I have lived in Kansas all of my life. Growing up in Willard, a town of about eighty people, I spent hours along the banks of the Kansas River, the historic Oregon Trail, and the harvesting crops and fields. With so many forms of nature just outside my front door, it was easy to become invested in and connected to the land. This relationship has had a tremendous effect on the art I create.

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Taking artistic inspiration through the art movements of Post-Impressionism and Contemporary Art, I begin my oil paintings on canvas with a vision / memory or a reference photo of where I have been and what I remember. I anticipate each mark, each color, each layer of paint, reinforcing both macro and micro findings, while subconsciously placing bold and strong marks across the canvas to reflect my interpretation of the place and atmosphere.

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Being a musician as well as an artist, there are plenty of similarities between music and my art. For example, jazz music is based off improvisation and how you are free to do what you want but still be within the set parameters of the music. I use that same concept as a part of my process. While painting from memory and experiences, the artwork paints itself, and I respond to it accordingly, being conscious about aspects, such as direction of light or placement of objects.

 

My land and sky paintings capture a place, memory, and atmosphere. Each painting has a sense of movement, showing how landscapes are never truly static. Some feel fast paced because of how fast the memory flows, and others feel delicate and slow because of how hard I’m trying to recall the place and all its details. In my paintings, I have a desire to express how I see the land around me. Prioritizing the characteristics of place, memory, and atmosphere within rural America with an emphasis on Kansas - my home. Painting the land and sky is important to me because our connection to nature is important and a part of who we are as inhabitants of this Earth. I challenge you to stop and smell the sunflowers, take a deep breath, and engrave a vision of Kansas into your mind and soul.