I’ve had a life-long propensity toward animism, and as an artist, I’m constantly seeking ways to depict what I suspect lies beyond the phenomenal world. Landscape painting seems to address this best, and I’ve been focusing almost exclusively on landscape subjects for a few years.
I’m not interested in the prosaic “prettiness” sometimes associated with the genre. However, I’m a sucker for the awe-inspiring landscapes of the 19th century - I feel a certain kinship to their obsession with the sublime. Unlike the grandest landscape artists of the 19th century, though, I don’t paint broad panoramas. Often my subjects emphasize a small slice of a place that exudes the mysterious to me. My goal is to evoke in the viewer a familiar scene or a nostalgic memory from their own life.
The overlapping of the scenes in the viewer’s mind and on the canvas creates a new “emotional landscape”. I hope this invokes a feeling similar to how I perceive the world.
I’m also interested in helping the viewer reevaluate landscapes within the artistic cannon. Placed within the context of contemporary art, my work should be viewed as an attempt to renew the relevance of realism, and in particular, landscape painting.
I’m also interested in helping the viewer reevaluate landscapes within the artistic cannon.
