Perle Magazine - Spring 2018 Perle Magazine - Spring 2018 | Page 69

under his nose, is both intelligent and
noble. Noble, because this garden exists
for many creatures to wander through till
this day, from humans to birds to insects, all
finding joy in the source that once helped
him create some of the most magnificent
paintings of the Impressionism movement.
You cannot look at a painting by Joan
Mitchell and not feel the energy of her
gestural paintings through confident, big
brush strokes. Her ability to reflect the
flow of her consciousness using paint is
empowering to anyone looking at her art.
Her work of nobility was not just the art she
left behind, but also the personal support
to many young artists who came to stay
with her at Vétheuil, France.
As for Reidar, the Finnish Artist, I admire
his translation to the natural world in
forms of multiple layers of thick oil paint.
Elements from Arctic nature were often
motifs of his artwork, in an Impressionist
style depicting time and season.
A client commissioned a diptych artwork consisting
of carefully selected shades of blue and a variation of
textures, to complement the character of her new home.
I drew my inspiration from the structure of Blue Agate
Geodes, whose exterior surfaces resemble rocks, yet
when they are sliced open they reveal layers of precious
gemstones and crystals. This painting’s materials and
form suggest the textures of the geodes themselves,
with a matte and rough exterior texture and smoothly
varnished center.
What sort of elements do you look for as
inspiration when you are creating your art?
My primary inspiration is the
transformative power of the natural world—
the ways experiences of nature change us
and the ways we change the natural world.
Nature is so fleeting, always changing and
transforming, colors and lights moving in
ways that can never fully be captured yet
toy with the imagination. I try to abstractly
capture the sense of awe that engulfs me
when I am surrounded by pine forests,
swelling ocean waves far out at sea, or a
silent snowscapes stretching to an endless
horizon of icy blue and white: images drawn
from memories of my own travels in remote
areas of the world.
More recently, my work has focused on
my interior landscape, guided by intuition
and emotion. My work explores the
dichotomy between nature and the physical
and emotional response to it. I paint my
emotional reaction to nature and translate
the energy of my environment onto canvas,
panel, or paper. Nature was not created
merely to look breathtakingly beautiful— it
serves as a sanctuary and a home to all
living things, including you and me.
It serves as a school for those who attend
its daily classes mindfully and reflectively.
The conditions of nature can be compared
to human qualities. Nature can teach you
lessons of physics, chemistry, geology,
gemology, biology, mathematics,
psychology, even encourage language to
describe, reflect and express its qualities.
SPRING 2018
Perle
69