About Rodney
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Art has always been an emotional experience for me be that in appreciation or in creation. My art is often inspired by the human condition rather than some sort of academic or intellectual ideal. It serves as a portal or window for my incurable curiosity about not only my own feelings and those of others. If my art engages the viewer, I am far more interested in their reactions and interpretations than my own so, called, meaning or story. The greatest reward is when a piece results in an emotional response - - be it smiles or tears or bafflement. Enigma and mystery open doors to unexpected thoughts and feelings. My hope is that my creations touch the heads, hearts and, on occasion, souls of those who honor me with taking the time view them.
This website seeks to share my artistic vision via an array of my work. You will see paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography. My early work was 3-dimensional with a focus on metal-smithing/jewelry and sculpture. I have always used drawing and photography as part of my repertoire. In 2006 I was invited to participate in a highly prestigious exhibition in which each artists was allowed to enter only one piece. Given my wide range of media options, I decided to combine all of them in collaboration for the my entry. As part of the process, I unexpectedly decided to add a few small paintings to the project. This was surprising as I was not a painter. The end result was a mixed media sculpture called “The Soul Rejuvenator” (see in the “3D” section within the website here).
The response to the piece was wonderful and inspirational. I enjoyed making the small paintings so much that I decided to try creating larger pieces. Given my impatience, love of experimentation and willingness to fail, I set down the path of trying to become a “self-trained” painter. After a few feeble attempts, I remained committed to seeing if I could improve my skills due to my finding an avalanche of ideas for paintings. My first “real” paintings were “Sotto Voce” and “Aviary” - (see in the “Reliquary” section). Upon completion of “Aviary” I went on a road trip for a couple of weeks. After returning to my home/studio, when I first noticed the painting, I was genuinely surprised by an odd sense of “Cool. Who created this?” That was the first time I had ever experienced such a reaction to my own work.
As the adage goes, the rest is history. Within six months I had sold or given away all of my jewelry and art making tools. I had finally found my preferred artistic voice. Painting opened flood gates of ideas and inspiration.
Note: 90% of the art pieces on this site were created after 2006. This includes the drawings and photography.
My work is most often categorized as “Magic Realism.” To make art that is at once beautiful, haunting and emotionally charged is a lofty quest. I believe in art. I believe in magic. I believe in the magic of art.
BIOGRAPHY
Rodney Wood was born and raised in Colorado but for many years followed his nomadic spirit by living throughout the Southwest. As artist, educator, arts advocate & activist, he has worn many hats. His long-held passions have been focused on making art and an incurable desire to encourage others to do so as well. He has taught art at all levels within various environments and disciplines. Having served on numerous from art-based boards to steering committees, his devotion to the arts has been a lifelong endeavor.
His resume includes: Director - Business of Art Center (Manitou Springs, CO), Director of the Fine Arts Exhibition at the Colorado State Fair. He has worked in, owned and/or managed numerous art galleries. He has served as curator for over 250+ art exhibitions and has judged/juried an additional 50+ shows, exhibitions and arts-based competitions. His incurable desire to practice and promote the value of new ideas and exploration led him to being an expert consultant in the field of creativity. His workshops and presentations are very popular within both the public and private sectors. His talents in this arena have been widely taken advantage of as an educator, corporate trainer and motivational speaker. His clients includes various art groups, schools, businesses and corporations as well as non-profit organizations such as arts, social services, city governments, special events and programs.
In what can best be described as an life-altering and unexpected happenstance, Rodney found himself in an influential role within the world of art cars. In 2013, he became the founder, director and event organizer for ArtoCade (art car festival) annually held in Trinidad, CO. This wildly successful and nationally respected festival satisfied Rodney’s ongoing community building spirit and as an outlet for his incurable obsession with creativity and uniqueness; both as art car promotor and “cartist”. In his role as leader in the wondrous world of art cars, he in directly participated in the creation of art cars made by kids, quilters, Christians, cops and convicts. ArtoCade won the Colorado Governor’s Award for “Best 2016 Festival”. Then he was honored in 2018 by being chosen to receive the very prestigious “Colorado Governor’s Leadership Award” for his community building actions via the arts. These successful endeavors led to the establishment and implementation of the Art Cartopia art car museum. It quickly became a highly acknowledged and attended art-based roadside attraction. While under his directorship, Art Cartopia promoted the arts and creativity to a very diverse audience and inspired artists and non-artists of all ages and ethos. After 10 years he retired from his position in January 2022. Along with his family, he moved to Hoisington, KS in early March.
As an artist, his early artwork was dominated by 3D media such as jewelry/metal-smithing and sculpture. Drawing and photography have also long been an active part of his repertoire. In 2006 an unexpected transition occurred; his art voice shifted to become completely focused on oil painting. This shift has resulted in a long list of exhibitions, awards and publication. His reputation has evolved with his work now being on display and collected across the country and internationally.