We’re surrounded by it, and yet we don’t see it—the brilliant colors of leaves in the fall, the magnificent glow of a sunset, the snowy banks along a creek. We know it’s there, but we take it for granted, as we go about our busy lives. And we feel it—sun shining on our faces, wind blowing through our hair, crashing waves sending a misty bouquet of shimmering water through the air. Mother Nature beckons us to enjoy and appreciate the wonders she has to offer, but all too often we ignore those offerings, as we go about our busy lives.
Landscape artists love nothing more than being outside, surrounded by the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.
Steve Curry
Sunset Cruise
Oil
18″ x 24″
“I come from an art family and have always admired the beauty of the golden age of California landscape painters,” says California artist Steven Curry. “I feel that a landscape can appeal to a broader audience versus other genres, such as still life or figure/portrait work; there is such diversity and flexibility of the category. It can be any location, any time of day or night, any season or aspect of weather. You also can stylize and design a composition with far more visual freedom versus specific rigid still elements, or aspects of human anatomy.
John Burton (California)
End of Thirst
Oil
24″ x 30″
“I was drawn to landscapes for the opportunity to celebrate God’s creation,” says California artist John Burton. “When I stand in front of a majestic mountain or a beautiful coastline, I feel I must say something, if only to say, ‘Look what you missed.’ When asked the definition of art, I reply, ‘Painting is the celebration of internalizing beauty and then trying to convey how you felt about what you witnessed in a poetic way.’
Lanny Grant
Last Leaves
Oil
30″ x 40″
“I feel that landscapes give us a humble sense of our place in nature, providing solitude and introspection,” says Colorado artist Lanny Grant. “Paintings of these landscapes should serve as reminders for the need to protect and preserve this wild beauty. “Each day and each season brings the challenge of different weather and light conditions—and an invitation to attempt to capture those changes on canvas.
Kaye Franklin
Winter Light
Oil
11″ x 14″
“Landscape is such an inspiration and is always changing,” says Texas artist Kay Franklin. “The biggest challenge is painting an impression of a scene with visible brush strokes, movement, composition, and light in its changing qualities with ordinary subjects. When painting plein air, the changing light is always a challenge and requires much concentration. “The rewards are painting plein air and painting subjects I love, along with a feeling of accomplishment and having the viewer enjoy what I create.
Ross Buckland
A Southern Intruder
Oil
12″ x 9″
“The earth around us is an integral part of the enjoyment of flying—those on the ground look to the sky, those in the air look at the ground—so, instead of depicting an aircraft at altitude with a common sky background, my compositions include an interesting and relevant landscape that is, hopefully, attractive to the viewer and evokes a desire to be there,” says Ross Buckland, who lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Debroah Paris
Deer Trail Pool
Oil
18″ x 24″
“I think landscape is at the core of our humanity; it is our cradle, our home, and offers the landscape painter a rich, and emblematic motif to link to strong undercurrents of thought and emotion running through our lives,” says Texas painter Deborah Paris. “I think contemporary landscape painters are challenged to make work that speaks to our time offers more than a technically proficient ‘pretty picture,’ or observational reportage. We need to engage both with painting as painting and with nature on a deeper level.
