| Issue #49, March 16, 2007 |
Honoring the Artist: Richard Mizdal
While this week’s cover artist, Richard Mizdal, is known for his paintings of windows that show the world through the artist’s eyes, there’s an added touch in this particular work: starfish hanging from above. They are not only primordial images, according to Mr. Mizdal, representing our local landscape (like Georgia O’Keefe’s flower superimpositions) but also give an illusionary quality to the scene. Meaning, according to Mr. Mizdal again, the interior elements of human beings.
That last aspect helps define Mr. Mizdal’s aesthetic: the dynamics of both the interior and exterior. Such a hybrid concept (a form of Postmodernism in this critic’s mind) is very much on Mr. Mizdal’s mind these days as well, when he talks about his latest projects.
Q: First, how do you see yourself, artistically-speaking?
A: I am basically a painter who teaches photography. I’m looking to blend the two disciplines, combining the hand with light. To demonstrate how painting and photography can become one form.
Q: How do you do this?
A: In the dark room, I paint on photographic paper with photographic chemicals. I develop it and then scan it into the computer to infuse subjective color.
Q: I imagined you to be a “purist,” avoiding technology for a long time.
A: No. I love technology. I love the creative possibilities of Photoshop, for example. It has enabled an artist to think beyond what he’d like to portray.
Q: What other aspects of your professional life do you care about?
A: Teaching. I’ve been at Suffolk Community College for fifteen years. I love illuminating students, not only providing instruction but encouraging them, giving them the impetus to make their work their own. I love when I know that the light bulbs are going on in their heads. And I love to do commissions, working with people.
Q: Some artists say they have to compromise too much when they’re doing work for clients. How do you feel about that?
A: The fit has to be right. I have to consider what the client wants from me and what I can do. It’s a delicate balance. The artist wants to please the client but also maintain his integrity.
Q: What would you do if the “fit” wasn’t right or if you had to sacrifice your integrity?
A: I would give up the project. For example, on my latest commission, I did a work for a major collector of contemporary art who had a Frank Stella. I painted a stylized view through a window to complement the geometric shapes of the client’s other art. It was a good fit.
Q: At the end of the day, why do you like being a painter?
A: Artists create until they die. We are supercharged with energy so we can express ourselves. So we can contribute to what we respond to.
– Marion Wolberg Weiss
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