Howell Burnell

I approach a blank canvas openly, with curiosity. As I paint, ephemeral figures and landscapes emerge. It’s a sacred time for the painting to come into its own. I almost never remember that. I force the process into an idea. The painting becomes littered with perfection. It has no energy, no life. This is my edge. Exasperated with a beautiful and dead painting, I attack it. Smearing it with paint, swatting it with brushes, scraping it with knives. This is painting with my whole being. With light and shadow. With intent and abandon. Often, the attack is enough. Together, ugliness and beauty vivify the piece. When the painting deeply resonates with my whole being, it is ready to share with others.

I intend to paint with my heart open and my mind free. That only happens when I reclaim my power. When I shift from fear to love. I paint for that shift.

The aM all project raises trauma awareness and the possibility of reclaiming personal power. Thirty painted icons reveal pathways to trauma healing. A photo story records the aM all ritual, celebrating the passage from dependence to interdependence.

The Phoenix series outs my addiction to risk and safety. Life, sensuality, expression. All are controlled with hard-edged organic and geometric shapes. In these joyful paintings, what is most raw and alive dies and is reborn as a solid confection.

The Unknowable series places me in the reality of each moment. Expressive and sensual marks show my return to self-love and acceptance. I made these paintings to reinvigorate life in myself and in us all.

Biography

Howell Burnell is an artist living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

Burnell earned an MFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts in New York, developed brands for entrepreneurs and retail companies, and directed commercial art for musicians from The Beatles to Taylor Swift. He also wrote and illustrated a picture book, Felix Wakes Up, published by APub. His art can be found in private collections and at the McGuffey Art Center.