Advent

Our eyes are like a prosthetic of space. In this painting titled Advent I went into my backyard to paint the changing ground-scape of weeds, melting snow and a wild astor plant. The astor will bloom bright purple in the spring. I am fascinated with the change in us when we look down and then slowly up... it places us in a position that is much different than a vista. In this painting I invite the viewer to look down and move in a very intimate range. The plants at the bottom of the picture plane are life scale... you are drawn in. I painted it over several days ...and I leaned into the changing light, the melting snow and this shallow intimate cone of vision. I know it is not a typical plein air subject but instead expands the vocabulary of the tradition to include subjects that are simmering with mystery and intimacy. It meditates on what is present and anticipates what is to come. The detail image is from the bottom center.