All my life I have loved drawing, painting and creating shapes. Whenever I had the opportunity to capture things, phenomena or my thoughts, I took it. Whether it was with a crayon on the asphalt, or later on the margins of my textbooks, or on a piece of napkin, I made my drawings almost compulsively. The subject matter was not predominant. Often an inner feeling, at other times the mood of an interesting landscape, or a portrait of a striking face, was outlined on the available surface. There was no history of artistic talent in my family, although my parents were interested in art. I grew up surrounded by paintings and books in an intellectual environment. My father's love of nature was a decisive factor in my later choice of subjects.
Despite the fact that I was drawing almost all the time, I found it difficult to accept the forms of art training that came with constraints. I was practically completely self-taught in the skills I acquired. I didn't even go to art classes because I was only willing to draw or paint what interested me. However, I have a great respect for the high level of professional knowledge that I have discovered, and still do, mostly in the works of the old masters. I do not reject contemporary art, but I look for the knowledge in the product with a critical eye.
Throughout my life, I have been attracted to movement in three dimensions with extraordinary power. I have spent years, first as a pilot and then as a skydiver, to experience this unique experience as often as possible. I had a serious dilemma about which direction to take, but art won out. From about the age of 28, I expect that the period of recreational painting was slowly replaced by a period of professionally grounded purposeful creation. Although I have lost count, I have produced hundreds of works using virtually every painting technique in existence. I know and use all the possible techniques, but classical oil painting is the closest to my heart. I have no desire to exhibit my work in a special place, but I do think it is important that my work is shown where it is loved. Where the connoisseur or collector can perceive through the work of art something of the divine message that I intend to capture. The shared resonance feels very good.
To this day I can draw inspiration from anywhere. A beautiful body or an evocative landscape is equally arousing my interest. I pay particular attention to the animal world that unfolds in nature. I think that "the motionless mover..." as Aristotle said, is behind all creatures of the created world. I see evidence of this divine existence in a graceful deer or a robust boar, as well as in a pretty woman's cheek or a graceful movement.
I spend a large part of my life in my studio. As I not only paint but also restore, studio work is necessary. I often listen to music during these times. Although I belong to a different denomination, I am very fond of Orthodox Eastern Christian religious works. I could not find an explanation for this, I just accepted the fact. At the same time, I find it refreshing to be able to leave the closed environment and create in a real classical plein air environment. The tangible proximity to nature is important to me. I like to look around, to create in silence, to be immersed in the world of the forest meadow.
I also consider water to be my natural element. I have been sailing since I was a child. Nowadays, I only sail touring sailboats, but sometimes I also take part in races, whether on home waters or at sea. But that's just a hobby.
What I also think is important is teaching. I believe that those who do not pass on the knowledge they have to the younger generations are going against the will of God. The world passes away with us, what remains is the accumulated knowledge and caring love. Tiny sparks from which someone will light a fire.
Tamás Kóhalmy
HU