced me that a person is not born with the talent to create art, but that it is learned. I then took drawing lessons from Neubig; and a decade later I returned to school to study art and education.

The three things that guide me are creating my own style, exploration, and expression. The exploration has led me down some unexpected paths with surprising results. My paintings and vessels reflect my enjoyment of the simple things in life. The subjects of my paintings are these simple things such as an expression, a moment, or an object like an abandoned car in a field or an old farmhouse, all of which have a story, and are painted in my simplistic style. The vessel is a simple and ancient form created by artists in a variety of media for thousands of years serving many functional and decorative purposes.

In 2006, I started working with stone, teaching myself and choosing to work with alabaster since it is a beautiful stone, fairly easy to sculpt and requires basic tools. Although it is easy to sculpt, it is also somewhat delicate requiring extra care. I enjoy the simplicity of a vessel and transforming it into a sculpture. In both my vessels and sculpture I try to present an organic feel, a sense of flow, movement, or rhythm, which is inspired by nature. The earth is filled with this invisible movement and rhythm, nothing is ever still, and stone is not what we perceive it to be. I want to bring a sense of this invisible movement (force) in my work making it visible in each piece.

Richard H. Reichenbach