Enter a world through another’s eyes. A world not of distinct images but of shadowy inhabitants…hints of colors, shapes and textures which can change at any time into something else. A world captured by an artist who paints what he sees, but barely sees what he paints.
Diagnosed with a rare eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 9, Kontra began drawing shortly afterwards as a way to escape depression. He is a self-taught artist that relies on his memory and imagination in order to create his work. Using only his left eye, he must fight through the obstacles of severe tunnel vision, blind spots, blurred vision, painful eye strain and nystagmus (involuntary eye movements). When he paints, his field of view on the canvas is less than a circumflex ¼th of an inch. In essence, it is like looking at the world through a straw.
Some call his art “Outsider” since he is self-taught, but others call him an expressionist due to the strong feelings and emotions depicted in some of his paintings. His subject matter includes portraiture, figurative, architectural design, fantasy art, abstracts, landscapes and political art.
Kontra’s work has been shown in group art exhibits at various art galleries and rehabilitation institutes across the United States and his solo art exhibits have included Cleveland, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Oceanside California, and at the University of Georgia.
Originally from Cleveland, he also lived in Maine and in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. His current residence and studio is located deep in the woods of the Ozark mountains where his creativity is enhanced by wildlife and nature.
