From the blog Inspiration by design

October 2008

I gravitate towards Richard Estes and Edward Hopper, and I find similar desirable features of those artists in the work of Mr. Page. The similarity with Hopper is evident in the semi-abstract aspects in which Colin Page arranges shape, tone and hue in their ability to capture mood - specifically, the serene and pensive, albeit, more upbeat - a lot more upbeat - than Hopper. For me, the similarity with Estes is less evident, and after consideration, I believe it is due to Colin Page's skill - perhaps natural skill - with color and tone rendering. Estes has described his process of working from photographs, very large photographs, and his earlier depictions carry the accuracy of the light of the moment probably through a very gradual and painstaking process. I have been told many times that Colin Page is a very fast painter. This kind of ability matched with the aforementioned skills is a rarity, and I think it allows him to capture light and in that very moment. Many, many paintings of skilled artists lack this dynamic in-the-moment quality because they may be done in the studio or finalized in the studio, and thus such paintings, though technically well-done, have an inert and artificial feel. Some of Mr. Page's larger plein air works, especially if they are in the situation of waning light, can be seen to have cursive script-like properties. His smaller works, which I believe he may feel less rushed to complete, in the race against time, so to speak, tend to be true to the moment as well as more exact in deliberation. I recall vaguely an article regarding the science of visual perception that noted that one of the earlier stages of visual perception deals only with the tones and hues of light rather than specific contour details. I believe it is at this level that Expressionism operates and perhaps it is the accuracy of rendition of light at this level that Colin Page in modes of Expressionism matches Richard Estes in Photo-realism. At any rate, from my viewpoint, the younger artist, at his best, remains sorely underappreciated in press and print, though the blogosphere is catching up, or perhaps, is superceding.

Since I ran long, I thought I'd just add this quote by the artist, Gary Stephan:

"It is not what the world is like. It is what the world is like to be seen. It's what the world is like to be thought. What the world is like to be made."