About the Artist
“I am inspired to compel you to stop, look and reflect on the story of life contained in small moments.”
-Andrew Kusmin
Wicked Local Photos/Emily Clark Wicked Local
To capture and convey the story of Artist Andrew Kusmin requires an appreciation of character, an understanding of motivation and conflict, a sense of setting and history and, perhaps most importantly, a respect for the importance of chapters.
His journey has, after all, not followed a direct or expected path. The chronology is all about diversity and decades of braiding his multiple experiences and inspirations together to paint a cohesive and fulfilling walkway that his art invites you to share.
Born and raised in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Andrew’s artistic eye was influenced by his hometown’s magical setting by the sea, and colored by its unique set of storms and rocky shores.
“I was driven at a young age to always be doing, to change what I saw, to improve what I saw, to test what I saw, to see things not just as they are but as they could be.”
Apple a Day
And while in retrospect he can recognize the artist germinating within – he was always involved in designing his family’s homes and gardens, art was not the first career he pursued. Following college at Bates, dental school at Tufts, a stint in the Navy and then marriage and children, he built a three-decades career in dentistry.
It wasn’t until 1979 (many years after opening his own dental practice) that Andrew took his first formal art class at the community center near his home in Westford, Massachusetts. Initially, he envisioned painting as a means to relieve stress. But under the tutelage of renowned artists including George Shedd, Corey Staid, Ruth Wynn, and most importantly, Leo Smith – “the mentor who changed my life”– it quickly became far more than a diversion or hobby.
And, thus the transitional chapters began. It was a decades-long journey from that first art class in 1979 to grand leap of faith in 2000, when he gave up his dental practice and moved back to his childhood hometown, committed to a life as a full-time professional artist.
Talent, time and training, however, are not unto themselves sufficient, Kusmin notes. The work requires discipline, tenacity and sacrifice.
“The universality of human feelings and the mutual pleasure created when audience and artist identify with the subject matter of a painting give meaning and inspiration to my work.”
While most art captures a moment in time, Kusmin’s paintings capture time in a moment. His works are not renderings of another image, neither a photograph nor a single encounter. They are the fully-fleshed stories of multiple, changing images and impressions, a myriad of memories of a place, the things and the people who have graced it. Even in his paintings without a visible a human figure, the people are undeniably present – just departed from the scene, or waiting impatiently in the wings.
“In the commonality of these shared experiences we elevate subjects to their rightful place, preserving a moment in time when man and his environment interact.”
Let’s Dance
Throughout his career, actively preserving the past has been another aspect of Kusmin’s art. Through various chapters in his life he has done private restoration work and been integral in the restoration of historic buildings. His dedication and drive resulted in the foundation of community center and a later a cultural center in Westford. Once back in Plymouth, he jumped headlong into the leadership role in transforming the town’s historic former library into the highly respected Plymouth Center for the Arts.
Andrew’s “art chapter” continues to evolve; he has found another creative outlet as a teacher. After years of success in the form of ribbons, positive reviews, and sales, he has found that the growth, confidence and passion he nurtures in his students is the greatest reward of his career.
“I became a competent technician long before I became a communicator, lulled into contentment by the ability to convey realism that impressed people but often expressed nothing. I came to understand that the first issue for students is to determine who they are, why they paint and what they want to say.”
In many ways, teaching provides another means of preserving the best of our past; paying forward the lessons and inspiration his mentors gifted to him.
Kusmin’s students were in large part the inspiration for this book, though he suspects the finished product is not exactly the volume they expected. While he anticipates that the future books he is itching to write will address “how” to paint, this one concentrates on what he believes are the far more important questions of what, where, when, who and – most crucially – “why” to paint. Andrew believes that the “why” should be the first chapter of every “how to” book.
