Curtis Long

I have always had a keen interest in architecture. As a result, my natural vision almost always includes things architectural, even if my message has nothing to do with the buildings or interior spaces I depict. Most of my paintings represent actual places that I first distill to essential forms and rhythms, then enliven with vibrant colors, and finally set in motion with the addition of bold line-work. I agree with the belief that color is emotional as line is intellectual, and I work to create in each artwork a balance of color and line, emotion and intellect.

On the surface my paintings have a light and whimsical feel, but I incorporate texture, layering, collage, subtle (even hidden) statements and visual puns, and attention to form, composition, and flow in order to create deeper, philosophical pieces of fine art. My journey to become a master painter includes a search for a conceptual voice to balance the visual voice that comes more easily to me — this again is a matter of emotional/intellectual balance. In the spirit of early 20th Century American abstractionists and mid-century Pop Artists, I choose to use bright colors, common — even mundane — forms, and deceptively simple compositions to convey my message.

Three years ago my wife, Mimi, and I sold our Austin home and began to travel the United States full-time in an Airstream trailer, which we converted to a mobile art studio and dubbed Laluna. The experiences, friendships, and visual stimulation afforded by this travel have been a creative boon for me, and I have tried to leverage this opportunity by selling my work in art festivals, galleries, and private home showings nationwide. I never know what lies just around the corner — seven years ago I would not have imagined this lifestyle — but our motto for 2004 is "Think Big!"