STATEMENT

The work presented recalls the way we relate to the places where we live and the impact we as humans have on the land.

The pieces either executed in acrylic on canvas, gouache on paper, or collage on paper, reinterpret events or activities in the landscape.

All the work relies, as resource, on aerial photography. While not loyal to the specifics of the site, the work explores the unique qualities of a particular landscape.

The word landscape derives on the Dutch word “landschap”, an acquired connotation in the early 16th century. But the genre of landscape painting had not gained acceptance by the powerful art academies of Italy and Frame who only recognized classical, religious, mythological and allegorical themes. Until the 17th Century, portraits, still life landscapes, were considered inferior subjects of painting.

As the Industrial Revolution altered the traditions of rural life, landscape and portrait painting gained new pre-eminence—becoming less concerned with idealized classical views of outdoors. The second half of 20th Century challenged the definition of landscape and portrait work even further by helping us view the landscape from multiple perspective – from above to down below. 

The intention of this collection of work contradicts the historical notion that work of the landscape is a projection of expansive vistas.

Landscape portrait focuses on the micro view: the detail and the nuance. It shifts the scale of the previous expectation of the depiction of the landscape. The image presumes the detail within the landscape and honors the perception that something is felt as well as seen – the aura of the place. Here the viewer is exposed to the depiction of textures, the material nature; it’s form and above all the phenomena of place.