OKS, Leon  [ USA ]

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Lives and Works in USA.    
   

I am excited about the current direction of my art, which is flowing, lyrical and nonrepresentational. As a painter, I try to capture the essence of a particular theme or set of images, so that my deep feelings intertwine with the colors and shapes on the canvas and convey a truth about our existence. As a catalyst for my art, the female figure is resplendent with beauty and intrigue that transcend temporal and cultural differences.  Woman’s body is the mother’s body-essential to our survival as a species. ‘The feminine’ is a powerful force for me as a man and as an artist. Many of my recent works are based on personal visions of women that I attempt to weave into a fluid tapestry. In “Orchids” (2002), “Sound of Silence” (200), “Touch” (2001) and “Rhythm” (2002), I want to envelop the viewer in a dreamscape of lush bodies as they interact energetically. I believe their appeal lies in the personal images they evoke in the viewer, who is teased by my paintings to fill in the specifics.

  
1. LOVE OF NATURE , 2003 OIL ON CANVAS
76 x 76 cm. / 30 x 30 in
  US$ 22,500

 2. AUTUMN in MASSACHUSETTS, 2002 OIL ON CANVAS
71 x 56 cm. / 28 x 22 in
   US$ 19,490

 3. ORCHIDS, 2002 OIL ON CANVAS 76 x 91,5 cm. / 30 x 36 in
  US$ 23,500

 4. SOUND OF SILENCE, 2000 OIL ON CANVAS
101,5 x 76 cm. / 40 x 30 in
   US$ 22900

 5. RHYTHM, 2002 OIL ON CANVAS
76 x 101,5 cm. / 30 x 40 in
  US$ 23,500

 6. TOUCH, 2001 OIL ON CANVAS
76 x 91,5 cm. / 30 x 36 in
   US$ 22,900
 

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The ripe, swaying images of women in my paintings are deliberately anonymous.  My intention is to universalize the implications of their erotic energy.  There is great power to such energy. I feel that power in Nature as well. I strive to unite the romanticism of nature with figures, while weaving these figures into a landscape of fluidity and movement. Increasingly, my paintings co-join Nature and humanity. In “Love of Nature” (2003), female faces are seen atop unreal, plant-like torsos and ‘legs,’ These ‘plant women’ are not sensual or voluptuous. They shoot skyward like growing trees in a salute to the more abstract aspects of the feminine spirit. Perhaps I was even inspired by the mythical mermaid. My personal heritage is Russian. I began drawing spontaneously when I was about six. Like my fellow-artists, I worked for the state. But I was prevented from fully evolving as an artist until my family and I immigrated to America in 1980. Artistic freedom was a sudden shock to me—I could not even believe the range of choices in art stores! When I arrived in the United States, my work became more open and emotional, as I felt comfortable exploring many themes and showing my paintings.  Along with semi-abstract work, I continued to do landscapes, some from memories of my beloved Ukraine, others of scenes in my new country. “Autumn in Massachusetts” (2002) represents this aspect of my art. I am as involved with doing my more representational landscapes as I am composing fantastic compositions that lure the viewer in to my canvas. For many years, I painted part-time. Several years ago I plunged full-time into painting and teaching painting. These days, I live and breathe my art. I have been honored to receive many awards and to be featured in one-person and group shows across America and in Europe. These have included “Vision 1999 and 2000,” at international juried art competition, Chicago, IL, Schacknow Museum of Fine Arts, Florida, October - December, 2002, Willa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum Milwaukee, WI August-September, 2003,Amsterdam Whitney International Fine Arts Gallery, New York, NY October-November 2003, and “Biennale Internazionale dell’Arte, Contemporanea,” Florence, Italy, December 2003. My work is in many public and private collections, including the permanent collections of the Schacknow Museum of Fine Arts, Plantation, Florida, and the Latin American Art Museum, Miami, FL. .Yet no honor or award equals the satisfaction of knowing that someone is moved by one of my paintings. My work remains a bridge from my strong feelings to the outside world. I continue to walk that bridge with humility and reverence.”