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The Art of Randall Talbot
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About the Artist
Randall is a Canadian visual artist based in Edmonton. His first passion is painting - especially the Canadian landscape but his painting styles range from impressionism to abstraction.
A number of Randall's photo essays (nature and abstracts) and a selection of images of his sculpture (in stone and clay) are included on this site.
Randall is a Canadian visual artist based in Edmonton. His first passion is painting - especially the Canadian landscape but his painting styles range from impressionism to abstraction.
A number of Randall's photo essays (nature and abstracts) and a selection of images of his sculpture (in stone and clay) are included on this site.
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Biography: Randall was born and raised in Edmonton and continues to live in this western Canadian city. He considers himself fortunate as an artist to live here because of the wealth of landscape variety that is readily available.
"I have urban and rural subjects to choose from depending on which way I look from my front door. Within the province of Alberta we have everything from flat prairies, to boreal forests, rivers and lakes, to foothills and the Rocky Mountains. We are also blessed with four very distinct seasons to provide all that much more variety and inspiration." Randall has been interested in art for as long as he can remember. Most of his formal art training has come through courses offered by the University of Alberta (Faculty of Extension) and the Series programs offered by Red Deer College. Through these courses he has learned from many talented and inspirational artists. Among the most influential have been Jim Davies, an Alberta painter and art educator and Paul Deggan. Paul was an instructor at Capilano College in Vancouver, who with his wife Babette, ran an annual summer art school out of their art centre in Montaigut-le-Blanc in central France. Both of these gentlemen influenced Randall not only with their skill and style but with their dedication and commitment to art. |
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Overview:
Although his recent work has been dominated by acrylic painting, Randall works (or has worked) in a variety of other media, including: * oil paint, oil pastels and pastel * sculpture (stone, clay and ice) * photography (film and digital, color and black & white) In terms of style, his paintings tend towards impressionistic, expressionistic, even abstract representations with bold use of colors. Although he enjoys depicting a variety of subject matter, it is the Canadian landscape in its many forms that resonates most deeply for him. |
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Historical (and current) Influences:
His earliest influences, those that attracted him towards art in general and painting in particular, were the painting of the Impressionists and especially the work of Van Gogh. Other painters of that movement and era whom he greatly admires are Monet, Cezanne and a little later Bonnard. Next to influence him and easily the most dominant influence to today are the Canadian painters of the early 20th century - primarily Emily Carr and Tom Thomson. He also admires the entire Group of Seven, with A. Y. Jackson and Lawren Harris being the two he most connects with. |
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Philosophy of Art: Randall says:
Although discussions about what art is or isn't can go on forever with as many different opinions as there are people I choose to keep it simple. I realize that art is indeed in the eye of the beholder and we will all like and be moved by different things. (How boring the world would be if we all liked only the same things). My personal favorite definition is: "art is anything created with the intent of making the viewer think or feel something". The thoughts can really be anything from "what was the artist thinking ?" to "how does this make me feel?" and the feelings evoked can certainly run the gamut. They don't have to be positive feelings, although in my works I would tend to hope that I would be. I hope to convey the generally positive emotions that inspire me to create. But aside from the thought and feelings, art is for me the journey of creation as much as it is the final product. For that journey to be of value and interest there have to be some twists and turns in the road. Therefore, you will see in my art, ongoing experimentation. Although I have my favorite themes, subjects and media, I don't ever want to be locked into or associated with just one style or to become overly focused on any particular subject. |
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Discover more about Randall by visiting his Facebook page of following him on Twitter: