Howard Fox

I had a heart attack a few years ago while performing "Mustang Sally" on stage.
On my way home I found a bit of sidewalk, sat down leaned against a stone wall and died.
Luckily for me an ambulance was parked close by and came to my rescue. I thank my wife for being, by my side in love.
Waking in the hospital I was asked what I had seen by the male nurse. I had not seen anything, but I had a wonderful feeling of having had my soul and my being cleansed of all that had come before. It did not last long, but it left me with questions.
I began wondering why did I come back, what was it about life that brought me feelings of happiness and worth?
The more I pondered and sought answers to these questions the more confusion I felt.
What is it that we, as humans want, really want?
What is the ontology of happiness. How does one deconstruct what we have learned? I question the source of our feelings, wondering if the dream is personal or learned, something we puppet and maybe even fear.
It eventually settled in my mind that utopia was a subject that interested me, a muse for all my questions and theories. A laboratory for theories and beliefs and the joy of putting brush and color to canvas.
I paint not to repeat the glories of the past, but to use the painting styles and techniques of the old masters to create a totally contemporary style and subject matter. My works are as contemporary as could possibly be, yet feel somehow void of time, lingering in a moment, about to change.
The hotel is a platform for humor, sometimes lost in the barrage of details, the play that I set in motion is filled with tongue in cheek gestures. A smile is essential, for that movement of our lips and eyes is what sets us apart from the beast.
In conclusion, I have come to the realization that utopia is not a lingering sense of being, but something momentary, personal, to be grasped, enjoyed and let go of, like a stay at a hotel. You can stay an hour, a day, a week or longer, but you eventually have to check-out.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.