Robert Steven Connett - I See Climate Change as a Threat to Not Only Destroy Nature but Human Civilization (Artist from Los Angeles)

Currently, I'm less concerned with myself than I am with the horrendous loss of nature. My response to the great extinctions of plants and animals is to re-create the abundant worlds that I lived in and loved when I was a child. I see climate change as a threat to not only destroy nature but human civilization. We cannot continue to flourish without nature.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

I was born in 1951 in the city of San Francisco California in the United States. My family was not artistic nor was I exposed to art as a child. In spite of that, I have always felt the need to make art.  When I was a child I had strong feelings like any kid. My way of dealing with that was to draw pictures.  

That’s how it started, with ballpoint pens on notepaper. I did not paint much until I was older. I did not paint on a regular basis until I was in my late 30s when I started experimenting with watercolor and acrylic paint. At that time I was working at a job selling insurance.  

I had to make my art at night, as a hobby. This I did for many years. As time went on I became more and more frustrated when I was not making art. Eventually, I quit my job. It took more than 10 years for me to begin selling a few drawings and paintings. By this time I was over 50 years old.  

2. What inspired you to pursue art?

I make art because I enjoy seeing my ideas come to life.  More than this, my work has become a personal sanctuary and a way to express my deep feelings about the catastrophes facing our planet. I fear that the creatures of nature that I love and recreate in my work will become only a memory of a time when life was plentiful and mysterious on Earth. 

My paintings are my sanctuary, but also a reminder to those who look upon them that the plants and animals that we share this planet with are all part of an exquisitely complex chain of life. A chain which we often do not understand.  

I sometimes choose my subject matter as a reaction to the current great extinctions that mankind has caused. I create my own worlds to visit because ours is being rapidly destroyed. It is sadly obvious to me, being in my seventh decade, that this world is not the same as it was when I was young.

3. How would you describe your art style and aesthetics?

I'm not sure which word describes my style best. Perhaps, “representationalism.” That's a big word that simply means that I'm trying to represent the images that I generate in my imagination through the use of my pencils and paints. This is all I've ever done. My early work was more purgative of my emotional state than it is now. 

Currently, I'm less concerned with myself than I am with the horrendous loss of nature. My response to the great extinctions of plants and animals is to re-create the abundant worlds that I lived in and loved when I was a child. I see climate change as a threat to not only destroy nature but human civilization. We cannot continue to flourish without nature.

4. What design process do you follow before working on a project?

Unlike other artists, I do not create an extensive sketch of an idea that will eventually become a finished painting. My process is that I make small drawings that are like shorthand, or a code that only I can read. I put down in my own picture language the ideas that I feel might become a finished work if I choose to pursue them. 

I have drawing books filled with these little sketches. They look a little like chicken scratchings in the dirt. However, these personal sketches conjure up the images that I might use later for a full-blown painting. I often look through these books to refresh my memory of ideas I've had.

5. How do you overcome a creative block?

I push through it. I find that if I maintain the discipline of work on an everyday basis, I will eventually get to a point where my ideas will begin to flow. Some days it's easier to be creative than others. When I am not in a creative mood I make myself sit down and work anyway. I may work for a time and come up with nothing good. 

In that case, I will take a break, and come back a little later and try to do some good work again.  My personal philosophy about work is, “If you keep trying, you will get there." It's my take on the old one, “If it first you don't succeed, try try again!" If you want to create something exceptional you must work diligently.

6. Who do you admire as an artist and why?

I admire and I’m inspired by many artists. I'm sorry, there is no one artist that I admire above all others. What I admire in an artist his imagination, and the discipline to work hard and create beautiful artworks that bring interest, aspiration, and Joy to others through untiring efforts.

7. What tips and advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Work hard and long. Become absorbed in your art. If you have a love of art, you can cause that love to flourish by feeding it. Cease to feed it, for any reason, and it will eventually die. An artist should be intensely and obsessively preoccupied with their art. Make everything else secondary, with the exception of loved ones.

Be inspired by other artists, but do not compare yourself to others. Be your own yardstick. Perhaps the most important thing is to have fun with your art! The joy of creation and the pride of your accomplishment should be the primary motivation for your creativity. 

This is more important than acknowledgment from others.  Others may never be interested in your work. This is a possibility that you must accept. An artist should create art first and foremost for yourself. The reason for creating art should be your profound love of creating it.

8. Which is your favorite book and why?

This is a difficult question to answer because I read many books. I usually get through one or two books a week and have done so for years. I read fiction and nonfiction. I have no favorite. I'm thankful that I live in a time when I have easy access to so much material.

Robert Steven Connett

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Interviewed By - Prashansa Maurya