high desert painters: July 2010

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Early Spring in Chimayo

A visit to the Chimayo Santuario never fails to quiet and strength the spirit. On the way to Taos via the High Road, the High Desert Painters stopped at Chimayo. The trees are just beginning to green in early May 2010.

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.