Al Razza and His Magic

    In the world of art, some artists obtain fame by inspiring their audience through showcasing their works at the prominent exhibitions with exquisite wine and rare selection of blue cheese. By being successful, they create history, which appears on the yellow pages of dusty textbooks, where the philosophy of those artists gets not only recorded by glorified by many enchanted admirers, knowing that if one likes such artist, then he has a great sense of taste. Each artist has a different story; not only the stories, which are known to us, like the life of Marc Chagall or Jeff Koons, or the great masters who have been already canonized and commended by their viewers, who are only allowed to contemplate their artwork standing 10 feet behind the row of strict guards. Unfortunately, the stories of local artists – who make an impact on their communities – is concealed under a weight of the well-known individuals. These people are the true expressions of the world they live in, and often are eager to share and teach others about art and their extraordinary philosophy. Those artists do not chase for fame but make a significant impact on the visual and mental perception of others.       

Al Razza

    Three years ago, I had started attending the Al Razza's School of Art and Design and had a chance to meet a community of unique learners under the lead of a man who combines color and emotion on a large-scale canvas, imbuing his work with magic. He is not Rembrandt or De Kooning; he is a teacher who raises awareness of art and its grand history by unveiling the creative minds of every individual who comes to his studio. Being born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1954, Al Razza moved to South Florida in 1979 where he currently resides. His pieces are closely affiliated with Expressionism and Abstract Art, but I am greatly convinced that his artworks create a new art form, which can't be explained in words but genuinely in color. I had a chance to talk to Al and record an interview to better understand his philosophy and magic behind the artwork.  

#arthearted: So, good morning, Al! Tell me how did you get involved with art? What enthralls you?

Al: I got involved with art when I was very young. I was always impressed by people who could draw. I always wanted to draw and always wanted to paint. So I spent most of the spare time drawing and painting; while all my friends were doing sports, I was drawing and painting. I started to meet people who would encourage me, and those people were imperative to me because they told me that I can make a character in the art world; it’s tough to do, as you know.

Radioactive, 2014

#arthearted: O.K. So, I see a lot of vivid paintings on the walls. I guess, they pertain to abstract art, expressionism, and mixed media art forms, if I’m not mistaken. What is your primary technique?

Al: My main technique primarily today is mixed media, but I was trained in all kinds of media and all sorts of disciplines from the time when I was very young. I worked with acrylic, watercolors, and, later, I was introduced to oil paints. It was not until when I was in college when I discovered that there were lots of ways of mixing colors, plenty of ways of doing paintings - there was such a broad base of art in art history; that is what truly excited me - to know that I could possibly share some of that and be a part of it.

CQ14, 2013

#arthearted: How absorbing! One time the prominent Greek philosopher, Plato, expressed his opinion on the unchanged beauty of the simple figures and shapes: "straight lines and circles are not only beautiful but eternally and absolutely beautiful.” Do you agree with his statement? What do the shapes mean to you?

Al: His statement is very true. Another artist, more recently, the name of Kandinsky also suggested that lines have meaning, and a feeling and colors evoke a feeling or emotion. So yes, when I paint lines or shapes, I do feel that there is a certain emotion or feeling that can be generated from them. But my most recent work is less about lines and more about color. I like to put colors that excite me and textures that stimulate me. Those things are least where I am working today.

#arthearted: And where do you obtain your inspiration?

Al: My inspiration comes from everywhere. All around me. But most of it lives deep within my soul. You know, in my conscience.

#arthearted: Do you mean that it comes from your mind?

Al: Well, you know, we are influenced by everything around us. Everything tackle, everything visual, everything that we can see, people we talk to; all of those things can make a difference and contribute to all of this stuff. My most recent work, the things that do not reflect the outside world, all of the colors, blendings, those come from just basic instinct.

#arthearted: Alright, what is your opinion on institutional abstract art and expressionism/

Al: That is a difficult question, but I have to say that institutions are important because they preserve art, and they teach people art, they share ideas, and it is a wave for people to gain access to it. I am, however, cautioned by listening to many people’s opinions about what I should do and tell me how I should proceed. I figure a containment that can overly influence me, this is not something I want; when I see something that I like meaning that I really like, I have a tendency to be very cautious about it and step back. I do not want to be all of the sudden copying somebody I really enjoy. It is a kind of like eating a dessert that one admires, for example, ice cream, if you eat too much of it, too fast, then you gain a headache. So, I think of some sort of similarity there.

Arina: Do you make that the techniques, such as abstractionism and expressionism, can influence the future art?

Al: Yes, they do all the time. All techniques, everything I do, things that you do, things that I have seen… It is very difficult to filter out all the positive and negative aspects, but they all carry value into the future art history.

#arthearted: As I can recognize, one of the singularities I have noticed is the color approach. What is your secret relationship with the tint and you enchanted pallet?

Al: Love. How simple is that? I love what I do, and you will, too. As long, as you do, you will succeed. You will alway be happy. You will always find happiness in it because you are not going to measure happiness by money or achievement or even praise that someone would give you. You are going to be happy because you enjoy what you do; you are doing it for this reason.

#arthearted: Thank you! Do you have anything else to say? Maybe a future advice?

Al: The best thing I can say that have enjoyed having you in my class. You are an inspiration to me, and all the people, too.   

#arthearted: Thank you very much!