Artist Statement

Unique, different, uplifting, and peaceful. These are words people use to describe a painting by Dave Reiter.  In his own words, Dave explains how that happens:

Every landscape oil painting that I create is a reflection on life. I paint to encourage the viewer to participate in the scene by reflecting on all aspects of life—what it is, what it isn’t, what it should be, etc. In my work, I explore life themes such as hope, love, death, overcoming obstacles, etc. In today’s society, very few people give time to reflection. Our lives become so busy that we loose focus. Reflection is a process which allows us to crystallize our thoughts and move our lives forward. Reflection is never a waste of time, but rather it is an investment in time. Creativity comes when we reflect. Solutions to problems come when we give ourselves time to muse on issues and concerns. Through my paintings, I want to help people bring greater focus and encouragement to their lives.

To achieve this, I begin my own reflective process long before I blend my paint or put my brush to the canvas. The process begins when I explore nature with my camera in hand and capture images that have a strong contrast between light and dark tones, composition and interest. If there is a focused concept when I take the photo, I record it. However, my main interest at that point in the process is to capture the image and the initial feelings of what I want to eventually communicate. After taking hundreds of photographs, I select the ones that speak clearly about life. I am looking into the image for a life principle, application, or theme that will communicate well in the final painting. This period is where I do a lot of my own refection. It is at this point I select a title for the painting. Once a title is selected, I then begin designing the painting and working out the composition. Once this is completed, I then start applying the paint to the canvas. I am not totally tied to the exact representation of color. I want the color of the piece to coincide with the message of the painting and the title of the piece. For me, the theme drives the color, composition and even the brushstrokes I use in order to support a single idea.

Two observations immediately become apparent when people see a Dave Reiter painting. The first is that I leave the edges of the canvas unpainted, which is unusual for an oil painter. To some this may seem unfinished. But to me, it is all part of the visual impact and supports the message I am trying to convey. The second observation is that I intentionally apply the paint very thinly and in layers. I purposefully apply my paint in a unique way that pulls the viewer into a place of reflection. In life, it becomes too easy to walk past the flowers and the trees, the rivers and the waterfalls and totally miss the message they contain. My style grabs your attention and can even shake you up a little bit as it invites you into a reflection process.

Another aspect of my personality that comes out in my paintings is the fact that I tend to enjoy contrasts. People tell me that I am unique because the things in me that seem to be contradictory actually coexist nicely. Most people who look at my paintings comment that they are complex but simple, that they say so much but at the same time say so little. That is because of the way I am wired. How is it possible to be complex but simple, strong but responsive, talkative yet quiet, extrovert but at times introverted? I guess I like polar extremes and it shows up in my painting. I like to say everything but yet not say everything in a painting. I like strong light areas right beside strong dark areas of the painting. The whole contrast intrigues me. This is also the reason I chose to use oil as my medium and then chose to use it in a non-traditional manner. Some people think my paintings are watercolor or pastel when they first see them. I think this is part of the mystery of the painting. What they think the medium is, it really isn’t, but yet it is so much more.

Most of my landscape paintings have involved water. Those include rivers, ponds, streams, oceans, waterfalls, and creeks. I like everything that encompasses the idea of water. It symbolizes healing, life, refreshment, purity, cleansing; it can move or stand still. It is fluid. All of these have great application in life. Recently, I have expanded by painting cityscapes using the same unique style.

I have had a number of artistic influences. These include William Turner for his strong contract and emotion. When deciding on leaving the white space, Theodore Gericault’s Nude Torso was influential, even though the piece was never completed. Camille Corot painted light and yet intense. He painted dark yet light. I like Honore Daumier and Francisco Goya for their lightness in their brushstrokes. I also appreciate what Paul Cezanne did in his paintings in that he was not trying to reproduce reality but rather the interpretation of it.