 |
| Coffee for One |
A morning cup of coffee, silver spoon reflecting the soft petals of an intruding flower... a black house cat sunning himself in a window, captivated with some distant unknown curiosity... a botanical garden so vivid you feel lost in its colors... the high plains desert, burning hot yet bursting with life. To describe Rivkah Singh's artwork requires far more poetry than description and more imagination than contemplation.
 |
| Black Cat on Windowsill |
The Paper Girl: How long have you been engaged in the artistic process? How did you get your start?
Rivkah: "Too long to still get away with hiding my real age. My wonderful and supportive parents enrolled me in an art academy at the ripe young age of 11 where I was taught the basics of drawing and painting."
The Paper Girl: What mediums have you worked in?
Rivkah: "Anything I could get my hands on."
The Paper Girl: What is your favorite medium presently?
Rivkah: "I would have to say – oil. I used to work primarily with acrylics at first; however, I find oils allow for more diversity."
 |
| Botanical Garden Paradise |
Rivkah: "Sometimes I will try to consciously study the style of artists that inspire me; such as Matisse and Van Gogh but most of the time it honestly just depends on the subject."
The Paper Girl: Have your travels to India changed your work or artistic process?
Rivkah: "Surprisingly, no. Whenever we have visited India, our days and nights were filled with friends and family. There was always somewhere to go and do. Inspiration for me comes mostly in solitude, so maybe one day we can plan a painting expedition there but for now friends and family are fun too."
Pomada China
The Paper Girl: Where do your day-to-day influences come from?
Rivkah: "Everything I see grabs my attention and inspires me. I see the subjects themselves as expressing a certain style. A landscape may "express" itself to me as an impressionistic scene filled with colorful brush strokes; while a quiet still life may seem more detailed and realistic with a flash of personality coming out through its bright under painting.
Deserted
Every scene, every object, every person I see is already a painting and each have their own style and personality. You can even say "aura". That is why my style changes constantly. I really can't understand why artists choose to just paint in one style. Doing that is like ignoring the essence of what you see and experience every day. Perhaps they make a good amount of money selling a particular style, or perhaps that is the only way they see the world. But not to me. And that is why I decided never to obtain a degree in art. The last thing I want is for other's to influence my art or convince me to stick to one style. I never want to lose MY way of seeing and experiencing the world through MY eyes, MY hands, and MY soul."
The Paper Girl: Tell me about your patrons? Who is typically drawn to your work? How well have you gotten to know them?
Rivkah: "I have a couple of noteworthy collectors who have bought much of my work and they both have the same thing in common – they are lovely people. I keep in touch with one of them through Facebook and the other has written me such lovely thank you notes, one of which I keep on my fridge. True collectors at least in my experience buy art because they become attached to what that art represents to them. It may represent a memory they had that is very dear to them or it appeals to an aspect of their own personality that reflects in the piece. Art to them is not just a picture to decorate their wall. It is not something of interior design."
Cuban Coffee
The Paper Girl: I happen to know you are something of a math genius. How does math equate in your artistic endeavors?
Rivkah: "Genius is a relative term. I obtained a degree in mathematics, simply because I like math. I have varying interests just because I love being alive, and what better way to love and experience life than to study not just the aesthetic beauty that envelopes it but how that aestheticism works and functions underneath. Indeed they are both entirely different disciplines. Mathematics is learned whereas art comes from within. However, they are also both one and the same. I noticed that when I paint or do math for a long period of time, the focus required for both genres transforms them equally into a form of meditation, and the exhilaration one feels after indulging in it is nirvana."
Past the Tulips
The Paper Girl: Is there anything about you, that your fans do not already know, that would help them appreciate your work?
Rivkah: "Nothing I can say, no amount of suffering or happiness in my own personal life can convince an art lover to love my art. All an artist needs to do is make art."
The Paper Girl: Who is your single biggest personal influence?
Rivkah: "I have no single biggest influence. My inspiration is like a flowing river, it is influenced by the rocks it crashes against, the banks that guide it down stream, and the seasons; hence, everything and everyone is my influence."
 |
| Rivkah Singh |
To find out more about Rivkah Singh, the inspiring artist featured here, please visit:
http://rivkahsart.blogspot.com/
http://stores.ebay.com/rivkahsartstudio
