Statement
When I first began painting, I had no clue where to start. Although I had been an artist my whole life and had become skilled in the use of charcoal and pastels, oil painting was something I had never studied. So I purchased some basic supplies and set up a small studio in the basement.The first painting took me a year to complete. It became my school. Long before it was finished, I was in love with painting, spending time at night and on weekends, often painting for hours without stopping. I visited museums and libraries to learn about the old masters and their work.
In the relatively short time that I have been a painter, I've made the adjustment to holding the brush in my mouth. I mention this, not because my physical challenges set me apart from other artists—far from it—but because mouth painting makes it possible for me to work on a vertical canvas.
My subjects? Ordinary people and places which I see as anything but ordinary. At present I am experimenting with the method known as alla prima, painting with little or no under-drawing or other preparation. I have a real hope that people will never view one of my paintings and say, “That’s typical Avidano.” Each painting that I begin is its own adventure and, I hope, its own fine example.