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| Landscapes Home |
I live in the Piedmont region of North Carolina where four distinct seasons divide the year, and rural life meets urban life at a fence. In the right light, these conditions make for great painting material. I find myself constantly observing the activity and changes in my environment. Man has imposed his various control and containment measures, often to train the energies of nature into production for consumption. Cows are the docile modern descendants of once great wild beasts, converted now to walking storage units. I feel the pathos of this captivity in my painting. It’s the interplay between nature’s own ways, and man’s control, that provides the interest for so much of my painting. Instinctively I’m searching for an image of balance, where nature is encouraged to yield in a context of respect and reverence. In our epoch, ancient rituals are replaced by calculated conversion of land and animals for monetary gain. Without an open spirit of care and reciprocity, a sacred trust and balance is broken. In truth, there is a price to pay for this disregard. It seems to me all things are always moving toward a dynamic equilibrium, in the cycles of what we experience as time. There is painting where the artist carries something “known” into the canvas. Then there is painting where the artist is surprised by what comes out of the canvas. Landscape painting, like all painting, works on abstract principles. Occasionally I prefer to set aside any intent to mimic what my brain thinks my eye sees, and explore the open universe of pure abstraction. In this way of working, I feel a parallel universe to Nature’s, where the elements push and pull at their own velocities, all relating in a contained metaphorical system born of pure intuition, feeling, and memory. As the artist, I feel more a vehicle of transmission than an originator. Conflict characterizes the self, hence the world. Conflict is always a profound misunderstanding. Art can help us realize, even if only through metaphor, the resolution of conflict. This represents a stage of growth toward a consciousness of wholeness and peace. I associate the creation and absorption of art with healing. |
| "Rag Apple Lassie Vineyard" |
| "Stare Steppers" |
| "Rocky Creek" |
| "We Like it Here" |
| "The Buzz" |