Having lived in Illinois all my life the local landscape is as much apart of me as the land is to a farmer. The landscapes I sculpt are flat, dark, airy, filled with groves of trees, or posts but mostly the sky and land are the main subject. It is a subject I have consistently included in my work. The ease in which a landscape becomes a simplistic form allows for investigation of material and a gestural approach. Because I can close my eyes and see the region around me I am free to explore different color combinations and compositions. The Home of the Range Series is a recent development. Based compositionally on old photos and post cards of slaughtered bison, this series explores my concern in the harm we do as humans to the landscape, animals and other people.
2023
Gouache and Graphite on Yupo
26” x 24”
Unframed.
The California Dreamin’ subjects are taken from photographs shot on trips romanticizing the natural forms of Southern California. This painting began monochromatic, but Orange kept insisting on being in the painting, even after attempts to remove it with layers of blue. Purple and green contribute to the shift away from the monochrome. As I worked, the subject went from the sun setting to the moon rising.
