„Painting to me is not a passionate one-night stand in the summer solstice. For me it is a life-long love that does not require vows before God and the altar. It is my entire life, and I can deceive only myself…” Nicely said, and it can hardly be doubted when we look at the artist’s white still lifes, winter sun, simple yet beautiful things in the peasants’ farmsteads, which unfold stories of hard work and rites in nature and human life. Oil painting is the artist’s medium, it is like music performed on a perfectly tuned instrument. For about a decade Imants Vecozols has also been making collages, as they open up new possibilities for experimenting. He enjoys the process; it is like a play, which is of great importance in art. The use of play and improvisation not only provides a fascinating result, but also helps to build up space, create light and surrender to the quest for form and tonal relationships. The result was so exciting that the gallery and the artist himself felt tempted to show it to art lovers. In no way is it anything new or unique; collages had been made before by many artists, not only by Braque and Picasso. But here the play of paper and glue has resulted in the artworks in which a viewer can perceive Vecozols’ manner with its delicate tonality and interplay of light and shade. We realize that in art the means of execution are less important; what matters is the artist’s skill.

The exhibition of Imants Vecozols’ works „Other Contrasts” in the gallery Daugava at 10/12 Alksnāja Street will be on display from March 18 through April 18.