Artist Statement

Landscapes can play many roles in our viewing minds; from a place that brings fond memories, the idea of season's change or time past, to a place that only looks real in our dreams. Some take pictures of landscapes for memories while others might invest in landscape paintings to decorate their surrounding. Some support artists like Thomas Kinkade for his romantic scenic paintings while others, like myself, may look at artists such as Monet and Turner for their brushwork and manipulation of the landscape. In either case, why are these scenes so captivating? What makes them so romantic and intriguing?

I intend to deal with the idea of the romantic landscape in my work but through the lens of the medium. I investigate how the tools and paint can manipulate the landscape to create an adapted scene through color, texture, balance, and juxtaposition. I intend to intrigue the viewer to ask oneself: How has the medium manipulated this landscape to become its own entity? Is it still a landscape? Is it still romantic? Can our modern visual culture minds see the beauty in the created abstraction?

An artist is never done growing and at this point, my works are never done being developed. I create my paintings with imagery references, experimentation, and much trial and error. They are ever evolving and often become a creation of their own process. I continue to grow and experiment with the medium and will always be open to new evolutions of the work.