Landscapes Reimagined

             Landscapes Reimagined challenges common expectations of landscape painting. It combines craft materials with the fine art of oil and acrylic painting, creating tension and opposition. This is accomplished by borrowing from romantic painting’s sense of depth while using thread and other 3D craft materials to reinforce and interrupt depth cues, reminding viewers of the flatness of the picture plane. By elevating craft materials into the realm of fine art, and bringing attention to the objectivity of the canvas, this series gives the viewer a new perception of landscapes.

             Some elements in this series take influence from the work of Casper David Friedrich. His work evokes a romantic feeling of space by making the viewer feel small while making the space, within the scene, seem large. This technique can be seen in his piece; Seashore by Moonlight. Compositionally, my work mimics this feeling of space through the use of horizon lines and large skies. Influence from his work can be found in my pieces; Sunset Point and Blue Mountains.        

            Depth cues in this series are both interrupted and reinforced by craft materials. Embroidery thread is the major craft material used in this series. I incorporate this by sewing colored thread through the painted canvas. Additional craft materials which are newer to my practice are glitter and rhinestones. These are integrated by gluing the reflective material to paint on canvas. The color scheme of the thread highlights the hues within the setting, while their orientation reflects the shape of the landscape. This can be seen in my piece Night Stars, in which the symmetrical reflection of a mountain range is reinforced by the symmetrical composition of the thread. By abstracting colored thread against representational settings, the works gain a varying level of texture and depth, leaving viewers with a new perception of the painted landscape.

Landscapes Reimagined developed alongside the influence of several artists. Ettore Sottsass has influenced the use of materials in this series. In much of his work, he combines low-brow elements with high-brow design. An example of a piece that does this is his design titled; Who is afraid of Frank Lloyd Wright? This design portrays a trailer home that is placed on top of a platform with a long red carpet leading up to the door. Similarly, to Sottsass, I am interested in breaking perceived boundaries of fine art. Ana Teresa Barboza has also influenced my material selection, she uses embroidery thread as paint to render landscapes. By integrating two-dimensional renderings with three-dimensional media, a tension is created which reminds the viewer of the flat picture plane.

           My compositions and color choices are influenced by the landscape photography of Franco Fontana. His work is often broken up into horizontal sections, resembling two separate compositions sharing one space. Although the compositions of my pieces are largely made up of horizontal, stripe-like sections, I find it is most interesting to include small, directional breaks. These sometimes come from paint on the canvas, and other times from thread sewn into the canvas. Directional breaks through the use of paint can be seen in my piece; Sunrise Memory. Another unconventional technique used by Fontana is exaggerating color so that it appears highly saturated. Colors used within my series are based on those found in source images and from memories of landscapes. I also exaggerate hues within the setting by mixing them to be highly saturated. I make this color choice to express the intense feeling of awe I experience when enjoying the view of a landscape.

           This series challenges classic pictorial strategies of landscape painting by operating on the border between abstraction and representation. These works include atmospheres and horizons which create illusions of space. Landscapes Reimagined creates a new perception of landscape painting that centers around breaking perceived boundaries. It accomplishes this by combining elements borrowed from abstraction, craft, and romantic painting, and placing them into one space. This teaches viewers how things that might seem to be unrelated can find balance and even harmony. Through challenging the conventions of landscape painting, viewers are influenced to challenge conventions in their own lives.