Artists’ Statement
Painting on location is a discovery. I might compare it to selecting a book by its cover and then experiencing a different world as the story develops the deeper you read into it. My painting process is similar. I find every landscape has a story and a depth that goes far beyond what can be perceived with a cursory glance. I endeavor to give form to that story and transform a representational presentation in such a way that it provides an experience that is more than a beautiful view – one that has the aura, the light, the temperature and feeling of the place and, when most successful, the history of the place.
The intense scrutiny that comes with an extended time of observing a particular location is like taking a piece of it with
you. I find that certain locations follow
me for years. Sometime painting a
location a second or third time after
a period of incubation results in the distillation of the memory and focused reality of that place.
Often art is political, social, shocking or angry. The wording of my paintings is
not commentary. With the simple tools of canvas, a brush and paint I hope to create
a version that enriches your spirit. The temporal quality of the landscape mirrors our own existence. My approach as an artist is to combine the constantly
changing moments into an enduring interpretation of nature.
Art Work Photography: Mark Russell
