Artist REGI CANTWELL Online Studio

My childhood and adolescence is filled with memories of slavishly yet gleefully working to meet the deadline of one art contest after another, the dance had begun.

After returning to Newfoundland I studied under notable Artists as diverse as Clarence Osmond & the late Don Wright. My formal education took shape in the study of Graphic Design at the College of the North Atlantic where I distinguished myself with honors under the direction of mentor Len Walbourne.

My paintings tend to be very representational & detailed, although I try not to limit myself to one approach & do enjoy  creating loosely for counterbalance. I have begun to find the germ of absolute communication can often lay in simplicity.

I work in various media including Acrylics, Prismacolor colored pencils, Charcoal, Graphite, Watercolor and Gouache.  

I hope it becomes clear when reading the marks I make, that my search for meaning, existence, sensory observation & experience can be often tantalizing & overwhelming at the same time. This is one artist who has come to the realization that it’s futile to attempt to create order out of chaos. Instead, I accept that chaos & order will do their own thing as I tentatively attempt to learn how to adjust to the step changes.

The dance continues.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I attempt to make art for the senses, both mine & the viewers. I approach my art with the attitude that I serve as one part conductor & one part conduit, so that the process is both in & out of my control at the same time.

I usually divide my time between two principle mediums, I begin with sketching & working out composition & values, if the work is asking for a loose approach I will generally commit it to painting with Acrylic on canvas, however if the work calls for a tighter realistic approach then Prismacolor on Stonehenge paper will be the path I usually take.  Having said that, I`ve also played with these approaches in reverse. Either way I am always trying to push the color just enough to make the painting vibrate to me.

Regardless of the approach or medium, I strive to paint not what I see as the subject but what the subject causes me to feel and to impress upon the viewer that even the most simplest of objects has it’s extraordinary moments if we would only take the time to pause & really look.