My work deals with the relationships between the idea of a place, color, and implied narrative. The landscapes I paint evoke memories and feelings of an actual location through the combination of these elements, but the places remain unidentified and details are altered. I’m interested in how far removed a viewer can be from the physical site but still be able to grasp the integral essence of the place. My paintings are typically inspired by personal photographs and memories, and are never completed on site.
Recently my work takes this process of removal even farther. A current series is inspired by the dioramas at a museum, with the actual terrain being filtered through five layers of process. Only then is the viewer asked to connect with the location on an emotional rather than a tangible, physical level. What is lost and what is gained?