What is the nature of perception? Merely seeing - taking in light through the eyes - or are there filters through which light must pass? Upbringing, Culture, Interests, Emotions. Is it even possible to truly see anything? Is there such a thing as unbiased perception?

Modern Age
acrylic on panel

Extraordinary, beautiful, captivating and imaginative are words often heard at Kingston's exhibitions. Yet no words can't truly describe a painting technique so exacting people often think they're seeing a photograph and not a painting. Dreamlike and highly realistic, these tranquil and always thought provoking images reveal a world within our world. Places where time has stopped and the moment lasts for us to study and ponder life's deeper meaning. Often a sense of predicament permeates these scenes, like a second before something ominous occurs. They can act as touchstones for the subconscious and open doors to our own experience. Sometimes reminding us and other times unveiling the reality of our own perceptions. There is always more to each painting than first impressions can grasp. The truth remains just out of reach and the meaning is as different and unknown as each viewer.

The mystery is in each of us.

Dawn
acrylic on panel

"Kingston creates an imaginary arena characterized by goddesses with halos, shrouded in light-filled auras. They are supernatural and float or hover above and beyond the landscape. This is a magic world of symbolic objects and spirits, a hierarchical power structure of dominant elements. The gray flesh tones suggest ancient statues of mythological gods. His personal pantheon, rife with female figures, attests to his belief in the positive power of the feminine character. Through his varied, multi-layered motifs, the artist comments on the emptiness, loss, separation and alienation inherent in contemporary life. These metaphysical issues are conveyed through recurring surrealistic themes that include lonely deserts, landscapes at sunset, dark empty highways, deserted intersections and disembodied eyes, hands, heads and torsos. Many images are night scenes where a solitary figure stands in silhouette; others depict dimly illuminated daytime scenes that feature a complex interplay of light and shadow. Here the artist is clearly the mythical hero and his religion is closely related to the rational self-interest of the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of The Fountainhead. Kingston depicts the existential dilemma of man alone, responsible for his own destiny. Kingston is an idealist who aspires to a higher vision of life and has expressed a desire to create pictures that are moving and uplifting. Kingston taps the subconscious, bringing surrealistic multi-layered fantasy and dream images into the context of contemporary life. They are highly resolved pictorial metaphors for his view of existence. The individual's struggle and inability to control his destiny are reflected in the cinema-inspired dramatic tableaux. They explore enduring issues of human nature, characterized by the artist's continuum of experience that ranges from lonely resolve to redemption, and ultimately to the artist's faith in life's processes, with a little help from friends in high places."

Mary Hrbacek, Artist and Writer "M" New York Art World magazine.

Eternal
acrylic on panel

Entirely self taught Kingston has spent his life focused on the creation of artwork. Growing up in an artistic and theatrical family he was encouraged to follow his calling. For Kingston this meant forgoing the academic route in favor of individual exploration and study. Salvador Dali was his first influence and as a boy Kingston spent many hours studying his parent's extensive art library, where he came to love the talents of other great artists such as Rembrandt, Cezanne, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, Winslow Homer, and Magritte. At age sixteen Kingston began concentrating on painting and over the years his work has become increasingly focused and intense. He attributes this to the influence of Alex Colville, Maxfield Parrish and H.R. Giger. Their work, though different, is distinctive in its exquisite design and predominant characteristic of contemplation.

"The work of any artist can be seen as a bringing together of the real world and ones own conscience existence," Kingston explains. " For me that extends farther into my dreams and subconscious reflections. The symbolic realism that was employed in paintings before the abstract revolution strikes a harmonious chord with the images I am bringing to life. Myth and mysticism, a reverence for beauty and the desire to reach for the highest goals are common themes that those artists and I share. In a way, I feel I'm not just recording life but giving form to a new mythology."