“ Mercies ”
I ’ ve got a huge wind chime on the front porch of the studio , any kind of breeze gives off this meditative sort of gong sound .
That ’ s the sort of thing I want in my work .
He describes his brand as “ psychological landscapes , possibly dreamscapes .” His paintings are ephemeral images , meant to evoke a feeling or a moment . Each painting acts as a small , momentary window into his world . “ I ’ ve always been a painter but I ’ m the kind of person who likes to be alone in nature out in the woods or at the lake . That feeling is what I ’ m trying to replicate .”
“ I ’ m definitely not a plein air painter ; I focus more on the feeling or vibe .” He said if he had to describe his scenes , it would be as “ a meditative , emotional response to nature ” rather than the nature itself . He transports a viewer into the solitary and organic feeling of getting lost in the wilderness . “ I don ’ t make a lot of rules for myself , but I never have any human thing in my work , never houses or roads . That ’ s getting harder and harder to find today .”
“ I ’ ve got a huge wind chime on the front porch of the studio ; any kind of breeze gives off this meditative sort of gong sound . That ’ s the sort of thing I want in my work . It ’ s hard to explain , hard to describe , but you know it when you see it .” He stresses that it ’ s important to appreciate those quiet moments . He loves to paint things that he ’ s excited to come and dive back into , paintings he can glance back at in the studio , and still be surprised by something there . “ My goal is absolutely unachievable . It always feels like some magical thing is happening in nature and I ’ m always chasing it .”
Sostrom ’ s artistic style is wrapped up fundamentally in who he is as a person . Throughout his entire life he has been enthralled and shaped by nature . “ In my childhood , originally we just moved all around . We went to little forest service
10 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE