Wide Open, 20 x 24, 2015

Wide Open is a more contemporary take on the traditional landscape, and represents the blending of land forms and atmosphere when seen at great distance.  To me, this is symbolic of the interconnectedness of man and nature, where we are our environment through the way we process our unique perceptions.

One of the primary influences for this direction in my work is the Spanish Realist painter Antonio Lopez Garcia, and his work with an elevated perspective, most notably seen in his paintings depicting Madrid and the surrounding area.  Lopez says, " The decisive factor is when you first choose a particular area of the city as your subject: the distance from which you observe that area is what allows you to widen the scope of your vision."  When you study paintings such as View of North Madrid from "La Maliciosa, you find a huge canvas (51.2 x 78.75) filled with endless, flowing brush work, subtle detail, and the masterful depiction of receding space and atmosphere.  Luscious.  It makes me long for huge canvases.

Wide Open was painted on a canvas that had been textured with gesso first.  This surface helps create exciting layers of color and abstract forms, but does not lend itself well to the realist detail seen in Lopez's work.   So...another day, another painting just waiting to emerge.