high desert painters: March 2010

Sunday, March 21, 2010

near Abiquiu, NM

In early October 2009 the High Desert Painters spent a week painting in northern New Mexico. We had the opportunity to paint in this new location which was high up a cliff looking down on the Chama river. The view was spectacular and powerful.

Jana Van Wyk

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." -Henry Ward Beecher. This is my journey of dipping my brush into my own soul and painting what I find. I have a passion for our American West and those landscapes are my primary focus. But, averaging 6-8 weeks of travel a year, I will paint whereever I am. I usually paint on location, i.e. plein air, but also revel in taking a plein air study and my photographs and using them to create a large, more thoughtful, studio work. In addition to bold brushwork and vibrant color, the power of the composition is becoming more important to my work. The work of Vincent Van Gogh, Maynard Dixon, Edgar Payne, Birger Sandzen, and Walt Gonske has been a huge inspiration to me.