The mystery of unknowing. The electricity of juxtaposition. The equilibrium achieved through struggle. Rocky Hawkins harnesses the expressionistic core of nature in search of peace and quiet amid energetic abstractions. His decades-long quest to paint horses in a transformative style true to their characters and his own has “given rise to knowledge and understanding of this incredible animal and myself as a painter.”
“My approach to painting—and creativity in general—has always been nontraditional,” he says. “I never duplicate reality. I find the mysterious to be so much more interesting, not only for myself, but the viewer as well.”
In lieu of detail, Hawkins offers empathetic marks. By his brush, he channels the wonder of living—as he does—in the American West. “My paintings express layers of connection: between the horse and the rider, between creatures and nature. The horse and the rider are not part of nature, they are nature.
