Artists Statement:Farming and Ranching
"Self Portrait," Oil on canvas, 36" X 24"
Because I have a strong connection to the land and come from a long tradition of farming, I am primarily a plein air painter. When capturing a specific scene on-site is not possible, I work from my own photos as a point of departure. My paintings are inspired by my love of the area I live in and the things around me, such as the Acampo landscape, old tractors and cars, curious cattle, and old homesteads. I believe they bring me back to the earth.
While my media of choice is oil, as well as pastel and acrylics, I feel like a sculptor when painting because I can chisel out the images as though they were stone. I am also drawn to reflected light and I have a deep passion for vibrant color. My intent is not to be a camera but to convey my feelings and sensations at that moment in time. My paintings are impressionistic in style as I try to catch the fleeting light of the golden hour.
Antique relics recur in my work in the form of old rusty card and tractors. Those items bring back moments on my grandma's farm when life was sweet and simple. Today when I am not teaching or painting, I am in the fields with my husband. Sometimes I'm on the tractor and other days I'm driving the Kawasaki Mule to trees that need tending. My paintings are a part of my everyday life. They are an extension of my identity. The small farmer is vanishing and these paintings document this vanishing past.
I believe art and the creative process is a force of consistency in my life. My work allows me to endure life's difficulties. I am a survivor, of not only cancer, but of life. These small interpretations of rural life, take you back to a childhood memory, as well as the blood, sweat and tears the land demands of its inhabitants.
While my media of choice is oil, as well as pastel and acrylics, I feel like a sculptor when painting because I can chisel out the images as though they were stone. I am also drawn to reflected light and I have a deep passion for vibrant color. My intent is not to be a camera but to convey my feelings and sensations at that moment in time. My paintings are impressionistic in style as I try to catch the fleeting light of the golden hour.
Antique relics recur in my work in the form of old rusty card and tractors. Those items bring back moments on my grandma's farm when life was sweet and simple. Today when I am not teaching or painting, I am in the fields with my husband. Sometimes I'm on the tractor and other days I'm driving the Kawasaki Mule to trees that need tending. My paintings are a part of my everyday life. They are an extension of my identity. The small farmer is vanishing and these paintings document this vanishing past.
I believe art and the creative process is a force of consistency in my life. My work allows me to endure life's difficulties. I am a survivor, of not only cancer, but of life. These small interpretations of rural life, take you back to a childhood memory, as well as the blood, sweat and tears the land demands of its inhabitants.
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