DAVID FOOX

Why I Create

Painting for me is more a philosophical act than a physical act. The results are both physical but also intangible.

But let me start way back at the moment I realized I would be an artist. My first painting was done not so many years ago (more years ago if you include the rubbish I did as a 4 year old for my mother in kindergarten). I was studying for the NY Bar Exam - a rough and brutal exam to become licensed as a lawyer in one of the most competitive states in America. The stress was so thick you could cut it with a knife (I tried but the knife was not sharp enough). I needed a release and somehow found myself at Michael's buying canvas, paint, and brushes. For better or worse I am self taught.

I have thought often as to what drove me to start painting and my conclusion is always the same - the need for a creative outlet while I studied for the NY Bar Exam. A lame reason if any to start painting, but a reason nonetheless.

My first painting was of a Rasta Man, a Jamaican. It hangs to this day in my parents house, proudly watching over the affairs of my dear parents. As far as technical art goes, it is not much of a painting, but I have a special place in my heart for it - mainly because without that painting and the encouragement I got from everyone who saw it, I would not be the artist I am today. And an artist I am.

After the NY Bar Exam and Rasta Man, I took a break. I had many other things happening and painting was just not possible. I relocated to NY, I completed a Masters in Intellectual Property at Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law, and I started working as a patent litigator with a national law firm.

But once things settled down and my life took shape, painting and CREATING crept back in again. But this time I had the help of a gentleman by the name of Solomon Witt. A funny character who once filled in the color for Marvel Comic books but quit his job to paint full time for Games Workshop and the Warhammer team, Solomon was kind enough to teach me how to hold a brush properly and how to draw a straight line (I still have trouble with that). Ironically, and I do mean ironically, he only taught me how to paint little metal miniatures (28mm tall figurines used in tabletop war game simulations). I didn't mind that - as I simply loved painting these little guys. Most artists learn by painting live nude models or a basket of fruit, I learned to paint by actually painting that model (albeit 28mm tall). At this point feel free to reference the "40 Year Old Virgin."

I liken my experience to a makeup artist. Actually painting in 3-Dimensions is far more intricate than transforming 3-Dimensions into a flat piece of canvas.

From then on, every free moment I had was dedicated to painting and creating. Painting transformed from a stress relief outlet to a mission of creation. The feeling I experience when I stand back and look at the art I have created and the finished painting is simply impossible to describe - although I am sure many people have this feeling when they finish a big project of some kind (building, sculpture, music performance, acting, or anything really).