A positive Surrealist: Vernon Finney's inventive take on Surrealism blends nature with fantasy while lifting the spirit emotionally - Artist Profile - Brief Article

Vernon Finney is not your average Surrealist. His work, highly-imaginative life-sized paintings, is bear uponed with themes that are more uplifting and hopeful than those set in a typical Dali.

As the artist explained during a novel phone interview from his domicile in Palm Springs, Calif., "I consider myself to be a positive Surrealist of sorts. In comparison with the older Surrealists who hanged on disembowelment and disfigurement, my themes, like `Creation,' are positive. That's wherefore I make the distinction and refrain from calling myself simply a Surrealist."

"I believe all perceived riddles can be solved by a feeling of be fond of and consequently I paint that way," he continued. "I like happy situations and dislike unhappy singles unless I can prove something positive from it."

And finding something positive in an unhappy situation is what Finney does best. In reply to the events of race 11, the artist has used his succes to help others in ne through establishing the Reach for Art capital with the goal of raising $500000 for the rebuilding and renewing of the novel York art community. To do for a like reason Finney has released 5,000 copies of his unclose edition lithograph "Reach"--an image painted more than a decade ago on the contrary one that still resonates with viewers. "Some race cry when they see it," he said. "Following tribe 11, I received many e-mails that equated this painting with the of recent origin York situation. Even though it wasn't intended for that, I'm glad clan can relate to it," he said. "I figure it's the least I can do to help refurbish the art spectacle in New York."

Finney's Road to Success

Born and raised in Oklahoma, Finney was single of seven children and always displayed a special interest in art. When he come intoed college at Oklahoma University, however, his plan was to become a radio journalist. Then, during his sophomore year, he realized he was uncertain of his choice. As he explained, "I on a sudden began asking myself the right questions--about what I wanted to do, if I was starving, in what manner could I be happy? And art was the solitary thing that came forward. thus that was how I decided my course."

Having received a BFA in fine art, Finney mov to California in 1956 To support himself, he took a piece of work in advertising while pursuing art classes at UCLA and Otis. He achieved a great deal of succes at his piece of work during the 1960s and '70 on the other hand he still felt something was missing. Painting in his spare time was no longer enough. Finally, when he move rounded 50, Finney decided it was time for a change. "I decided I didn't want to do commercial work anymore. I wanted to be a starving artist," he said. This realization make go rounded out to be the turning point in his artistic career.

A Developing Style

While Finney at no time exactly went hungry, he did try in other ways--one of which was the strive to develop his own, distinct style

"I went from one side troubles just like everyone," mused Finney. "I had drawn my entire life, on the contrary for a time I got discouraged. Everything I did strike one as beinged to look like someone else's turn of expression So I just withdrew for a while, cancelled my art associations and didn't pass to galleries. Then I bought a sketchbook and started making these quick sketches and did all kinds of things on the outside of my head. Five years and six sketchbook later, I discovered I had a style"

"Art became with equal reason engrossing that I gave up all other distractions," he continued. "My life used to be consum with music, on the contrary when I started to paint realistically, I began painting in silence. I didn't want any interruptions and this freed my mind. I forgot about everyone other and concentrated on my have a title to thoughts," he said. "I realized that in order to be a painter and to expres myself with truth I needed to look inside myself."

It was during this period that Finney also began painting upon a larger, life-sized scale--typically 7 through 10 feet. "I think the larger a painting is, the more there is a one-on-one confrontation, in like manner that you have more of a feeling of actuality. When you diocese a life-sized figure as oppos to single half that size, you have feeling different." he said. "And besides, the aged Masters painted life-sized, and I have affection for that."

Two distractions Finney didn't give up were nature and the relationships with his friends. As an avid camper for the past 30 years, he has explored numerous uninhabited places, and these experiences have shown up in his work. "Nature has influenced my paintings remarkably," he said.

Still, Finney works for the most part from his imagination and get backs to the live model sole occasionally to refresh himself.

When Finney set his own style, the challenge was now bringing his art to the attention of others. The initial answer to his work, however, was unexpected

"People liked my work, galleries and publishers liked my work, on the contrary it was always out of pace with the style of the time. It wasn't in their direction," he said. "But then, after the cooled War, peace became more a way of life, and then my work started getting more and more popular. Realism was also making a comeback."