About
Rick Koehler, a Cincinnati artist, has a passion for bringing paintings to life. His plein air, impressionistic, oil on canvas pieces are sure to delight not just Ohio or Michigan art lovers, but anyone with an eye for great art.
“The principle of true art is not to portray, but to evoke.” - Jerzy Kosinski
It has taken me years not only to understand this concept but to be able to put it into practice into each of my paintings. Upon starting the journey of becoming an artist, one wants to paint what they see in front of them. This would be ‘portraying’ the scene for the viewer.
My epiphany recently was to ‘evoke’, not just to portray. I said to myself, “make Art”. From that moment forward, my paintings have taken on a shift that did not exist until that awakening. I remember seeing a painting of a front door to a home and it stopped me in my tracks. It was not a portrayal of a door, it was evocative; it was Art. The door was a deep red, the roof above was aged copper verdigris and the stucco walls a buttery yellow. But the sunlight, the shadows and the loose brushwork made this painting an incredible piece of art.
I began my artistic journey at a very late stage, but my background as an architect provided the ability to draw. Lori Putnam told me, “If your drawing is not working, don’t keep going because it won’t improve on its own!” Words I’ve never forgotten. Other important mentors in my growth have been Chuck Marshall, Roger Dale Brown, Marc Hanson, Bill Fletcher and Kay Hurley.
After watching Scott Christensen do a demo based on his little gray-value sketch, I thought to myself, 'If it works for him, maybe I should try it, too.' . My sketches are about 3”x3” and once completed, they are all I need to do a finished painting. Combined with the notion to evoke, this process has transformed my paintings into Art. I hope you enjoy them!
More to follow in my curriculum vitae below.
Rick’s paintings can be found at Millcroft Gallery and Caza Sikes Gallery in Cincinnati, Mullally’s 128 in Elk Lake and Main Street Gallery in Leland or at his website www.rickkoehlerart.com.