The Art & Artist In their dramatic gestural application of paint and scope of vision, it is tempting to describe the paintings of Glen River as epic. However, a tenderness which approaches intimacy draws us into a private place we all seem to share. Such dualities are common within the fabric of River’s work. An instinctive individuality defies archetypes of esthetics. His truly individual voyage makes River an artist difficult to categorize. Other disciplines aside, River has lived many lives from the periods his work has evolved through. From the many portraits, cityscapes, still lifes, landscapes, to surreal interpretive representations, it continues to transcend. More recently the Re-Birth series has brought earlier works into his most recent energy works. Symbolic representational paintings, such as the 2003 - 2004 Kachina Woman series, continue to bring his subject into a cosmic radiant energy, suggesting a consciousness of spirit. River’s intuitive tapestry of emotion underlines a rich comprehension of soul. Finally, the context for River’s unique energy work is best explored in the voyage his art provides. River’s elevation of paint to the level of celestial mechanics, driven by a cosmic passion for destiny, propels us to include our own fragment of creation. More than a mask of cultural persona, his art drives us deep into a Jungian mind pool. River maintains, “absence of ego is a fantasy. There is only healthy or unhealthy ego.” But in his work, there seems an ever present clear window. The viewer may find themselves on a ride in the falling out of psychographic, self-expressive universal imponderables. He writes poetry about his paintings. There seems to be no limit to the passion fueling this well of creativity. The state of mind producing this prolific river of art he calls “Zen Process.” © 2004 Glen River Publications ~ Reprint permission is granted to members of the press.