Craig Kosak’s meld of mythology and legend with modern spirituality is enhanced by the flawless fusion of abstract and realistic painting in his compositions.

“A true leap of faith is made when you don’t yet have the wings” says Kosak of "Pegasus – Leap of Faith." “When I paint a myth or a legend everybody is familiar with, I look at it in a new way, read between the lines and find a new perspective. I’ve always felt that if realists want to be taken seriously, they must have something new to say. While this painting is inspired by my personal leaps, it depicts the archetypal story of those who follow their dreams, with an insightful trickster providing direction.

“I see ravens as a guide, encouraging me to accept my unique inner self. They exhort me to celebrate who I am rather than hide it. The horse is a combination of strength and sensitivity. Pegasus is also a symbol of wisdom and a source of a poet’s muse. Paintings can be a metaphor of either the dark or lighter side of our lives. I see my work finding a balance between the two.

“It took years to find my voice.” he says. “I combine the realistic observations, impressions and feelings of an outer world, the physical world through which we travel - with an inner world of self-discovery, the abstract and rule breaking part of my art. I use this inner vision to idealize, fantasize and anthropomorphize these insights.”

Kosak does not juxtapose his geometric and illustrative elements, rather he merges them together through layers of glazes, patinas and textures. Each painting features an "Edge ribbon." The edge ribbon will have all the colors that are in the painting, a band added each time a new color is used. The edge ribbon is a record of the painting coming into being.

“My paintings are inspired by the natural world and the human condition. Most importantly I want to show the bond we have with other living creatures that share our planet.”