Redtree Times

I’ve always been attracted to the work of Grant Wood, particularly his landscapes.  They seemed to have their own life, their own rhythm that runs through each piece.  That rhythm is a goal for me in my own painting.  It’s hard to describe in words but I equate painting to music in many ways and the landscapes of Grant Wood are visual music to me, with a strong rhythm section and lilting melodies.

As a kid growing up in the Southern Tier of New York, I remember a teacher in grade school telling how the local Native American tribes looked at the landscape around them and saw human forms in the rolling fields and hilltops.  This really stuck with me and from that time on I have done the same.  It has really shaped how I see the landscape and how I depict it.