For the last 35 years, Robert Mertens’ job during the day has been giving creative direction and designing for home products particularly decorative printed fabrics, but he’s been doing many other decorative home products as well. His job at night and over weekends has been to pursue his personal art, working in the media of photography, painting and drawing. Mertens says that since he was a small child, he’s always been fascinated with the grace of natural objects and the beauty of colors. He especially likes surfaces that play with light, such as glass, feathers, flowers and water. Reflections and sparkling things speak to him of the flickering life of the spirit. His subjects are intended to provoke strong emotional responses from the viewer. Mertens uses his art as a means of communicating his feelings to his viewers.
He believes that art is the best form of communication. His art touches the hearts of the viewers by their intriguing blend of expression, light, tone and gesture. On many occasions, his pieces of art have succeeded because they reach to the emotions of the viewers first and then they appeal to their intellect. Mertens’ passion for painting has made him to believe that each piece of art has a message that it delivers to the viewer and also has a story to tell. He achieves quality without adding too much detail. His aim is to keep everything simple and he does not want too much detail to destroy his art and his exceptional style.
