David Hockney once observed that it is very good advice to believe only what an artist does, not what he says about his work. However, I feel I owe the viewer a few words about how I work, and why I paint what I paint.

As with many other artists, my inspiration comes from the ordinary things which make up a large part of the fabric of our lives, such as eating breakfast or riding on a crowded bus, I prefer them as subjects because our busy lives often blind us to them, and also because they are so open to personal interpretation.

I am an intuitive painter, and I try not to worry about whether someone is going to get a specific message. I try to push past the generalized appearance of a thing looking for something essential in my own perception of it. I begin with a general idea about the content and form, but at first the focus is on putting down shapes, colors and lines (sometimes it helps to empty the mind and put things down at random). I look for clues in what's developing on the canvas, rethinking and reworking as I go. This often leads to new ways of thinking about the subject which, in turn, can take the painting in new directions.

My work ranges from fairly objective to more abstract in style. These differences reflect my differing responses to the various subjects. However, I try to keep my work connected to our concrete world. I hope visitors to this site find something here that strikes a chord with their own take on the ordinary in life.

www.bruceertle.com

www.avenue9gallery.com