ROBERT C VANCE
 
 
The imagery in my paintings lies somewhere between coalescence and disintegration. Shapes arise and take form in a spontaneous ebb and flow, allowing form to boil up from a mysterious depth, a pool of unconscious desire. 
 
Nature is my muse: it has always been a primary motivator visually. My references to nature are non-specific and abstract. Color is paramount; it comes from the natural world. My paintings conjure images from the seen and unseen worlds. I paint to express rapturous and ecstatic experiences. I depend on a stream of consciousness method; nothing is excluded out of hand.
 
My formative years were spent living and traveling in many different, mostly French-speaking cultures. While living in Ethiopia, I was the only non-Ethiopian student at the Addis Ababa School of Fine Art. I also experienced what that ancient civilization offers. Their religion and culture is markedly byzantine and mystical. My best friend was a fellow painter and a deacon in the Coptic church. This exposure influenced my artistic development in unexpected ways.
 
Until recently I taught full-time at Los Angeles Southwest College in Inglewood, CA for 18 years and served as director of the campus gallery. For seventeen years prior, I taught at LA Southwest and at least ten other campuses part-time. During those many years I kept my own studio practice moving forward as a primary focus. I'm currently refining a body of work for upcoming exhibitions, including a comprehensive retrospective in 2020 at LA Artcore.