California
Rick J. Delanty, Sunburst, acrylic, 24 x 24.
PLEIN-AIR ARTIST Rick J. Delanty has experienced a “deepening” in his artistic direction recently, and a major turning point came when he painted his winning entry, SUNBURST. “What I’m striving for is to awaken emotion,” says Delanty, who has been painting for 40 years. “I’d like my work to be about real places, but I’d like them to be seen through the spirit of my lens.”
The San Clemente, CA, artist was running on the beach one early evening when he noticed the striking beauty of the sun setting behind the San Clemente Pier, an architectural treasure he has observed countless times while running along the coastline and swimming in the ocean. “It was like a meeting of heaven with the Earth,” says Delanty, who was moved to capture the scene in acrylics. “The sun will not rise or set without my notice and thanks,” he says, quoting artist Winslow Homer. “That is the kind of legacy I want to leave with my art.”
Delanty created the painting in his studio, but his dedicated practice of painting outdoors, together with his careful study of well-crafted sunset paintings by other artists, aided his efforts, he says, “the same way a boxer has to train before going into the ring.” The artist aims to bring the spontaneity of plein-air painting to his studio work. “Overworking a painting is enemy No. 1 in the studio,” says the contemporary impressionist, who strategically simplified the sky in SUNBURST. “The sky needs to remain open to accept the power of the sun and the energy of the water,” he says. Find Delanty’s work at Santa Barbara Fine Art, Santa Barbara, CA, and Mission Fine Art Gallery, St. George, UT. —Kim Agricola
This story was featured in the December 2019/January 2020 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art December 2019/January 2020 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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