Who looks upon a river in a meditative hour, and is not reminded of the flux of all things? ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Landscape painting has always been an integral part of my art output. Initially, it seemed plain air painting ensured that I could be outside. Finding the outdoors enjoyable was a natural outcome of growing up in the country and spending much of my time outside.
Later in life, I came to realize there were deeper reasons for choosing to work on location. The outdoors brought me in close contact with a natural world both alive and in a state of flux. Being present in nature provided a reminder that everything contains life, each tree, each rock, each blade of grass is alive and in a perpetual state of becoming.
Flux is the one constant in nature. The most important parts of a landscape are fleeting and exist briefly before being replaced by other events equally as impermanent. Nature is always changing, and water illustrates this perfectly. The play of sunlight on water, the ripples in a mountain stream, underwater currents, a wave, clouds overhead being some of the many events contributing to this never-ending pageant.
Consider my paintings in total and water appears in many, obviously a favorite subject, and a consistent motif, assuming different forms. This process of becoming, moving, and changing holds a deep fascination for me. I also view this as a metaphor for life, where few things, either good or bad are permanent.
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