Richard Ewen’s paintings of window displays on Paris streets are a contemporary version of traditional still life paintings.
To Ewen, still life paintings are most intimate to humans; they reflect our daily life and represent what we value in our daily lives. His realistic paintings are partly based upon photographs taken at random while wandering the streets of Paris. The artist looks for eye-catching window displays and transforms this kind of commercial presentation into a fine art form through his use of watercolor. Window displays are commercial goods made to impress people in this fast changing society; they thus have to be colorful, cheerful and fast changing as well. In order to communicate to the viewers, window displays employ different social symbols that help transmit their messages, reflecting a society’s culture and history. Ewen, in his brightly colored paintings, reflects present day Paris, and European culture as well as the influence history and architecture has had on this beautiful city. The window display is the mirror of our urban life, with bold colors, chic fashion design and energy. Ewen is an artist who injects movement in still life paintings, redefining the genre itself.
Ewen’s watercolor paintings require planning and concentration as watercolor is a medium that dries quickly and cannot be altered. To portray the reflections one sees in the window glass, Ewen has to achieve the layering of paint with care and precision. This American born artist had his first solo exhibition in Texas in 2007; this is his first solo exhibition in Asia. He was also appointed the Artist-in-Residence by Dorland Mountain Arts Colony (California, 1991 & 1992) and awarded the Best of Show Grumbacher Award by the Eastern Washington Watercolor Society (Washington, 1991).
美國畫家Richard Ewen 的最新水彩系列《櫥窗‧巴黎》，這批作品靈感來自Ewen 閒時於巴黎大街小巷遊蕩 所看到的風光見聞。
Richard Ewen 的作品描繪巴黎時尚大街的櫥窗展示，他的作品由傳統靜物寫生（Still Life）衍生， 卻加入了當代藝術的元素。Ewen 認為靜物寫生跟人們最接近，反映著人們每天生活，以及當中包含的價值觀和個人生活態度。他的創作以街景照片和他於巴黎街道的實際體驗為藍圖。他不斷地於街上尋找搶眼奪目的櫥窗展示，再用畫筆和色彩將這種商業藝術轉化為繪畫藝術。櫥窗展示屬於商業的一種，以鮮艷色彩，歡樂氣氛和時尚鋪排在這個日新月異的社會吸引途人目光。作為溝通橋樑，櫥窗展示運用很多跟當地文化和歷史有關的象徵手法。Ewen 便是要在他的作品反映今天和昨天的巴黎。這些櫥窗水彩畫是現今都市生活的寫照，刻劃出都市的活力，繽紛和時尚。在畫中可看到Ewen 為靜物寫生注入的動力。
水彩是流動性高的媒體，需要畫家的全神貫注。尤其在Ewen 的櫥窗寫生中描繪的倒影，在重疊一層又一層水彩的過程，畫家更需謹慎處理。Ewen 於2007 年首次舉辦個展，這次是他於亞洲首次展出作品。他於1991 和1992 年被美國加州多藍山藝術村委任為駐場藝術家，亦於1991 年獲華盛頓水彩畫會頒發Grumbacher 最佳作品大獎。