The Art of Derfla

Another in our interviews with the donating artists to Aroma of Art - Kent Paulette, a.k.a. Derfla.

What is your background/how did you get started in your medium?

When I was really young I took art lessons here in Hickory with Beth Marvin. She helped ignite my creative spirit early on. Instead of a lemonade stand, my brother and I had an art stand where we sold our drawings. I continued to enjoy art throughout my elementary and high school years.

What effect are you trying to have on people through your art?

I like to bring people's attention to how they feel on their darkest and brightest of days and how to reconcile the two. I paint at the intersection of love and suffering.

What drew you to your particular medium?

Living in Hickory I had the pleasure to see Andrew Thomason's paintings around town. I saw that he used oil paint to create a really thick texture and I decided to give it a try.

Who were your mentors/inspiring artists as you began to discover your art?

I mainly find my inspiration from great thinkers in music and science. Early on, the beat generation turned me on to some wild ideas. I also enjoy reading books about theoretical physics and books on how our brains think and form consciousness. The one painter who has inspired me most is Brion Gysin. He was a friend of William S. Burroughs and together they cut-up words in order to cut-up reality itself.

What was your first piece of art you created and what inspired it?

The first painting on canvas that I did was near the end of high school. It's a cubism-inspired piece called "The Sex of Wrestlers". I was drawn to cubism thought my interest in theoretical physics. The two changed how I viewed space-time and our relation to it and to each other.

What are some of your favorite projects?

I always love to paint people best. I'm drawn to the strong emotions of love and suffering. As far as my technique, I am most pleased when I am able to give complete control over to a process that allows the painting to come to life organically.

What are you working on right now?

I've been experimenting with water-based mediums lately. It's been fun working with thin paints and letting them drip. This process creates a lot of movement and I've taken advantage of that by painting women dancing. Movement has always been a passion of mine so I'm pleased to find a medium that suits it so well.

The two paintings by Derfla pictured here and one other of his are up for auction at Taste Full Beans Coffee House through March 4, 2010.