Art teacher shows ‘Compassion'

Works by Robert Hoover on display in New Paltz GOSHEN — “Compassion,” an art exhibit by Robert Lewis Hoover, is on display at La Ninnola Grand Café’ Ristorante, located at 215 Main St. in New Paltz Hoover has been an art teacher at the Goshen Intermediate School for the last 13 years. His work has been displayed in many exhibits throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond. Hoover describes himself as a self-taught artist. He has undergone two surgeries on his right wrist and suffers from chronic pain. “My artwork deals with spiritual transformation,” Hoover wrote. “It is the result of a search for spirituality and a sense of self-introspection. Peace, tranquility, and hope permeate my paint. “Love and hope are major themes. Jesus and Buddha are my guides. Each one of my paintings, whether male or female is an emotional, psychological, self-portrait. “I produce work that deals with my intense feelings of loneliness, pain, anger, joy, bliss, and solitude. My work also examines the possibility that we have the capacity to grow, change and radiate. “My goal is not to merely copy religious iconography, but rather to get in touch with my spiritual self through association and become one step closer to my higher power, whom or whatever that may be. “I use images that have a recognizable and spiritually symbolic quality. I enlarge and crop the faces to get to the root of the emotion evaluated, and in doing so, try to help the viewer realize their own spiritual potential. “Life and art are a continuous process, each new day brings clarity, acceptance and the possibility of serenity. Pain and suffering have been transformed into the divine. I am a work in progress. “My paintings have been and will always be an extension of myself. They do not define who I am as a person, rather they become one more piece of the intricate puzzle that is me. ‘Who am I?’ The dig continues, the search carries on. Namaste.” For more information about Robert Lewis Hoover and his work, visit www.roberthoover.com.