Debussy once said : "Music begins where words leave off..." and I believe that the same is true of painting. So where does one begin to speak about painting, about art?

For me, painting, like music, is really another language. It's a different way of looking at nature, and a way of writing down what I see. When I paint a still life, I don't simply copy a flower or an apple, but rather I think of the composition as a whole, "l'ensemble" in French. This is the arrangement of light and dark shapes, warm and cool colors, horizontal and diagonal movements, and in this way it is very much like music, with soft and loud passages, melancholy minor chords balanced by bright and happy notes. And this is the real joy of painting, when all of these contrasting elements come together to make an exciting composition,as all of the different instruments of an orchestra come together to perform a symphony.

The greatest challenge for me is to capture the almost unspeakable beauty of nature, and then transpose this life and energy of the subject into a work of art with a life of its own. I create my best paintings by combining my love of music with all that I've learned through the study of color in nature.. And this is what I work for, the painting that sparkles with life and touches something deep within the viewer, in the same way that music touches us and brings new life to the soul.

For my part, I find great pleasure in writing down the infinite variations and arrangements of color in nature. I hope that my paintings will speak for themselves, and remind people that life can be beautiful if we take the time to walk in the garden, and listen to the quiet, subtle music of nature.

To contact the artist phone 804.644.0622 or email davidpaulfineart@yahoo.com