“There are three components to my work. The empirical—what I observe when painting outside. The rational—what I know about the landscape. And the spiritual—how I feel about the subject, my emotional response to it.”
So says Joseph McGurl, whose landscape paintings have earned him numerous awards, as well as recognition as one of the country’s most gifted contemporary artists. The fact that he became an artist and that his chosen subjects are the land and sea is no surprise. Born and raised outside Boston, Massachusetts, he spent much of his time on the water.

Joseph McGurl

Last Light of Winter
Oil
21″ by 33″
“My rejection of photography in my art is similar to the Amish philosophy in regard to technology. If it doesn’t help reach a goal, it is an unnecessary intrusion. By relying simply on my observation, memory, and imagination, I was able to create in paint the melancholy I felt on a late winter afternoon.”

Joseph McGurl

Chasm
Oil
15″ by 14″
“This started out as a plein air sketch and was later finished in the studio. My plein air sketches are primarily a means to understanding nature more profoundly and to making a deeper spiritual connection with my subject but sometimes, as with Chasm, they also become finished works of art.”