Roy Lerner has been making art for over 30 years. His artwork is displayed in the collections of 10 major museums worldwide. His medium of choice is acrylic on canvas, and he has recently begun to produce sculptures. He is often inspired by the intersection of music and art, of jazz improvisation, making patterns and breaking patterns, harmony and disharmony. Having worked for Sir Anthony Caro, and sat in such circles as Kenneth Noland, Clement Greenburg, Jules Olitski, Larry Aldrich, and Miles Davis, to name a few, he has had plenty of inspiration to draw from. The following is an excerpt from a 2011 gallery catalogue:
“Making art is, for me, all about the honest intention of doing something for the love of doing it then sharing the result with others. Clement Greenberg expressed the idea that art steps in when words are not enough, when we seek a different level of communication. Art helps us makes sense of the world. This is true for the makers – and viewers – of art. Paintings give us a shared experience connecting the artist with the viewer, and the viewer with other viewers. As with writing, you read a picture. Unlike writing, painting conveys and evokes meanings and emotions as dance and music do, yet is unique unto itself.
The toughest thing about painting is facing the blank canvas, breaking inertia and making the first move. Once the first move is accomplished that stroke becomes the foundation on which the picture is built. From that point on I call and respond, wrestling to create balance and counterpoint. I look, and look again, waiting for a vision. When a vision reveals itself I execute without delay before it evaporates. Painting is about making your individual mark. My art is all about modulation, variations in color, shape, and texture that catch our eye and ignite our interest. I stroke the canvas with a palette knife depositing repeating lines of thick wet gel whose every facet catches the light. This is the cornerstone of my painting structure. Each stroke contains evidence of touch and telltale signs of emotion. After the first each subsequent stroke suggests the next and focuses the possibilities more clearly. The process continues until the work is done. When that will happen cannot be predicted. The point of completion often surprises me. If the picture is good, it should scare me because it questions the known. We can learn more about ourselves by exploring the uncomfortable as well as the comfortable. These paintings encourage multiple interpretations.
Look at the picture. Complete the creative connection. Feel changed. Feel challenged.”