Life is Beautiful

by Collin Reiff

The paintings featured here were created in Tel Aviv, Israel between 2013 and 2014 with incredible support from The Karp Art Fellowship.

Tel Aviv at Night

Portrait of Limor

Margishim: We Feel

Eliat at Night

The artist and the scorpion

Portrait of Athena

Lady in Jerusalem

The chase

Opium in Sinai the eternal recurrence of Le Petit Prince

Untitled

Artist: Collin Reiff
I like to think of myself as an existentialist painter. It is all about meaning. Every painting has been inspired by a real life event. Together the works tell a story, which began when I was 19 years old. They highlight life events: relationships, loves lost and found, unique moments, places and people who have touched my soul. My philosophy on painting is there is no art in the ugly and the beautiful. It does not exist. Only the mystery, the magic, the horrible and the beautiful can be expressed. It is by engaging the instinct entirely, without intellectual intervention, that one can express completely and strongly what is in oneself. There are times when the canvas reveals itself to the imagination and must be explored without hesitation, and other times when the imagination reveals itself to the canvas. It is the dialogue between the two that continues to inspire each stroke, drip, splash, or tear. Eventually a climax is reached. At this moment, the artist steps away and leaves before him another world within the confines of the canvas. When another being encounters this creation and feels love, sorrow, the pull of emptiness or inspiration, the artist’s job is complete.

Website: http://www.collinreiff.com