Four Pillars Artist Residency

ARTIST STATEMENT

Building upon the history of observational landscape painting, I consider its relevance in an age of time-based media, mass imagery and instant information. Embracing human limitations, I explore the complexities of first-hand experiences and the definition of familiarity. Through sequential and perceptual landscape painting, my practice creates an archive of sustained engagement with perpetually fluctuating environments.

Standing in the same spot, I paint the same space again and again. With each noticeable change in its appearance, I begin a new panel. I cannot and do not want to capture every detail. I am interested in shape shifts within my subject, as well as the immediacy of my response. The resulting images from this process reflect the pace at which changes occur.

Sustained engagement through painting allows me to be open and ready to respond to the unexpected in seemingly mundane or cliché subjects. Endurance leads to a rhythmic quality in the physical act of painting. As I work, I do not compare the current painting to the previous one. I am fully absorbed in the present. I have faith that the process will result in a genuine record of my experience however subtle or dramatic the visual shifts.

Painting the same size within a series guarantees that there is minimal disruption to the narrative flow and read when I present these landscapes in their entirety as a story of my encounters with a particular place. Series are installed chronologically as a singular piece - often in grid-like formats contrasting the irregularity of nature.