About kevin-louis

My experiences and travels have given me a much broader view of art and the world and have taught me to not only scrutinize my own art but also my motivation. I don’t strive to copy reality or to recreate what I observe but rather to interpret my experiences and emotions through color and shape and to create something that originates exclusively in my own mind. Growing up in a densely forested area in Georgia, I spent my childhood biking the trails, swinging from kudzu vines and hiking along the many creeks. Sadly enough, as I got older I witnessed the trees being replaced by subdivisions and strip malls. As an adult I’ve continually been drawn to the forest. Studying and working as a Translator and Interpreter, I’ve visited 25 countries on 5 continents and during my travels, I’ve hiked the forests first and time permitting, I would then explore the cities.

I strive to evoke a sense of forest serenity. Utilizing many layers, distinct colors, shades, shapes, lines, and textures, I create an organic composition that emulates the variegated, asymmetrical and complex perfection that can only be found in nature. Using a metallic acrylic base, I simulate the reflective light that diffuses through the trunks, foliage, and brush that comprise a forest. I alternate numerous layers of organic papers including Thai banana leaf, Thai mango leaf, Nepalese Lama Li and Japanese Unryu. Each paper possesses a different texture that results from the leaves and fibers used to make them. I soak the strips of paper in an acrylic polymer emulsion which serves to adhere them to the canvas as well as to preserve the natural paper coloring. I intersperse layers of acrylic paint among the paper to form a richly textured organic surface. The result is an image that is not only representational of the forest as a whole but also the complex textures that appear on the surface of each tree.

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