Artist's - Author's Personal Statement
Creating a website is an act of hope; hope to be seen, recognized, and hopefully appreciated; to be able to share with others something worthwhile and maybe even to be rewarded; financially or in some other way.
Since this website is mostly about my art and what I have written, it is also about wanting to share those things that came from within me. I have long found the creation of art and writing to be both enjoyable and even compelling. And, increasingly, I have found myself wanting my art and writing to be a statement of inner truth. For much of my life, what I painted, and photographed were reflections of what I found beautiful, interesting or enjoyable which I wanted to preserve for myself and also to share. Sometimes they were things I saw and sometimes things I felt or thought. I did want to please others and to show off my talents. But, mostly, they were activities I found pleasingly essential; like eating an enjoyable meal that is also nourishing.
As I matured, I also recognized that to only reflect beauty was an avoidance of what was difficult, problematical, and unpleasant in the world, and in my inner self. To only convey what I found beautiful or enjoyable was, I realized, an avoidance of those difficult, unpleasant even frightening things I saw not only in the world but within myself. To show only what was pleasant and attractive was to hide from myself and to shield others from the unpleasant and ugly parts of life. Over the years I found myself wanting to paint, or photograph, not just what was pretty, but subjects that were more challenging. I wanted to be a complete and honest person; and; if you look further into this website you will find much that is beautiful and enjoyable, but will also see some of what is distasteful and hard to face. The paintings, photograph, and poems in this website include some of my oldest works and some very recent ones.
Most of my early and mid-career painting and photography was representational in nature, wanting to show you what I saw that was beautiful or interesting. More recently, I have moved, somewhat, toward abstract painting and paying more attention to what seems abstract in the visual world. These paintings and photographs are not intellectual; but based on my own sense of feeling and meaning.
My three Books, all published between 2010 and 2021 are mainly a way to reach out to others, to share ideas which I thought were important. Even my one mystery novel, CORPS IN THE CLINIC, was a way to share something of my view of the world of psychotherapy while also entertaining my readers. MONEY AND RELATIONSHIPS, shares the insights I gained through my practice of Money and Relationships Counseling and Psychotherapy, and my memoir, AN ASTHMATIC, ALLERGIC DYSLEXIC KID Who Grew Up Just Fine, shares some difficult as well as uplifting experiences from my own life. But, this book is not just an exercise in self-revelation. It is also written to show how, with perseverance and help, children facing difficult circumstances can "Grow Up Just Fine." I am most proud of this last book because of my own commitment to honesty; and the feedback; the reviews, which not only praise the book but also offered some comments like the following: "Not sure I have read anything as honest." or, "...his personal journey of unsparing truth-telling" The act of writing, too, is an enjoyable pastime; including the attention to detail in what I think of as word-smithing, so that the reading experience may also be pleasing.. My poetry is often more introspective but sometimes playful.
I hope that you will find, in this website, something of value..
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All of the images in this website can be purchased as originals or made available as prints. If you are interested in one of these images, email me at richard@richardtrachtman.com with the subject being "Interested in Your Artwork" (and indicate which piece(s) interest you. Plus your return email and a phone number. All images are copyrighted and purchases will be delivered after payment has been received and processed. My books can be ordered as paperbacks or Kindle books by using this website.