One of my favorite things to do is travel to new places and explore. While painting does not allow for much explore time, each painting in itself is a journey and for that I can get lost and enjoy myself in a fresh new place each time I sit down to paint. Whether it is from life, imagination, or a photo, once engaged, I am lost in a new place, new colors, new light, new shadows, new people.
For the student, a landscape is part of the exploration of the “environment” which a story is set or told. Landscape painting helps the student understand light and shadow, the color of light and how it effects everything, and how everything effects everything else. Landscapes, or environment exploration helps us find the ground, and place figures in the space, find depth and helps us problem solve more than just the organic human form.