Roger D Arndt
Roger D. Arndt has had a remarkable career since he began painting full time at the age of 14. He sold his first oil painting while still a teenager, and within a few years became a self-sustaining artist. His unique style continues to evolve; recent paintings feature bolder colours and scenes from the mountains, forests, lakes and coastline of his native Western Canada. Today, his work is featured in major corporate and private collections throughout North America, and his following extends as far as Japan, USA and Europe.
Using a style that challenges conventional perceptions of landscape art, Roger D. Arndt draws the viewer into a setting characterized by luminous, fluid images that move and change with various intensities of light. A distinguishing quality of an Arndt painting is the ever present, gently flowing mist, whether it depicts an early morning haze, or a deepening sky at twilight. As such he refers to his own style as 'Romantic' or 'Idealistic' Realism.
The mysterious and evocative nature of Roger D. Arndt’s work is achieved through a painstaking technique that originated with 15th century Flemish artists. Using smooth brush strokes and intensive glazing of layer upon layer of colour, he achieves greater depth and range, yet subtlety of colour. As light travels through the colours, they change, creating an atmospheric mood and causing the mist to “move”. “It’s evocative for me and, I hope, for the viewer" says Arndt. "It’s why I like oil as a medium.”
A Roger D. Arndt painting is a timeless work of at that marries the breathtaking subject matter of Canada’s West with fine quality and craftsmanship. Roger is a smooth brush oil painter who utilizes a centuries old Flemish technique that was once practiced by European masters. His attention to detail is paramount from the time he conceptualizes the image and prepares his boards, to the finishing and framing of the completed piece.
The preparation of one of Roger's oil paintings is a laborious one. First, a panel is coated with many layers of oil primer, than hand-sanded to achieve a surface that is as smooth as glass. Roger moves on to create an image in conceptual drawings conceived from his own photos, sketches, memory and imagination. Before starting the formal painting process, Roger prepares a scaled-down, loosely painted oil study to test composition and colour elements.
The striking luminescence that one sees in Roger's work is achieved through a painstaking colour layering technique. Using the finest hand-made sable brushes, Roger applies dozens of thinned-down, transparent layers of colour on top of each other and lets each layer dry before moving onto the next. When the image is completed, the effect is remarkable. The light travels through the layers and reflects off the surface of the white board beneath, creating a gentle, luminescent play of light and colour. The layering technique is time consuming, so Roger often works on a dozen paintings at a time. He is also one of the few contemporary fine artists who paint large format representational works, as large as 48 inches by 72 inches. He typically paints a few large pieces a year, each taking eight months or so to complete.
Roger devotes the same amount of detail and attention to the finishing and framing of his artworks as he does to the painting itself. The completed piece of work is hand-varnished. High quality mouldings and traditional frame materials are then handpicked to compliment the work. To maintain integrity in finishing, all of Roger's work is framed at his own framing studio.
Born on 1959. Nationality is Canadian.
