ARTIST STATEMENT
I
work in a realistic style, but my paintings often include elements of
myth, legend and folklore. Although I do paint traditional landscapes, I
sometimes transpose the mythology of another time and place into the
Midwestern landscape, or “Traditional with a Twist”, as I call it.
As
a youngster, I was a voracious reader of Greek and Norse mythology,
European folk tales, fantasy and fairytales. I signed out and read every
book on the shelves in our small neighborhood library on those subjects.
Having little knowledge of history or geography, I naturally visualized
the magical stories taking place around the familiar farmlands of
southeastern Wisconsin or the pine forests of northern Wisconsin. My
work is still influenced by these early childhood impressions and
imperfectly remembered tales of pagan Gods, heroes, and monsters. If
there is indeed a child within all of us, it is this child that shapes
my artwork even today.
The painting pictured below is an example of a subconscious
recollection. Well after completing this painting, I realized while
watching the opening credits for a movie, that I had unknowingly painted
the image of Columbia Studios “Miss Liberty with a Torch” logo. I find
the similarities remarkable, even the colors and their arrangement are
very much alike.
Other influences of mine include artists of the Hudson River School, 17th-Century
Dutch Landscape Masters, and 19th-Century Romanticism. Sometimes my
paintings are intentionally painted in a style that harkens back to the
epic paintings of the past. Those old masterpieces remind me of stage
settings, drenched in atmosphere and dramatically illuminated in a
timeless world of a long-lost golden age. I try to pay tribute to this
artistic heritage. |
