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Kent R. Wallis
There is a private charm, a pure and quiet delight in Kent Wallis' work that speaks of simple, unrequited love of color and form. Years before impressionism became the darling of the art world, Wallis had awakened to the universe of light that captivated the great painters of the 19th century. Now, with exuberance and poetic inspiration, he creates canvases that dance with sunshine.
It was not always so. Twenty years ago, Kent Wallis was a professional in the business world who had never picked up a paintbrush. But his fascination with others' work convinced his wife that painting was a latent talent waiting for expression. At her urging, he began a nighttime "hobby" that proved to be a lifetime calling. Within six months, Wallis had abandoned business for art, beginning a career that has brought delight to collectors throughout the country.
The studies of the surrounding countryside near his rural home evoke images of fragrant summer havens from childhood days. The perspective is intimate, focused on vignettes of dappled light and quiet pools of color. "I used to paint more figures," he notes, "but I've found through the years that what really excites me is color, particularly color mixed with sunlight. I can't seem to paint fast enough to catch all the beauty."
The joy of endeavor washes through the painting without effort or contrivance. "I don't look at a painting as an intellectual effort. My approach is more of a feeling than a thinking process - I just feel my way through it." It is that feeling that is brought to the viewer, a dividend from a talent that is sustained by his own delight in nature. "I don't take any great pride in my success...I just happen to paint what others like. But if the country turned away from impressionism, I'd still keep painting to capture the pattern and color of it all. It's the whole point of what I do."
Kent Wallis is currently a member of the prestigious Society of American Impressionists, as well as the Society of Plein Air Painters of America.
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