Richard Goenne is a 53 year old veteran whoserved in the U.S. Navy.
Diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and depression, Richard has endured many challenges in his life including loss of function in his left hand ,losing a finger on his right hand, and memory problems. Dispite these physical, emotional and psychological difficulties, he continues to work seriously on his art. In Richards own words “Art has always been important to me. It is a force within me.I feel this is why I am here on earth. My art shows the bridge between the physical and the spiritual and between the power of nature and god. My church is the wilderness. The star burst and spheres depict the space between reality and the subconscious The surface that I paint on is the life force.
Art helps me escape my problems, yet also makes me view them in a new and different way.”
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ARTIST STATEMENT
Paintings By: Richard A. Goenne’ (203) 440-1144
I am currently doing a series of paintings which depicts the spirit of nature and how it relates to all things. In my trips into the wilderness, I have come across this magic in which I call the”Wilderness Light”. This light is the light of the spirit of nature. The power of the life-force. In these paintings I paint into my design a force field which depicts this life-force and over this design is painted my interpretation of the connection of the metaphysical world to the physical world by painting spheres, star bursts and swirls within the landscape itself. I also create into this design the windows of other dimension so I can interconnect these dimension into the same plane.
Sense the beginning of my life I have always loved to paint and found that this light that I see in the wilderness has given me inspiration to express myself. I also find great joy in viewing the works of the Hudson River School artist such as Thomas Cole, Frederic Church and Albert B Bierstadt. I am also inspired by the great literary artist like Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman and my favorite John Muir. Like Thoreau wrote over a hundred and fifty years ago “IN WILDERNESS IS THE PRESERVATION OF THE WORLD” It stands true today that “In this wilderness light comes the preservation of all life”. These great artist of the past were involved in the transcendental movement and experienced this wilderness light and they interpreted it in there own way.
My work has great meaning. Meaning that says we have to turn back
time and to worship nature the same way the Native Americans did. We have to guide our spirit to see the times signs and to let our harts except there truths and to never stop seeing natures glorious spiritual song.
My work has been exhibited throughout New England and has been published in numerous magazine publications such as the Appalachian Mountain Clubs “AMC Outdoors”. I am also the winner of 1996 AMC art competition, winning in two categories, first place in scenery and second in people categories. I also won the 2001 VA National Creative Arts Competition.
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